Stylus eraser problem in TVP 9

[tigerknight]

I've just upgraded to TVP 9

But I found a problem that is upsetting my drawing workflow...

In TVP 8, I have my stylus' upper switch set to "Erase" (see screen grab). This allows me to hold the switch down and stroke with the stylus' nib to erase, instead of having to flip the stylus over to the eraser.

In TVP 9, this doesn't work. I hold the switch down, the tool panel toggles to my "erase brush" settings, but when I stroke, it doesn't erase.

I am running Windows XP Pro SP3 English, Wacom driver 6.1.0-5 and using a Cintiq tablet. TVP 8.6.4 and 9.0.5.

Can anyone confirm this behavior? I have TVP 8 open side-by-side with 9 and it still works fine over there... Is there a setting in TVP I've overlooked?

Once this gets resolved, I can fully transition to TVP 9.

[Paul Fierlinger]

I just tried it and it works on my Wacom tablet/TVP 9. I wouldn't know if the Cintique is different but I doubt it. Are you sure you have TVP 9 selected in your Wacom software? If so, try this: set Wacom to All Other and your switch to Erase -- .

[tigerknight]

Thanks Paul...

I tried your method, and also tried installing the newest driver 6.1.0-6 and on an Intuos3 on a different PC. I've removed the Wacom preferences file so it's starting from a clean slate. Here are my findings:

The hold-side-switch-to-activate-eraser method only works if the stylus' eraser is set to a PenBrush.

Try this:

Draw some strokes using any tool. Now invert the stylus (eraser) to select the "Eraser" from the "Sketch Panel". Flip the stylus back upright and hold down the side switch, then stroke a few times. It erases as expected! Notice that "Eraser" is a PenBrush.

Now, invert the stylus again and select the "Soft Eraser" from the "Sketch Panel". Flip the stylus back upright and try erasing again... it doesn't work. The "Soft Eraser" is an AirBrush.

You can try selecting any other tool for the eraser end of the stylus, but the only one that will work is PenBrush.

One step closer to the problem. It happens on both the PC with the Intuos and the PC with the Cintiq. Can anyone else verify?

[tigerknight]

Wait, scratch all that. The reason the eraser didn't work was because "Drying" (in the Options tab) was OFF!

I feel very silly now...

[malcooning]

by the way, the function you refer to is not "eraser", but a temporary "undo" brush. It's consistency is changing with different brushes, but basically It undos your recent strokes of the current brush. usually, if you change brush, the side switch will not "erase" anymore. As well, there's a visual difference between erasing and undoing. You can compare the difference in "erasing" results by using the side switch, and then by setting the drawing mode to "erase".

[tigerknight]

@malcooning
If I'm understanding you correctly...

I'm pretty sure the [side switch+stroke] is erasing as a "real" eraser would rather than an "undo brush". The drawing mode DOES toggle to "erase" mode. The side switch, when set to "erase" in the Wacom tablet settings, makes TVP think the stylus is inverted. TVP remembers the two orientations of the stylus.

For example, I can assign the eraser side of the stylus to an airbrush with the drawing mode set to "color". Holding down the "erase" side switch and stroking, the stylus toggles to the airbrush and paints normally.

I like to think of the "erase" switch of the stylus as a "secondary tool" (or "mode B") switch.

Anyway, the whole point of me assigning the side switch as such was so that I didn't have to flip the stylus over to erase. It's so much faster! I picked this up a couple years ago working with Corel Painter. Hope all this didn't sound too confusing...

[Paul Fierlinger]

Anyway, the whole point of me assigning the side switch as such was so that I didn't have to flip the stylus over to erase. It's so much faster! I picked this up a couple years ago working with Corel Painter. Hope all this didn't sound too confusing...

It sounds like the two of us work alike. If this is true, while drawing you would flip the Light Table on and off even more often than erase. For this reason I have set the lower switch of the side rocker switch to erase and the top one to Keystroke 1, which is my Layer: Light Table Mode shortcut; the toggle switch for LT. This way I can activate the LT and eraser while drawing and without having to move my stylus away from my current drawing.

[malcooning]

I'm pretty sure the [side switch+stroke] is erasing as a "real" eraser would rather than an "undo brush". The drawing mode DOES toggle to "erase" mode. The side switch, when set to "erase" in the Wacom tablet settings, makes TVP think the stylus is inverted. TVP remembers the two orientations of the stylus.

It works differently for me. when i use the side-switch the drawing mode is NOT changing to "erase". In the tablet properties panel I have the side switch lower button set to "right click". Hte "undo" function of the brush is most apparent when I use a custombrush: I can draw, say, in alpha mode, then switch color and draw some more. Then if I use the side switch + stroke I can erase the last used color, but not the strokes which were made with previous color.

which version of TVP do you use?

[tigerknight]

@malcooning
Interesting! I assigned the lower side-switch to "right-click" -- and it works the way you described, like an "undo brush"! I think this could come in handy some time. Why don't you try assigning the other side-switch to "erase" (see the screen-grab in the first post)? You'll see how that works...

BTW, I'm using TVP Standard (not Pro) 9.0.5. and 8.6.4. Same behavior in both.

@Paul
I have the light-table mapped to an Express-Key on the tablet. I'm right-handed... the light-table switch is on a left Express-Key. Incidentally, that's also where my undo/redo/pan/rotate canvas buttons are. I'm a storyboard artist, so the animation keys (flip, prev/next cell, etc.) are tertiary; assigned to the keyboard. I've been asked to do a lot more 2D animation lately though, so the key-mappings will probably evolve