Pen lag/deadzone on Surface pro 2017 in Zbrush

Hey guys!

I have exactly the same issue in zbrush on my surface and it has been super frustrating. Thanks so much for digging deeper into this, seemed pretty clear that it had something to do with click and drag etc. 

Would really love a windows fix for this so it would be fixed once and for all!!

Will try and make an entry in the feedback hub if that helps

After a LOT of trying and digging I figured out what the problem is and the answer is... its not a problem, but a windows feature and its present on any PC, Laptop or tablet that runs it at all times, even if you`re using a mouse.

So what is it? Well, its a snapping "feature" windows has that snaps whatever youre trying to hold and drag to the cursors original location. Once you live the "deadzone" area, whatever youre trying to drag will move to your where your cursor currently is at. I figured this out after opening Zbrush`s infos and noticing that it was in fact recognizing every touch and action I was doing with my surface pen and that not only the "lag" would happen when I was trying to sculpt, but also anywhere else on the screen, including interacting with the UI.

If you wanna get to this conclusion yourself too, try opening your desktop on your surface and then try holding and dragging a folder around. Youll notice right away that the same thing that happens on zbrush also happens on your desktop. Your folder will stay in place even though the pointer under your tablets pen wont and then itll jump to the pointers location once it moves out of the "deadzone".

Anyways, I figured this could shine some light on this problem since now we know its not software specific, but a windows thing. Personally i imagine thats one of the things that companies like Wacom fix when they release drivers for their own tablets, but since Zbrush is not as globaly used as software like photoshop and pixologic isn`t as big as Adobe, no driver has been done to get around it.

Sadly I dont know how to fix it yet though, but Ill post it hear if I find out.

Hi Robin,

Thank you for performing the initial suggestion and providing an update. Have you tried to test the Surface Pen inking in a different app? You can open Sketchpad to check if your Surface Pen will behave the same way. If the same problem occurs, let's run a pressure sensitivity test to further check for software issues. You can install and run the Surface app to do this. Once you have downloaded the app from Windows Store, open it and click on the pen icon. Follow the onscreen instructions to adjust the pen sensitivity.

Keep us updated about the outcome.

Sorry I missed your reply but thank you very much for helping me. 

I ran the Surface Diagnostic kit and everything seems to work correctly. 

I also made sure all or the surface and windows drivers are up to date.

I am quite sure this is a software issue. I remember seeing (can´t find it anymore) somebody with the exact same issue but then in Photoshop.

This was fixed after a Windows update. 

Multiple friends are interested in Buying a Surface Pro for Zbrush but I just can`t recommend it with this issue which is a shame.

I can make a recording of the issue if it is still unclear, just let me know.

Hi Robin, 

If your Surface Pen is not working properly when you're using Zbrush, we suggest that you run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit. The diagnosis and repair time averages 15 minutes or less but can take an hour or longer, as it performs series of tests to diagnose your Surface Pro. Click **here**on how to run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit. 

Let us know how it turns out.