Pen tilt
Introduction
Almost all drawing tablets can detect the tilt of the pen. Tilt support for drawing tablets usually ranges from 0 degrees to 60 degrees.
Tilt is described by two angles: tilt elevation and tilt azimuth.
elevation = "how much the pen leans over"
azimuth = "the direction of the lean — like north, west, or northwest"
This video demonstrates tilt. I highly recommend that you watch it.
How tilt is used in drawing applications
Using tilt in an application involves letting tilt azimuth or tilt altitude affect properties of a brush.
Tilt altitude to size
A common use it to let tilt altitude control the width of the stroke. So leaning the pen over increaese the width of the stroke.
For example, below is a stroke I drew with Krita. I configured the brush to ignore pressure entirely, but to let the tilt altitude control the width of the brush. As I drew from left to right, I started with the pen very perpendicular and gradually started tilting the pen.
Tilt azimuth to size
Typically this means the direction of the tilt controls the rotation of the brush.
Which tablets support tilt
The vast majority of modern drawing tablets support tilt.
It's easier to list the modern tablets that do not support tilt:
Wacom One by Wacom Small (CTL-472)
Wacom One by Wacom Medium (CTL-672)
Wacom Intuos Medium (CTL-6100 & CTL-6100WL)
Wacom Intuos Small (CTL-4100 & CTL-4100WL)
Huion Frego S (L310)
Do you need tilt support?
For some people tilt is critical and for others, it is not useful at all. It strongly depends on what they are doing.
Whiteboarding
Not useful
It's rare for whiteboarding apps to even support tilt.
Taking notes
Not useful
It's rare for note-taking apps to even support tilt.
Educational videos
Not useful
Digital painting with natural media brushes
Can be useful
Some artists require it.
Line art
Can be useful
Many people create line art without using tilt features.
Technical details
You don't need to know these details. If you are curious about how an EMR tablet detects pen tilt, see EMR tilt detection.
Tilt altitude range
The standard range for tile altitude is ±60 degrees in both the X and Y directions.
I don't know of any tablets that support a wider range.
Some very old tablets have a slightly narrower range.
Tilt support in applications
See: Using tilt with your brush
Tilt effect on pen tracking accuracy (tilt compensation)
To calculate the pen location, the tablet must account for its tilt. This process is called tilt compensation. Remember: no tablet has perfect tilt compensation. You might see some deviation at extreme tilt angles. This is normal.
Disabling tilt
You may not always want to have tilt affect your drawing. It is possible in some cases to disable it. More here: Disabling pen tilt
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