6 Best Drawing Tablets for 3D Modeling and Sculpting in Blender and Zbrush in 2024

If you love 3D sculpting or modeling in Blender, Zbrush, Sculptris, SketchUP, Mudbox, Maya..... you need a drawing tablet.

Next, we will introduce some best drawing tablets for 3D modeling.

6 Best drawing tablets for 3D modeling and sculpting

1. XPPen Artist 24 Pro

This is a huge, heavy, well-built monitor. Boasting a 23.8-inch workspace with the attached adjustable stand. the monitor can adjust from 16 degrees up to 90.

The tablet's screen resolution is 2560 x 1440. This high resolution allows you to create models with superior color quality. Your modes will be both vibrant and detailed.

The XPPen Artist 24 Pro boasts an impressive 90% Adobe RGB color coverage, delivering vibrant visuals that can reveal subtle distinctions in color tones often imperceptible on standard computer monitors.

Furthermore, it includes a textured film overlay, recreating the tactile sensation of drawing on paper. This feature contributes to an authentic pen-on-paper experience, enhancing the overall natural quality of the results.

It has 20 customizable keys on the two side of the tablet as well as 2 red dial wheels for changing brush size, etc.

The PA2 battery-free stylus offers an exceptional 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt response, guaranteeing precise definition, even for the most delicate lines.

XPPen provide a same non shortcut key version and you can save $100.

2. XPPen Artist 22 Plus

Artist 22 Plus is a premium digital drawing tablet display offered by XPPen. This cutting-edge device is designed to elevate the creative experience of digital artists, illustrators, and designers. With a generously sized 22-inch display, the Artist 22 Plus provides ample space for creating intricate artwork with precision and detail. It features an impressive 1920x1080 Full HD resolution, ensuring vivid and accurate color representation.

Equipped with X3 Pro Smart Chip Stylus, this tablet offers 16,384 levels of pressure sensitivity, allowing for fine and nuanced brushwork. The foldable stand makes it flexible to go from 15° to 88° in seconds, and any angle in between. Feel free to adjust your working posture any way you like, in complete comfort. Plus, the Artist 22 Plus is more than just a drawing display. Unlock more possibilities by extending or projecting contents to this 22-inch big screen for an expansive, immersive viewing experience, whether for creation, games, videos, or entertainment.

Whether you're a digital artist looking to take your craft to the next level or a designer seeking a high-quality display tablet, the Artist 22 Plus promises an immersive and productive creative experience.

3. XPPen Artist 22R Pro

With a 21.5-inch IPS screen, you get a lot of space to let your creative juices flow.

The resolution of XPPen Artist 22R Pro tablet is 1920 x 1080 pixels. and will display sharp images and provide a good drawing experience.

The tablet performs great in terms of vibrancy and color accuracy. Its display is capable of producing rich colors that cover 88% NTSC 120% sRGB color space.

This tablet includes an adjustable stand that allows you to adjust your work level. It is compatible with popular 3D software packages.

It includes 20 customizable hotkeys and 2 red-ringed rotary wheels that can be customized in the tablet's driver settings.

The pen is devoid of batteries and incorporates all the attributes found in pricier tablets, including 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, 60-degree tilt functionality, and a 200rps report rate.

The buttons on the side of the pen can be assigned to things like mouse clicks etc. It comes with an artist glove included for less resistance while working.

This model is ideal for those who want a big screen to work on. The larger the work area, the more control you have over your final outcome.

If you don't need the hotkeys, you can get the XPPen Artist 22 (2nd generation) in the same size at a much lower price than the Artist 22R Pro.

4. XPPen Artist 15.6 Pro

The XPPen Artist 15.6 Pro is a 15.6-Inch creative graphic display with 1920x1080 FHD resolution.

The color gamut is also incredibly high with 120% sRGB. Displaying a palette of 16.7 million colors on the screen, this feature is highly appreciated by 3D animation professionals who frequently work with a wide range of colors and shades.

On the Artist 15.6 Pro tablet, the glass and LCD panel are laminated into one piece, which reduces or eliminates parallax. the parallax will not bother you.

The pre-applied, and replaceable film cover's anti-glare properties reduce reflections considerably.

The tablet is equipped with 8 entirely customizable shortcut keys, in addition to the distinctive red dial, which can be personalized for functions like zooming, adjusting brush sizes, and more.

The stylus is battery-free and boasts 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, as well as 60 degrees of tilt functionality. It is easy to maneuver, and you can change the angle at which you work.

The Artist 15.6 Pro is unquestionably an excellent product and value for money for all the 3D artists and designers out there.

It also offers two other display size variants 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch. which has almost same tech specs.

5. XPPen Magic Drawing Pad

The Magic Drawing Pad is a standalone Android drawing tablet produced by XPPen. Unlike other general tablet, this drawing pad features 16,384 levels of pressure sensitivity. It's powered by Android 12 and can be used without being connected to a computer. And it is 6.9mm thick and weighs only 599 gramsso that you can easily take it anywhere.

At a 3:2 ratio, this 12.2 inches X-Paper offers a more expansive space for your ideas to run wild and enhance your creative flow. Effortlessly capture the entirety of your vision without constantly zooming in and out.

In addition to a professional drawing experience, you can also use it to listen to music, take photos, and play games like an ordinary tablet.

6. XPPen Deco 03

The XPPen Deco 03 is one of the best tablets for 3D sculpting. This tablet is equipped with a multitude of features that render it superb for professional 3D modeling tasks. Best of all, it is quite affordable.

It features a 10 x 5.62 inches active area with papery texture surface, so you have plenty of space to create and get work done.

The Deco 03 tablet can be used wirelessly or wired. For a wired connection, all you need to do is plug in the USB cable to your PC. In the case of wireless usage, the tablet is equipped with a 2.4g ISM USB receiver.

The Deco 03 tablet boasts a rapid battery charging time. With just 2 hours of charging, you can enjoy up to 16 hours of usage.

Additionally, the tablet includes 6 programmable shortcut keys and a prominent red roller wheel, enhancing the ease of your sculpting work.

The P05 stylus is devoid of any need for charging as it operates without batteries. It boasts an impressive 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, ensuring that your strokes have a natural feel, resulting in lifelike drawings and 3D models.

What should I look for in a drawing tablet for 3D modeling?

Before you go and purchase a graphic tablet for 3D modeling, you need to know that there are certain features that a tablet for 3D modeling should have. These features can differentiate what tablet is good for 3D modeling and what tablet isn't.

Here are a list of features you should consider when picking which tablet to buy:

• Size options

• Stylus Pen

• Pressure Senstivity

• Responsiveness

• Lines Per Inch (LPI)

• Tilt Function

• Hotkeys

• Wireless Connectivity

• Compatibility

Other features to consider when buying drawing tablets

Drawing tablet works in absolute mode, each point on the tablet maps to a point on the screen. for optimal experience and precision, buy a tablet that matches (roughly) your monitor dimensions.

Generally, with drawing tablets, the bigger the device, the larger the drawing area. Nonetheless, with the expansion of the tablet's surface area, the cost also escalates.

The choice of the ideal working area is contingent on your comfort, personal preference, mobility, available desk space, and the scale of the artworks or sculptures you intend to produce.

You'd require larger models for producing bigger artwork as it'll require wider hand movements and vice versa. But smaller ones can be ideal for portable use or when you are short on space.

FAQs on drawing tablets for 3D modeling

Are drawing tablets and pens good for 3D modeling?

Yes. In general, drawing tablets and pens provide a more natural and intuitive way to interact with digital art and design software, including 3D modeling tools. They allow users to draw, sketch, and manipulate objects on the screen with greater precision and control than a traditional mouse or trackpad.

Screen draiwng tablet vs screenless drawing tablet

screenless pen tablets need to connect to your computer via a USB cable or wirelessly, and requires you to adapt to looking at the pc screen while you draw. But it's still a more space-saving, cost-effective, and ergonomic option.

A drawing tablet with a screen allows the user to draw directly on the tablet screen. It involves higher expenses, takes up a larger workspace, requires an ergonomic configuration (including the placement of the keyboard and screen and the observance of good posture habits), and faces the challenge of hand obstruction. However, its benefits include direct 1:1 interaction with the digital clay during the sculpting process, a larger working area (even if mainly the central part is used), and generally, the drawing display provides better color quality compared to ordinary computers.

Bonus Tips: Blender vs Zbrush: Which is better for 3D modeling?

Both ZBrush and Blender are amazing 3D design software. They are similar in the aspect of sculpting and modeling but are quite different at the core.

ZBrush is a sculpting program from Pixologic famous for its perfect digital sculpting technique. On the other hand, Blender is an open-source 3D modeling program famous for its modeling, sculpting, animating, rigging, concept arts, and storyboarding.

Blender is free to use, while ZBrush costs money. This can be a major consideration for some people, as free software is always appealing. It has an integrated game engine, which can be used for creating games or prototypes. ZBrush does not have this capability, so it's not as good of an option for game development.

ZBrush is a more powerful and feature-rich program than Blender, so for serious 3D modelers it may be worth the investment. ZBrush is better suited for modeling intricate details, while Blender is better suited for more general modeling. If you want to create models with lots of small details, ZBrush is the better choice.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve covered the 6 best drawing tablets as well as some useful tips for 3D modeling and sculpting, we hope they will prove helpful to you.