Surface Pro 3 Pen Button Customization

Anonymous
2014-06-21T18:20:54+00:00

I am a previous owner of a Surface Pro 2, and loved the capability it provided of customizing the button commands per program through the Wacom drivers. As a new owner of the surface Pro 3, I a very disappointed to discover that the same functionality is not available in the N-trig driver options. As an artist, the primary use of my surface is for drawing inside of programs like Adobe Photoshop. Not being able to customize the button functions on the new pen is detrimental to my efficiency as a digital artist. Without the ease of having quick access to specific commands through the pen buttons, I am forced to either dig through the menus and submenus of the program to execute a simple command, or connect a keyboard to use hotkeys. One of the greatest features of the surface is the ability to draw inside of photoshop as if it were a paper notebook, freeing me from my desktop work space and removing the requirement of the mouse and keyboard. Without the customization of these pen buttons, I lose that freedom.

I spoke to a Microsoft support tech this morning who informed me that "hopefully" in the next month or two, this feature will be added to the pen drivers. While this is a new product, and I understand that some features are still in development, this feature is crucial in the workflow of any artist using this device. I already own a desktop computer and a laptop; so again, the primary function of the Surface Pro 3 for me is drawing inside of programs like Photoshop without the need for a mouse and keyboard. 

I don't know if any Microsoft representatives read these discussions, but if there is a way I could be included in any sort of pre-release developmental versions of drivers that introduce this capability, I would love to be a part of it and am happy to provide feedback from an artist's perspective. 

Thanks for reading.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-09-02T17:27:59+00:00

    Seriously, you can't just buy a pack of nibs..? That is stupid as well. It's inevitable that it will be worn down.

    I do however think that the Surface Pro 3 could be saved by either official or third party software but this would need to happen very soon for me to keep it. I don't think the Wacom companion is without it's own set of problems either, so changing from one less then perfect device to another for even more money doesn't make all that much sense for me currently.

    Replacement nibs is a must though, fix it Microsoft.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-09-02T05:52:47+00:00

    Agree 100% The N-Trig pen is the one weak point on this system.

    Lack of button customization, requires a battery to function, and most frustrating to the artist, the nib wears out fast, NO purchasable replacement nibs either (They aren't sold through MS Store or N-Trig's site)

    I've had my Surface Pro 3 for about 72 hours, in that time I've done maybe 15-16 hours worth of painting, and already I'm seeing some fraying on the nib, and I'm not using excessive pressure while drawing with it. Prior to the Surface I worked with a Wacom intous tablet for 6 years and in that time I only had to replace a nib once.

    I know you can call customer service and they'll send you a new nib, but still, why should we have to call customer service, send them a photo of the nib, and then have them dispatch a replacement when it could just as easily have shipped with a few replacements, or the ability to buy a pack of replacements from the MS store.

    I'm sure this pen is great if all you do is jot down a few notes during a meeting, but for a dedicated artist it blows. Add to that a lack of alternate pens that will work, and it really brings the Surface Pro 3 down to a 'second best' in terms of graphics tablets. I would rather the Surface was thicker and a bit heavier but used the Wacom digitizer over thinner with a substandard pen/digitizer.

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-09-02T01:37:37+00:00

    100% agreed. Button customisation is essential.

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-09-01T23:07:19+00:00

    Alright, so this annoys me deeply. The hardware of the Surface Pro 3 seems to work very good but why on earth are there no way to adjust what the pen buttons do and change the pressure sensitivity curve of the pen? And why isn't this application specific?

    I want the buttons on the pen to do specific things inside Photoshop for example, and other things in explorer. I also don't want to press the button on the pen AND click for a right click when it could have been like on a Wacom pen and worked while hovering.

    The pressure sensitivity is horrible inside of Photoship CC, you almost feel like you are damaging the screen because of the force needed to get 100% pressure. In Sketchbook it doesn't even work at all.

    A built in way to create application specific on-screen hotkeys would be nice as well.

    These features should have been there from the beginning, and if they don't get added by either Microsoft or anyone else VERY soon, I bet alot of artist are going to return this thing. I'm sure many of us bought this product instead of the Wacom Companion for various reasons. So, what I ask is simply for Microsoft to not make us reconsider our purchase. The Surface Pro 3 really has the potential to be a great portable machine for artists, make it happen

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  5. Anonymous
    2014-08-31T11:58:52+00:00

    I'm not sure but if love to send one- do you know how?   Do you have to be a developer or beta program tester of some kind?

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