WACOM
PRO PEN 3D
This is one of the most technically interesting projects we've ever gotten the opportunity to be a part of. Our Founder and Creative Director worked closely with a small team within Wacom for weeks consulting to help them bring their new Pro Pen 3D to life. Wacom had been working to bring this long-awaited pen to the masses for many years, though never having the right use cases to back up the philosophy behind the potential success for such a product. So, we helped them out!
Wacom was working to determine what benefits a third button, added to their pen, might have for CAD users. It was quickly pointed out that pan, rotate, and zoom are critical functions required by CAD users on a moments notice. Their existing pen lineup could only support two of those functions, which was preventing their sales teams from successfully penetrating into this previously untapped market. We led them through a mock design process, which helped them understand how CAD users would interact with their product if it functioned for their needs. To be honest, it was a complete game-changer for how we thought about interacting with screens while developing products.
If Wacom could create a pen that quickly switched between pan, rotate, and zoom without lag, we could be up-front and center with our designs. The main aspect of CAD design that truly bothers us is how far removed you feel from your design. You want to be able to jump into the model shop, utilize the shop tools to create your idea by hand, and present it for manufacturing. However, that's not how the process works. Everything is presented on a 2-dimensional screen two feet from your face. It feels very disjointed. The immediate benefit we noticed while working with Wacom was that you felt highly connected to what you were creating. When you rotated a model with the pen touching the screen, you were connected to it, just like you would be in the model shop. We were delighted and it was so evident to the Wacom team that they knew they had to get this product to market.
SolidWorks World 2019 will be the first time that Wacom pushes forward into an entirely new market for them; the CAD market. It's been almost a decade in the making, but they finally have the support they need to make this push and we're rooting for nothing but success. We want to see every designer and engineer with a smile on their face while their manipulating models on a Wacom Cintiq. It's passion and joy that first got us into this profession afterall, so let's bring as much of that back as possible. Thanks to everyone at Wacom who worked tirelessly to get this out the door, you are much loved!
