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Intuos 3 Ubuntu Setup

Setting Wacom Intuos 3 tablet to work with Ubuntu

Main reference: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Wacom

Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty. ExpressKeys now work without xorg.conf edits. You'll still have to configure the key mapping, see configuring ExpressKeys setup below.

Reference Xorg.conf for Ubuntu 8.10:

# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# Note that some configuration settings that could be done previously
# in this file, now are automatically configured by the server and settings
# here are ignored.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
#   sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "Device"
    Identifier      "Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier      "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier      "Default Screen"
    Monitor         "Configured Monitor"
    Device          "Configured Video Device"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
  Driver        "wacom"
  Identifier    "stylus"
  Option        "Device"        "/dev/input/wacom" # USB ONLY?
#  Option        "Device"        "/dev/ttyS0"      # SERIAL ONLY
  Option        "Type"          "stylus"
#  Option        "ForceDevice"   "ISDV4"           # Tablet PC ONLY
  Option        "USB"           "on"               # USB ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
  Driver        "wacom"
  Identifier    "eraser"
  Option        "Device"        "/dev/input/wacom" # USB ONLY?
#  Option        "Device"        "/dev/ttyS0"      # SERIAL ONLY
  Option        "Type"          "eraser"
#  Option        "ForceDevice"   "ISDV4"           # Tablet PC ONLY
  Option        "USB"           "on"               # USB ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
  Driver        "wacom"
  Identifier    "cursor"
  Option        "Device"        "/dev/input/wacom" # USB ONLY?
#  Option        "Device"        "/dev/ttyS0"      # SERIAL ONLY
  Option        "Type"          "cursor"
#  Option        "ForceDevice"   "ISDV4"           # Tablet PC ONLY
  Option        "USB"           "on"               # USB ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
  Driver        "wacom"
  Identifier    "pad"
  Option        "Device"        "/dev/input/wacom"    # USB ONLY
#  Option        "Device"        "/dev/ttyS0"         # SERIAL ONLY
  Option        "Type"          "pad"
  Option        "USB"           "on"                  # USB ONLY
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
  Identifier    "Default Layout"
  Screen        "Default Screen"
  InputDevice   "stylus"  "SendCoreEvents"
  InputDevice   "eraser"  "SendCoreEvents"
  InputDevice   "cursor"  "SendCoreEvents" # For non-LCD tablets only
  InputDevice   "pad"                      # For Intuos3/CintiqV5/Graphire4/Bamboo tablets
# InputDevice   "touch"   "SendCoreEvents" # Only a few TabletPCs support this type
EndSection

Other notes

If you've setup xorg.conf to support eraser and pad, these will still work when you plug the tablet after booting or resume from suspend. Just press ctrl-alt-f6 and then ctrl-alt-f7.

Keeping Shape

Since there is a GTK bug in most current distro's that affects use in windowed mode, you may want to use keep shape option so that the aspect ratio is correct so that your circles don't become ovals. Copy the settings below to /etc/hal/fdi/policy/custom_wacom.fdi

<deviceinfo version="0.2">

  <device>
    <match key="input.x11_driver" contains="wacom">
        <merge key="input.x11_options.KeepShape" type="string">on</merge>
        <merge key="input.x11_options.PressCurve" type="string">50,0,100,50</merge>
    </match>
    <match key="input.x11_driver" contains="wacom">
      <match key="input.x11_options.Type" contains="eraser">
        <merge key="input.x11_options.KeepShape" type="string">on</merge>
        <merge key="input.x11_options.PressCurve" type="string">50,0,100,50</merge>
      </match>
    </match>
  </device>

</deviceinfo>

ExpressKey and Touchstrip setup

You can do this via xsetwacom command line or using wacomcpl (GUI), to map the buttons to keys or combinations. The problem I had was that it wasn't obvious which buttons were which on the Intuos3, so here's the layout so you know you're mapping which shortcut to which button.

http://kaeru.my/articles/technical/setting-up-and-using-intuos-tablet-on-linux/expresss-keys.png

Here's an example of mapping ExpressKey Button 1 to "Ctrl Alt F2":

xsetwacom set pad Button1 "core key ctrl alt F2"
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