Graphics Tablets and ArtRage

This FREE program has been developed to mimic the 'Lazy Mouse' app in Zbrush, this little program smooths out your lines as you draw, which can be VERY helpful for those trying to use a mouse, or 'ink' neatly.

It was pointed out on the Ambient Design Forums and helps tremendously with tracing linearts or using the mouse to draw with.
(Quick links: Colouring Linearts in ArtRage and Beginner's basic mouse tutorial in ArtRage)

Issues
Being free, and still in development, it can be a bit buggy, and your drawing may lay behind. However, it doesn't interfere with other programs (that I've found).
It works best for long smooth curves and straight lines and it does not handle sharp corners and wiggly lines very well - see the last image below for a comparison with freehand lines.
It can also interfere with selecting options on menus, or clicking and dragging objects. Just untick the 'Enabled' box, or use the CTRL+F2 shortcut.

Support and Downloads
You can read about it and check for updates here and the link to the latest version is here.
Supported for WinXP 32bit and 64bit, and variable results - both in Compatibility Mode and out in Vista.
Supported programs include: ArtRage, Photoshop CS, BodyPaint 3D, TVP Animation 9 Pro, MSPaint, GIMP, Xara Xtreme Pro, AR 3 Beta 10, TVPaint, Topogun, and probably a lot more - the developer is always interested to hear what worked (as they have only so many programs and operating systems to test it on)

And this forum thread discusses the development of that support in a bit more detail if you need assistance.
If you would like to test the authenticity of your download, here are the MD5 checksums for version 9.9.8:

lazyNezumi.exe: d1a2e52a372d5fbe03565feed040b131
mouseHook.dll: 1f3731808722abe62aa5bad1055d5752
mouseHook64.dll: fc57a719968522472990e6620dd62d42

Vista comes with default Ink services, which can interfere with other programs - such as ArtRage.

If your lines are really jumping around, or adding ticks and wiggles, or leaving random paint blotches the problem may lie in the Ink Services settings.

See if it has anything to do with these settings by downloading this file and placing it in the Resources subfolder
e.g. c:\program files(x86)\ambient design\artrage 2\resources\ <-- file goes here

This should turn it off for ArtRage, next time you start it up.

So, you've bought yourself a new Bamboo? Someone's passed on a Graphire to you? You've reinstalled something on your computer and the tablet isn't working the way it used to? Getting funny flicks, 'skips' and ticks at the ends of your lines?

Most importantly... your tablet isn't drawing very well, something's responding oddly, pressure sensitivity isn't on, or you've simply no idea what it should be doing? (Speaking as someone who spent a year with the pressure sensitivity turned off - the computer uninstalled my drivers right after I installed them - and never realised... it can happen. And it makes a HUGE difference)

There's a few settings you should check.
For all of these you will probably have to restart ArtRage to see the new settings..

Firstly, check you have the correct tablet drivers installed.
You should have a CD with your tablet, but even if you do, it is probably better to go to the home site and download the most recent ones. (Make sure you pick the right operating system - XP, Vista, Mac, Linux etcetera - although some drivers apply to multiple systems). Google the maker of your tablet (eg 'Wacom' and look for the 'Download Drivers' option)

Wacom has a problem with its installers being outdated - they don't always overwrite the previous versions properly. If this is the first install, this proably isn't the issue, but if you update your drivers and it still doesn't work, you'll need to completely uninstall the old files, then install the latest driver.

Secondly Check the settings for the tablet.
This will differ for every tablet and system, but the basics will be the same.
For example, on my Bamboo - basically, a Bamboo Fun without all the extra bundled programs - it's in the Start menu under 'Programs>Pen Tablet>Pen Tablet Properties'.
You may be happy with the defaults - I prefer the finger touchpad to be set to 'scroll' and not 'zoom' for browsing (I love this tablet) but it doesn't make a difference in ArtRage (it's still zoom).

One setting you should pay attention to though is whether it is set to the Pen mode or Mouse mode. These modes control the cursor movement and are largely a matter of preference:

Mouse mode acts like a regular mouse, and is considered better for browsing. The tablet area is mapped to the screen, so if you put the pen on the right edge, the cursor jumps to the right edge.
Pen mode is better for drawing, as a rule (once you adjust). With this setting selected, the cursor moves relative to its current position, allowing you to ignore its actual position onscreen.

Thirdly, there are a couple of settings within ArtRage, that you should check.
Most importantly, if you have a tablet, go to
Edit>Preferences>Precise Tablet Mode
NB: if you are having issues, try turning this off

This switches ArtRage over to using the much higher levels of sensitivity and detail available from a tablet, rather than a mouse.

Next, further up the menu is an option to turn on the 'precise cursor'. find this much easier to draw with (and you can 'magnify the precise cursor' if you have trouble seeing it).

If the Pressure sensitivity isn't working very well (for example, you have to press very hard to have an effect, or you cannot draw with a light enough hand to get thinner lines) this is either a dying tablet, or a software issue. Try reinstalling the drivers if this is a problem, but first:
Try changing the 'sensitivity' in the Tablet Settings/Properties. Move it in the direction of 'Hard' is if it's currently too light for you, and 'Soft' if the pressure is too high.

Alternatively: adjust the pressure directly in Artrage (top left dial). You'll have to do this for each tool, everytime, but it's a quick fix while you're painting.

Artwork:

if you are having problems with your tablet, nine times out of ten, it's a driver or software issue.
Read through the section above carefully, make sure that you have the latest versions of the correct drivers, go to the forums for your specific tablet, and test it on another computer if possible.

Violent Jittering from the Cursor in parts of the Screen?
This appeared in my Bamboo a couple of months back and was driving me insane. One end of the screen was almost impossible to navigate - whenever I brought the pen up to that side, the cursor was shaking and jittering too much to click on anything.

After checking the settings (that active area of the tablet was mapped to the actual screen) and searching the internet in despair, I found a brief mention of 'magnetic interference'.
After a bit of experimenting, I discovered that my external hard drive was a bit nearer the tablet than usual.
Moving it away fixed the jitters completely, and waving it back and forth near the tablet proved the cause!

(Incidentally, it has appeared once or twice since, but not consistently. The hard drive had just been borrowed by my brother for his macbook, and I'm wondering if that affected it. Some days, the hard drive is practically sitting on top of the tablet, with no problems)

Signs your tablet is probably carking it
Especially if you've had it a few years...

Pressure sensitivity is dying.
Response time is slow, or it fails to respond at all.
Try replacing your pen battery, if it needs one.
Also, the cable - detachable with Bamboos, not in other cases - may be the issue.

The ArtRage Wacom Edition comes packaged with

It has the same features as the standard Full Edition.

For help, see this thread
ArtRage 2 Wacom Edition - Solutions For Known Problems
Topics in this thread:

1. How Do I Find My Registration Key? (also see Registration: Issues, Answers and Links )
2. ArtRage Crashes on Mac OSX Leopard.
3. ArtRage Will Not Start and Tells Me I Need a Wacom Tablet on Mac OSX Leopard.
4. How Do I Update From ArtRage 1 Wacom Edition to ArtRage 2?
5. I Need My Registration Key, But My CD Only Has ArtRage 1.

(Posted in 2007, so the issues may all be fixed by now)