Muti-touch functionality was added to Wacom's Intuos5 graphics tablets earlier this year and, after winning much praise from users, it's no surprise to see it arrive on the company's Cintiq range of interactive pen displays. The Cintiq range was first introduced in 2005 and the addition of the Cintiq 24HD touch now allows users to use their fingers to pan, zoom and rotate the canvas at the same time as using the pressure and tilt sensitive pen.
Aimed at digital creative professionals, from freelance industrial designers to Hollywood animators, the Wacom Cintiq 24HD touch features a 24-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 pixel widescreen HD display capable of displaying 1.07 billion colors and 97 percent of Adobe's color gamut. The display can also be color-calibrated.
While creatives are obviously still able to using Wacom’s pressure and tilt sensitive cordless battery-free Grip Pen on the screen and experience a feeling similar to using traditional brushes and pens (with 2,048 pressure levels on pen tip and eraser), they are no longer limited to using buttons and the keyboard to access other functions.
Wacom claims that muti-touch, which can be used to manipulate a 3D model or to pan, zoom and rotate an image, helps create an immersive experience and natural way of working. "The Cintiq 24HD touch closely replicates the experience of working with two hands when using traditional materials such as paints, markers and clay while giving the artist powerful capabilities that only exist in today’s creative software applications," said a Wacom spokesperson.
Also minimizing keyboard dependency are two Touch Rings which are positioned on either side of the display and can be used to access frequently used shortcut commands and perform functions such as zooming, scrolling and changing brush size. There are also 10 customizable ExpressKeys (five on each side of the tablet), which can be set for application-specific shortcuts.
The counter-weighted stand of the Wacom Cintiq 24HD means it can be adjusted to bring the display surface over the edge of the desk, so that it floats just above your knees, or more vertically like an easel.
The Cintiq 24HD touch – which measures 30.3 x 18.3 x 2.5 inches (769.3 x 463.74 x 64 mm) and weighs 28.6 kg (63 lb) with the stand, 13.7 kg (30.2 lb) without – is expected to ship in August 2012 with a price of US$3,699.
Source: Wacom
Here's a promo video showing what the Wacom Cintiq 24HD can do.
