Surface Pro 3: What Runs, What Doesn't

EDITOR'S NOTE: I can't believe I haven't updated this post since September 2014. Spring 2015 brings the regular round of 3d application updates!

Many of you have asked, so I have noted where programs support multitouch gestures.

Adobe

• Illustrator 18.0.0 x64 (CC 2014) - runs (intermittent pen with N-Trig Wintab R16, R17)
• Illustrator CC 17.1.0 x64 - runs (intermittent pen with N-Trig Wintab driver 14-17)
• Illustrator CS5 - runs
• Photoshop 15 (CC 2014) - runs, no Wintab driver required
• Photoshop 14.2.1 x64, CS6 Extended 13.0 x64, CS5 x64 - runs (requires N-Trig Wintab driver 14 or higher)
• Premiere Pro 8.0.0 (169) Build aka CC 2014.0, 7.2.2 (33) - runs
• After Effects 13.0.0.214 (CC 2014), 12.2.1.5 - runs
• Flash Professional 14.0.0.110 (CC 2014), CC 13.1.0.226 - runs

 Allegorithmic

• Substance Painter 0.7.1, 0.5.0 - runs (UI does not scale)
• Substance Designer 4.3.1 - runs (UI does not scale)

Ambient Design

• ArtRage 4.0.6, 4.0.5 - runs

Autodesk

• 3DS Max 2016, 2015 SP1 - runs (supports multi-touch)
• Sketchbook Pro 7, 6.2.5 - runs (recommended)
• Maya 2016, 2015 SP2 - runs (2016 supports multi-touch)
• Maya LT 2016 - runs, supports multi-touch
• Mudbox 2016, 2015 SP1 - runs (2016 supports multi-touch), (no multi-touch in 2015)
• Mudbox 2015- no pen or touch, works with mouse or touchpad
• Softimage 2015 - runs

ZSky

• AZDrawing 1.13 - runs

Blender

• Blender 2.71, 2.70 - runs

 Corel

• CorelDraw X7  17.4.0.887 - RealTimeStylus support added, all prior versions - no pressure
• Painter 15 14.1.0.1105 - runs
• Painter X3 12.0.1.920 - runs
• Photo-Paint X7 17.0.0.491 - no pressure

 Foundry Luxology

• Modo 801 SP4, SP3, SP2, SP1, 801 - runs

Fire Alpaca

• FireAlpaca 1.0.51 - runs

GIMP

• GIMP 2.8.10 - runs

Hansol Huh

• Sketchtime - runs, software not pressure sensitive

KDE

• Krita 2.8.3 x64 - runs

Krogh Mortensen Animation

• Plastic Animation Paper 4.0 - runs (can't configure pen buttons)

 Maxon

• Cinema 4D R15.057 - runs

Microsoft

• Fresh Paint - runs

MyPaint

• MyPaint 1.0.0 - runs

Nevercenter

• Silo 2.3 - runs

 Newtek

• Chronosculpt 1.0.1 x64 - runs
• Lightwave 3D 11.6.3 x64 - runs

PGN Inc.

• openCanvas 6.0.02 (64bit) - runs

Pilgway

• 3D-Coat 4.1.04A - runs (DX64 only)

Pixologic

• Sculptris - runs
• ZBrush 4R6 - runs

Project Dogwaffle

• Howler 9 4.00.9.2 - runs

Serif

• DrawPlus X6 13.0.2.24 x64 - runs

ideF

• Houdini FX 14.0.291 - does not run. Program loads, but objects do not display. Touch not supported.

Silicon Benders

• Sketchable - runs

61 Solutions

• Mischief 1.12 - runs

Smith Micro (Celsys)

• Manga Studio 5.0.4 (Clip Studio Paint 1.3.1) - runs

Systemax

• Paint Tool SAI 1.2.0 - runs

Taron.de

• Verve Painter v0.99u.11 -runs

Toon Boom

• Toon Boom Animate Pro 3 PLE - runs

 Triple Squid Software

• Moment of Inspiration (MoI3D) 3.0 beta (June 27, March 24, 2014) - runs

 TVPaint Developpement

• TVPaint 10.5.7 x64 - runs

 Unity Technologies

• Unity 5.0.0f4 - runs
• Unity 4.60b9, 4.5 - runs (requires mouse or touchpad, no pen or touch response)

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Video demonstrates 3d application performance on Surface Pro 3

Some eye candy to start your week: our friend and ArtDock collaborator Alex Cheparev has just posted a video demonstrating the performance of the 3d applications Autodesk Maya 2015, Autodesk Mudbox 2015 and Pixologic Zbrush 4r6 on a top of the line Surface Pro 3 with i7 processor, 8GB ram, 256gb ssd, and Intel HD 5000 video card.

Enjoy!

Surface Pro 2: What Runs, What Doesn't

So you're dying to max out your credit card on a new Surface Pro 2 but are worried your favorite won't run. Or you've got the Microsoft wonder tablet but don't want to plunk down a bunch of cash on a graphics app that will blow up your new machine. 

Fear not. You've come to the right place. "What Run, What Doesn't V1" was the raison d'etre for this blog and we're proud to present the Surface Pro 2/Windows 8.1 version. Rather than update the original, we'll keep that one in place for anyone who chooses not to update to Windows 8.1. (Don't know why any of you would do that, but we know there are paranoid folks out there who fear change). 

Important note: the list below contains only versions I've personally tested on my Surface Pro 2. It's very likely that older versions listed in the original feature will still operate, but we won't be able to re-test those older apps for Windows 8.1 compatibility.

Recommendations are based on UI suitability to pen and touch navigation. 

The list below will grow as we install more software. Since most graphics apps limit the number of installations, we're have to be somewhat deliberate in how much we migrate at a time. 

As always, if you've got a specific tool you'd like us to test, please let us know in the comments section below. 

Adobe

• Photoshop CC - runs, requires Wacom feel driver, recommend UI scaling hack
• Illustrator CC - runs, requires Wacom feel driver, recommend UI scaling hack

Allegorithmic

• Substance Painter 0.3.0 (beta) - runs

Ambient Design

• ArtRage 4.0.6 - runs, recommended

Autodesk 

• 3DS Max 2015, 2014 - runs, mouse strongly recommended
• Maya 2015, 2014  - runs, mouse strongly recommended
• Maya LT 2014 - runs
• Mudbox 2015 SP1 - runs, multi-touch rotation unresponsive. Requires May 21, 2014 Intel HD graphics driver or higher.
• Mudbox 2015*, 2014.5, 2014** - runs, *requires Intel HD display driver update, **crashes on several primitive objects
• Mudbox 2013, 2012  - incompatible, require discrete graphics
• Mudbox 2011 x64 - runs
• Sketchbook Pro 6.2.5, 6.2.4, 6.2.3  - runs, recommended
• Softimage 2015, 2014  - runs, three-button mouse required

Blender

• Blender 2.7, 2.69 - runs, mouse recommended

Celsys

• Clip Studio Paint 1.2.8 (Japanese)  - runs
• Clip Studio Paint 1.3.1, 1.2.7 (English) - runs, recommended 

Corel

• Corel Painter X3 - runs

DAZ

• DAZ Studio 4.6 - runs

eFrontier

• Shade 3D Professional 14 - runs 

Foundry/Luxology

• Modo 801 SP1, 801, 701 SP5 - runs

Inkscape

• Inkscape 0.48.4 - runs

The Krita Foundation

• Krita Desktop 2.8.1.1 - runs

Nevercenter

• Silo 2.3, 2.2 - runs

Pixarra

• TwistedBrush Pro Studio 20.06 - runs

Pixologic

• Sculptris Alpha 6 - runs, recommended
• ZBrush 4R6 - runs, not recommended due to small UI

plasq

• Comic Life 3.0b1 - runs

Serif

• DrawPlus X6 - runs

61 Solutions

• Mischief 1.11, 1.10, 1.09 - runs, no multi-touch support

Smith Micro

• Manga Studio 5.0.4, 5.0.3 - runs, recommended 

Systemax

• Paint Tool SAI 2 (beta), 1.1 - runs, pressure sensitivity works, but there is limited touch rejection. Very easy to leave stray marks. No touch pan, rotate or zoom.

tetraface

• Metasequoia 4.1.2 (64-bit) - runs

Trimble

• SketchUp Make 14.0.4900 - runs

Triple Squid Software Design

• Moments of Inspiration (MoI3D) 3.0 beta, 2.0 - runs, recommended

TVPaint Developpement 

• TVPaint Animation 10 Pro - runs

Unity Pro 4.3.0b6 - runs, requires mouse

Web Technology Corp.

• Comipo! 1.81.00 - runs

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Mudbox finally a reality on Surface Pro thanks to Intel update

UPDATE 6/10/14: And...no sooner do I publish this post but Microsoft decides to release a firmware update. Today's Patch Tuesday releases include a new display driver, but in my case, the updates offered were all security fixes. Windows Update promptly reverted my display driver with the March 11 Hardware Update and despite my repeated checks still hasn't offered the new firmware for download. So if you're using the latest Intel HD graphics driver, make sure to verify what Windows Update is installing. I'll update this post again once I confirm that the firmware does include the display driver Mudbox likes.

ORIGINAL POST

It's been a long time coming, but Autodesk Mudbox users can finally use the 3d sculpting and texturing application on the Surface Pro 1 and 2 thanks to a recently released display driver update from Intel.

Mudbox 2015, released in March, is the first multi-touch capable sculpting program to run on the Surface Pro. Unfortunately, Microsoft's official display drivers didn't work properly with the program's paintbrush tool, crippling its texture painting capabilities.

Although Mudbox runs a distant second to ZBrush and may even be outsold by upstart 3D-Coat, I've always thought it was a good choice for the Surface Pro and other small sized tablets because of its clean, orderly interface. Although Autodesk has sometimes seemed to neglect the software, it recently dramatically lowered its price to $495 or $10 per month subscription. http://www.autodesk.com/products/mudbox/buy This competitive pricing puts the software within reach of any artist.

The updated Intel HD driver can be found at the following link: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=23885&lang=eng It's likely that Microsoft will offer this or another compatible driver during an upcoming firmware update, but if you don't want to wait, you can follow the installation instructions below.

WARNING: This process is moderately advanced. If you're not accustomed to mucking around with your system, don't attempt this. You have been warned!

If you attempt to install the executable directly, you may not be able to do so. The installer will likely warn you that the driver is not certified for the Surface Pro.  

To work around this, download the .zip version. Unzip the archive. In Device Manager, find the Display adapters >> Intel HD Graphics Family Properties. In the Driver tab, select Update Driver. Tap on "Browse my computer for driver software" and then point it to the Graphics folder you just unzipped.

This should work for most of you but it's possible that Windows will notify you that the best drivers are already installed. That was the case for me, so I went back to the Properties >> Driver tab and Uninstalled the current driver. On the confirmation, select Delete the driver software for this device.

I'm not sure about this next step, but it worked for me. Windows will want to reboot the system immediately after the device driver is deleted. Don't let it reboot because it may reinstall the old drivers upon restart (just because you told it to delete the old driver doesn't mean Windows won't call out and download the official driver upon reboot).

Instead of rebooting, run the new driver's installation program. When it's done installing, then you can reboot.

Performance is still not flawless on my Surface Pro 2. The pen doesn't register 100% of the time, especially when trying to target standard UI elements like the close button. Changing brushes with the pen is hit and miss. It's sometimes easier to use a finger to choose between sculpt and paint tools, though this is also sometimes hit and miss.

I had to rollback my Wacom driver to the official 7.2.0-4 release version. The unofficial update I published recently doesn't seem to be compatible.

But combined with the latest version of ArtDock (which I'll publish tomorrow), it's still a lot of fun to interactively sculpt and paint in Mudbox without the need for a keyboard. Even if you don't own it, I recommend having a go with the trial version. You may be hooked.

Thanks to Alex Cheparev for the tip regarding the new driver's availability.

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Improved Mudbox ArtDock...and one for Softimage too!

Alex Cheparev, the designer of the icons in the SurfaceProArtist ArtDock, is a big Mudbox user and he sent me his improved toolbar for that software back when Autodesk released the 2015 version.

I took that opportunity to begin to create a more compact layout for the docks, starting with the program picker and Mudbox and I even had a go at creating a new dock for Softimage.

Unfortunately, that was when we both discovered that the program's paintbrush was not behaving properly with the Surface Pro's display drivers.

So I shelved the project until a fix for Mudbox was released, never expecting the resolution to take many months.  As I wrote yesterday, a new Intel HD update corrects the issue.

I also promised yesterday to release this new ArtDock today, but I realize now that it's in pretty rough shape.

Photoshop, Sketchbook Pro, Maya and ZBrush are unchanged and should work as before. The 3DS Max and Sculptris docks are placeholders (most of the keystrokes are not mapped correctly).

The Softimage dock is very much an alpha version. I went a little nuts putting down all my favorite keyboard shortcuts, but I think it's working well.

Alex's new Mudbox dock works great  In addition to adding multiple columns of icons, I moved the starting position of the new docks to locations where they were less likely to interfere with important menu items.

Download the SurfaceProArtist ArtDock 2.5 beta here. 

To use the ArtDock, you'll first need to download Autohotkey from http://ahkscript.org/download/1.1/AutoHotkey111403_Install.exe. When the installation is done, make sure to run the Autohotkey script. Unzip the SurfaceProArtist ArtDock and copy the Artdock folder to your C:\ directory. Double-click the ArtDock shortcut to run (you can copy this to your desktop or taskbar).

I'm not sure how much time I will have to invest in getting the other ArtDocks fixed in the near term, so if you have time to make them work, please let me know so we can share your efforts with the rest of the SurfaceProArtist community.

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Surface Pro 3: One week later...

I’m late to the Surface Pro 3 review party and it seems every other tech journalist or blogger has already written thousands of words on the subject.

But with the exception of Penny Arcade’s Gabe (Mike Krahulik), none of the early reviews have focused on what we all really want to know: the suitability of the device for painting, drawing and sculpting.

The second magnet which angles the type cover significantly improves the typing experience on the Surface Pro 3. Unfortunately, it also makes it difficult to swipe from the bottom of the screen or access icons in the taskbar.

So I’ll dispense with the basics: 

• The screen is bigger, but not so big to be less portable.
• The 3:2 aspect ratio feels much less cramped in landscape mode and more natural to hold in portrait mode.
• The display resolution of 2160x1440 is crisp and beautiful.
• The SP3 is about 30% thinner than the previous Surface Pros.
• While not the lightest tablet for its size, the SP3 no longer feels like a brick.
• The device runs silently most of the time, but 3d applications can force the fans into overdrive.
• Heat is not unbearable, but seems to be concentrated in the upper right corner (in landscape mode). You won’t feel the heat at all if you’re just browsing or doing simple office tasks.
• The pen really is impressively accurate and handwriting on the screen is as good an experience as it’s ever been.
• Battery life is very good. I’ve been able to go the entire day on a single charge. As I write this, I’ve been going for over three hours and am at 60%.
• The redesigned power adapter is much easier to attach. No more fiddling with the finicky magnet!
• The pen is a significant upgrade over the original Surface Pro stylus. 
• The touchpad on the new type cover is larger and significantly improved.
• The new magnet at the top of the type cover, which angles the keyboard slightly for typing, is a huge improvement (I’m typing this post on the SP3 right now).
• While the type cover is angled, it lines up with the very bottom of the display and makes it impossible to swipe up from the bottom and difficult to unhide the taskbar or select taskbar icons.
• The Windows home button has been moved and is now on the center right of the screen (in landscape mode). Some users have complained that it’s too easy to hit it accidentally.
• The variable kickstand is genius. 
• The speakers are louder.
• The wifi is upgraded.
• Overall performance seems to be on-par with the similarly spec’d Surface Pro 2. My test unit has 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.
• Because I’ve been using a pre-production machine, there have been a handful of quirks (like disabled wifi after waking) that Microsoft is promising to fix by ship date.

So bottom line, the Surface Pro 3 is a huge improvement over its predecessors and addresses nearly all the issues anyone has had with prior incarnations. 

The variable kickstand is one of the most welcome changes to the Surface Pro 3 design, especially the lowest angle which is ideal for drawing: no more need for a separate stand.

That’s all well and good you say, but what’s it like for drawing?

When pen pressure is available, drawing with the Surface Pro 3 is a pleasure. Initial activation force is a little higher than I’d prefer so it can be difficult to make very light marks. Sometimes light strokes will skip. In software where you can edit your pen pressure curve (as in Manga Studio/Clip Studio Paint), you can adjust for this and get much better results.

These tests demonstrate the pressure range I was able to achieve in Clip Studio Paint 1.3.1 with a 200px Frenden brush on a 10"x10" image at 300 dpi. I adjusted the slope of the pen pressure curve to have a much slower acceleration. The default linear curve requires too much initial force, which makes it nearly impossible for me to register light marks.

The pen pressure settings in Clip Studio Paint.

Microsoft is promising to deliver a control panel applet shortly after launch that will enable pressure curve and tip sensitivity settings. I’ve asked them to consider adding visual meters to the tip adjustments so that it’s easier to see the amount of force being applied. Button configuration will also be possible and they are considering adding a marking or radial menu similar to Wacom’s.

Although the pen nib is much preferred over the hard tip on the current Surface Pro pen, it is still a bit too hard for my taste. It feels a little too slippery on the glass. Microsoft has heard our concerns and will be offering tip replacements including softer options. Unfortunately, there is no precise date when these will be available.

The N-Trig digitizer on the Surface Pro 3 is compatible with a variety of pens already on the market. I’ve only tested the Sony Active Pen, but other manufacturers like Motion already offer a compatible pen with replacement tips.

As touted by Microsoft, the digitizer is free of the edge inaccuracies that have plagued many of the Wacom devices I've tested. Calibration was perfect out of the box and when I tried to run the calibration tool, I threw it off slightly so I simply reverted back to the default settings.

Palm rejection is a little bit hit and miss at the moment, although Microsoft is taking steps to improve it. It’s not an issue in software like Manga Studio and Sketchable that give you the option to disable touch drawing without disabling gestures (brilliant!), but it can be an issue in other software.

The operating system will disable touch when the pen tip comes within a certain distance of the screen. But if you tilt your pen, it’s possible that your hand will leave stray marks in software like Fresh Paint.

To correct for this, Microsoft will be adding a second level of palm detection that will use the digitizer’s image sensor to evaluate the shape of the object coming into contact with the screen. The assumption being that you’re unlikely to want to draw with your palm (ham-fisted shading?) vs. a fingertip.

A major knock against prior N-Trig incarnations is what some call vectoring: random stray lines that shoot off in the middle of a drawing. This doesn’t occur often, but I have experienced it. Microsoft believes it has a solution which will be implemented in a Day One firmware update.

One of the areas where I’ve noticed that performance doesn’t seem to be quite up to prior generations’ is when I’m attempting to pan, zoom and rotate with my fingers while drawing. I’ve discovered that this is due to the pen position. If I hold the tip too close to the screen while I’m touching, the gesture is disabled. This feels like a brief stutter, but being more aware of the pen placement will correct this.

At least in Manga Studio the pinch to zoom gesture is sometimes confused with the rotation gesture. 

A by-product of the active capacitive technology used by N-Trig is hover lag. This is the delay between the on-screen cursor position and the pen tip. If you move your pen very quickly over the display, the cursor will lag behind like a shadow. 

In the Penny Arcade review, Krahulik described this as a performance issue, but I believe it’s more of an optical illusion. You can be confident that the pen will tap wherever your tip is located; there’s no need to wait that extra millisecond for the cursor to catch up. If you find the visual lag very disturbing, you can try reducing the pointer to a one-pixel dot. 

Parallax, the separation between the tip and the actual drawing surface, is greatly reduced compared to the original Surface Pro models. This is because the N-Trig technology requires only one digitizer layer. In Wacom systems, there is a capacitive (touch) layer and an active (pen) layer.

The real stumbling block for artists considering the Surface Pro 3 is N-Trig’s spotty Wintab compatibility. This issue isn’t unique to the SP3, it also plagues other devices like the Sony Flip 15A and Acer Aspire R7-572. Simply put, it looks like this driver was only tested with Photoshop CC, where it works flawlessly.

Every other wintab program I’ve tried (see What Runs, What Doesn’t) simply doesn’t see the tablet service. 

Like many Wintab programs, ZBrush 4R6 runs and is very responsive; however, pen pressure is absent.

ZBrush displays an error message that the service is not running upon launch. However, the program will proceed to launch and will work except pen pressure is not recognized. Mudbox doesn’t recognize the pen or touch, although it can be controlled with the touchpad or a mouse. Most other programs work as expected except that brushes draw at 100% pressure.

(The pen pressure works in 3D-Coat,, the ZBrush and Mudbox competitor,  but that program’s OpenGL version has display issues. The DirectX version runs okay. I haven’t had time to confirm whether other OpenGL applications have similar problems.)

All of this is (hopefully) a temporary situation. Adobe’s next Photoshop, due out in June, will no longer require Wintab. Corel is reportedly working on a Microsoft API version of Painter. Microsoft and N-Trig are scrambling to improve compatibility with other programs before the SP3 ship date. And third party developers such as Pixologic and Autodesk will obviously be pressured by users to make their products work. (Whether they do anything about it remains to be seen, although failing to respond may represent an opportunity for swift moving competitors.)

It’s unfortunate that the change in digitizer tech has resulted in so much uncertainty in the creative user base which had whole-heartedly embraced the Surface Pro. If you rely on any of the programs that don’t work at present, the best option may be to sit on the sidelines until the dust settles. And there will certainly be great discounts to be had on remaining inventories of the SP1 and 2.

If you’re an art hobbyist or a professional who works primarily in Photoshop or Manga Studio, the Surface Pro 3 may be the creative tablet of your dreams. But the N-Trig experience is just different enough that I recommend you try it for yourself before you buy. 

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Mudbox 2015 paint brush broken on Surface Pro, Intel HD graphics systems

My frustrating "will it run or won't it" investigation into Autodesk's Mudbox has hit another stumbling block.

In the broadest sense of the word, the 2015 version of the software will run and sculpting tools seem to work well.

Unfortunately, one of the most important capabilities of Mudbox is texture painting and there appears to be a crippling bug in the paint brush that makes it useless for this purpose.

Reader and ArtDock collaborator Alex Cheparev first alerted me to the issue which he spotted on his Surface Pro 2 and Wacom Cintiq Companion (see his video below). I've confirmed the issue on both generations of the Suface Pro and the Thinkpad Yoga. 

Using Paintbrush in Mudbox 2015 on Surface Pro 2 appears to be broken. Projection Brush works fine, only the Paintbrush seems broken.

According to Cheparev, he reported the bug to Autodesk who responded that "it's a known bug with the new Intel HD Drivers and they are working with Intel on fixing it in a future release of the drivers. Problem is, they recommended using driver version 9.18.10.3257, but it is nowhere to be found. Intel has removed it from their servers and I can't find it anywhere else...The oldest driver I found on Intel's website also exhibits the same behavior with the paintbrush."

Another bug that Alex didn't illustrate in his video relates to painting in mirror mode. The mirrored side receives 100% of the color applied, but the original side appears to be stuck in Lighten mode.

Although the paint is applied on the right side of the head, it only displays properly on the left side. This issue is repeated regardless of the mirror axis.

So despite the allure of multi-touch gestures, I'll be putting further testing with Mudbox on hold (at least until the next display driver update from Intel).

Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite Ultimate 2015 Testing Underway

Now that we know Mudbox 2015 works on the Surface Pro, we don't expect too many other surprises. But it will probably take a couple of days to give everything a quick run-through. Keep checking the blog for updates!

And even if you're not an Autodesk customer, you can give these tools a try out by downloading the trial yourself. Click the Free Trial link here: http://www.autodesk.com/suites/entertainment-creation-suite/overview Autodesk offers free 36 month versions to students enrolled in accredited institutions. For more information, visit students.autodesk.com.

The Autodesk 2015 releases mark the final version of Softimage. I had to grab the screenshot above to mark the sad occasion of the first install of the final release.

Confirmed! Mudbox 2015 multi-touch gestures work on Surface Pro 1 & 2

When Autodesk unveiled demo videos for Mudbox 2015 earlier this week, it was unclear whether the software's new multi-touch capabilities would be compatible with the Surface Pro.

The company originally introduced Intel HD graphics 4000 compatibility in the 2014 extension (2014.5) available only to subscribers, but for some reason, gestures refused to work on the Surface Pro.

I reached out to Autodesk support who were unable to confirm that the compatibility issue had been resolved in this latest version. But thanks to a resourceful reader, I was provided a link to the 2015 trial version so that I could test the program myself.

Because a picture is worth a thousand words and video is worth at least ten thousand, see for yourself how well the program runs on the "lowly" first gen Surface Pro with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB storage.

Mudbox 2015 runs just as well or better on the Surface Pro 2. The only slight hiccup I experienced was when I first installed the program on the Surface Pro seen above. That pc didn't have the Wacom feel driver installed and the pen refused to work although touch did. Once I installed the feel drivers and rebooted, everything worked smoothly.

ZBrush is the king of the hill of sculpting apps, but its crowded UI make it very difficult to use on the Surface Pro. With its relatively uncluttered interface and new interactive capabilities, Mudbox 2015 definitely leaps to the head of the Windows 8 tablet pack.

Autodesk's 2015 offerings are scheduled to be released in mid-April. I'll update this post as soon as trial downloads become publicly available.