Trying to Learn Blender 3D with a touch screen laptop and pen

[Zylennia Domela]

Hi! I am very late to the game as I have been on hiatus for a number of years. I recently came back to SL to see that so much has changed. Creation has taken a turn and is just not done the same way. I'm absolutely fine with that! My big thing was textures; extremely well done textures. I'd like to be able to learn Blender 3D to apply my own custom textures to my own work as I don't foresee many people handing me over UV maps for custom texture work. Many friends and  contacts are now gone and I am anticipating a rough start. I'm okay with that too. I recently started Blender Tutorials because I see it as my only option for utilization of where my true creativity and proficiency lies. I've already started running into problems with trying to work and learn the interface because of the fact that I have a touch screen laptop with a pen. I can't figure out simple things like to zoom or rotate. Is there anyone else who uses this or am I better off buying a mouse? Thanks so much in advance for any helpful comments that I receive :)

[Kwakkelde Kwak]

I guess a lot has got to do with personal preferences, so I can only tell you about my own.

I have a touch screen laptop and I use a wacom pen for certain tasks on my desktop. For precision work and speed both the touch screen and pen are pretty much useless for 3ds Max which I use (so I suspect the same for Blender). The touch screen I like for browsing and other simple tasks, the pen I use for texture work only, both 2D and 3D (Gimp and Mudbox).

I absolutely couldn't work without a mouse when modeling or UV mapping, but for 3D painting in Blender (which I suspect you want to do) I'd prefer a pen, you get a lot more control with the pressure sensitivity and ability to draw like one would on paper.

[Aquila Kytori]

Hi

Perhaps this video will help :  

But I would still urge you to get a mouse.

[Zylennia Domela]

Thank you for the personal experience! It has definitely given me some insight into what I'll need to do. I'm guessing that I'd like to 3D paint. I'm not sure how to do any of that yet or how my current skills will ultimately fit into it all. I was trying to learn when I realized that I couldn't do much learning from the tutorial because of my inability to figure out how to zoom and rotate with my pen to the screen instead of using a mouse. Thanks so much for your help! I'm heading out to buy a mouse now!

[Zylennia Domela]

Thanks! I have a pressure sensitive pen that is proprietary to my laptop which allows for convenience in Photoshop and Illustrator. I think you're right about the mouse it seems. I can't even find my Wacom tablet tom use it if I wanted. Looks like a new mouse is on the horizon for me to get going in Blender. Thank you!

[Rolig Loon]

If you're really interested in 3D painting, you might want to look seriously at a program like Substance Painter.  You can download a free trial from their web site to play with until you decide whether it's worth spending $149 on.

[Zylennia Domela]

Nice! Thanks for the suggestion! I'll check it out ASAP. I was also checking out Mudbox. I don't necessarily need free but inexpensive and the ability to create some nice texturing end results works for me. I'll move on to something more costly that does more as I can and if i even find it necessary afterward. If anyone has any suggestions on software before I invest time and money into something that I don't end up caring for in the long run, I'm open to them. The goal is to simply learn to create mesh and be able to texture it with some pro results (After plenty of practice of course)

Thanks everyonre for responding to me with help and recommendations. I really appreciate it!

[Chic Aeon]

I just wanted to mention that there is lots of Full Perm mesh to buy and texture yourself. If you skill is texturing, you might want to try that.  You may love Blender; you may not, but wonderful texturing is a prized skill in iteself.

 

Look at the Marketplace for a start. Most full perm mesh comes with ambient maps as well as UV maps. It might be an easier way to come back to creating and you could then go from there.

[Zylennia Domela]

Chic, thank you! With so many changes, I just didn't know where I'd fit into Second Life any more as a creator. I do take texture creation seriously. I used to use Photoshop and do things from scratch as well as use photography and edit. Right now I use Photoshop CC for that as well as take pictures with my Nikon D5200. I just thought that given the fact that it was mesh that I'd need something like a 3D painter. I wasn't sure if that only mattered if I was creating 3D from scratch. Is Photoshop still acceptable for creating a texture for mesh via UV map? These are the types of things of which I am unsure. I am happy to give anyone in world my older textures just so more experienced people can gauge where I might fit in. If there is anyone willing to check out my older work and give opinions, please message me in world and I'll give you the textures to have a look. They are older but it's good work.

Can a person resell a mesh that he or she has textured and would PS simply work or would I need a 3D painter?

Lots of questions I know. Thank you everyone for all of your helpful suggestions and advice but also for your patience!