Out of the Box

The box contents are, refreshingly, complete. The Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) arrives with everything you’d expect — and a few nice surprises: the display itself, a foldable ST300 stand, the PW600L pen, ten replacement nibs, a 3-in-1 cable. No accessory hunting required, except for a Thunderbolt capable US-C-toUSB-C. Build quality leaves a good impression. The casing feels sturdy, doesn’t creak, and at 865 grams it’s light enough to throw into a backpack. It feels more “tool” than “toy,” which is a good start.

The Kamwas 13 Display

Huion advertises the Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) as factory-calibrated to ΔE < 1.5 … our unit, however, came in at ΔE 2.5 (Adobe RGB, Measured with our Datacolor Spyder Pro). Not bad, but not “color-critical.” You’ll want to calibrate it yourself if you work on anything that depends on color accuracy, and big grading jobs or Onset-Livegrading are not recommended. Why we are saying that? For that price, you’d think you could just put it onto your DIT-Cart. You can, but you wil lhave to check the colors more often.

That said, the anti-glare surface deserves genuine praise. It’s the nicest we’ve seen so far: it kills reflections without dulling the image or killing contrast, and it feels wonderfully smooth, like a high-quality matte paper, not sandpaper. The screen itself is Full HD (1920 × 1080), which is perfectly fine for a 13-inch panel. It’s not a retina display, but at typical viewing distances it looks crisp enough for painting, layout work, or even quick note-taking.

Pen & Performance

The PW600L pen uses Huion’s PenTech 4.0 system, and it’s battery-free, a small victory in an age of rechargeable everything. During testing across Rebelle 8, Photoshop and Microsoft Ink, the pen behaved as expected: accurate tracking, no real lag, and pressure sensitivity that feels natural once you fine-tune it.

That “once” matters. Out of the box, the settings we made were too hard, and we initially thought the pressure curve was off. Turns out the issue was “idiot user”, not “hardware”. The Huion driver lets you adjust the curve quite precisely, well worth the five minutes of tinkering before judging it. After six weeks of daily sketching and note-taking, the original nib still showed no wear. The replacement nibs included should last a good long while unless you’re carving marble in Krita.

From the Left

As some of you know, one of our key ergonomics features is that we can actually use the device. And yes, I’m a Southpaw. A leftie. If you’ve ever wondered why some hardware never makes it into Digital Production, that’s the reason (Well, one of the reasons). If it’s not usable for us and the other 10% of humanity, it doesn’t get tested. Simple rule.

The Huion Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) passes this test with flying colors. In the driver software, flipping the orientation is literally one click, rotate, mirror, turn it upside down if you feel like it. There’s no directionality to the chassis and the ports, no fixed edge, angle or cable trap that dictates how you have to work. So if you’re one of us, this tablet won’t force you to contort your wrist or flip your brain to right-handed mode. And for the others: Did you recognize that the featured image above this article is a leftie drawing? No? I thought so.

Ergonomics & Workflow

The left edge holds two mechanical dials and five customizable buttons. They’re easy to reach and satisfyingly quiet. Macro assignment is limited, you can’t yet chain multiple actions (like “new layer + color switch”) but the basics are there.

Switching between monitors took a few days to get used to. In our dual-screen setup, toggling the pen focus from the Kamvas to the main monitor isn’t instant muscle memory. After a while, though, it becomes second nature. Mirroring the main display didn’t quite work in our configuration, but that’s likely a Windows quirk or a driver limitation. For most use cases, drawing, annotation, or light compositing, extending the desktop is the better option anyway.

As for Thunderbolt, a word of warning: not all cards are equal. We discovered that Thunderbolt expansion cards vary wildly between workstation manufacturers. Mixing an (Random example) Asus add-in card with a Lenovo board, for instance, another random example, is an exercise in frustration (see XKCD’s “Standards” comic). Not Huion’s fault, but worth noting if you’re planning a clean single-cable setup. Make sure your USB-C ports are Thunderbolt-capable!

Everyday Use

Once configured, the Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) simply behaves. It works as a secondary screen, a sketchpad, or a small presentation monitor. For productivity use, it’s perfectly fine: crisp enough for text, light enough for travel. The anti-glare glass remains a highlight: even after hours of drawing, the surface stays clean and non-sticky, with minimal fingerprint buildup. And because the tablet has no fan, it’s completely silent and stays cool.

One disclaimer, though: as with every tablet, it will not make you a good artist. You’ll still have to bring the talent yourself. If you’re wondering why we didn’t warn you earlier: we thought it was obvious, until we tried proving otherwise. For evidence, please refer to our attempt at a one-line house drawing. Don’t laugh — we’re mouse users by habit, idiots on top of that and it took eight failed tries to get that one semi-straight roof. There’s a reason this magazine focuses on tech, not concept art.

Verdict of the Kamwas 13

After a solid six weeks with the Kamvas 13 (Gen 3), we can confidently say this: it’s a sensible tablet. The display might not be colorist-grade, but it’s bright, balanced, and consistent. The pen feels natural, the build is solid, and the included accessories make it a ready-to-go package straight from the box. If you’re looking for a mobile, lightweight pen display that doesn’t break the bank, the Kamvas 13 (Gen 3) is easy to recommend.

Software quirks aside, it’s an ideal entry point for new artists, or a travel companion for experienced ones who don’t want to risk their main display in a backpack. We were genuinely surprised by how much performance you can get for €239 on Huion’s official store. And since our test went so well: should we ask Huion for one of their Android tablets next? Let us know, we’re curious ourselves.

The post Huion Kamvas 13 (Gen 3): Welcome to Sensible Pen Tablets first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Xencelabs has introduced the Pen Display 24+, which, at USD 1,899, becomes the industry’s first pen display with Calman Ready hardware-level colour calibration built directly into the device. The calibration is stored on the device itself, not in the operating system, aiming to deliver consistent, accurate colour across devices and workflows. In collaboration with Portrait Displays, this solution targets colour-critical fields such as photography, VFX, animation, and industrial design.

A calibration workflow uses Calman Professional software with compatible hardware (e.g., the Portrait Displays C6 HDR5000). This avoids complex OS-level adjustments and supports calibration to multiple colour spaces including Adobe RGB, DCI‑P3, Rec. 709, Rec. 2020, along with sRGB. The display also supports Pantone‑validated palettes and SkinTone certification.

Precision, Finish, and Ergonomic Enhancements

The Pen Display 24+ features a 23.8‑inch 4K (3840×2160) panel capable of showing over 1.07 billion colours with 99 % Adobe RGB, 99 % sRGB, and 93 % DCI‑P3 coverage. The Super AG Etching glass offers pen-to-paper friction and glare reduction, enhancing drawing feel and studio usability.

Included are two battery‑free pens (3‑button + eraser v2 and thin + eraser v2), both offering 8,192 pressure levels and interchangeable nibs. A Quick Keys Remote with OLED display supports up to 44 app‑specific shortcuts, and Virtual Tablet Mode allows multi‑monitor control as a cohesive canvas. The display is fanless and includes a tilt stand with optional multi‑axis adjustments.

Production Reliability and Availability

The Pen Display 24+ is shipping now, priced at USD 1,899. The box includes the display, tilt stand, pens, Quick Keys remote, pen case, dongle, nibs, glove, cleaning cloth, cabling, and security slot options.

Summary

Xencelabs is targeting studio professionals with the Pen Display 24+, offering built-in Calman hardware calibration, premium colour fidelity, responsive drawing hardware, and ergonomic tools—all at the display level. The features suggest a strong emphasis on dependable, consistent colour workflows. Users should still test calibration in their specific production pipelines before relying on results in client-facing work.

The post Xencelabs Pen Display 24+ Debuts with On-Board Calman Colour Calibration first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

In nuce: Icosa Gallery has released the latest version of the open-source VR sketching app Open Brush, making Open Brush 2.0 available. With the release of Open Brush 2.0, the app is also celebrating its two-year anniversary. The software is based on Tilt Brush, which was previously developed by Google. Digital Production last reported on Tilt Brush on 9 November 2017. Open Brush has been open source since 2021 and will no longer be pursued as a commercial project.

Open Brush v2.0

In toto: Below are some of the key features of Open Brush 2.0 – in addition to the fact that the app has been upgraded to the latest version of the Unity game engine.

• Support for a Layers System: Up to eight layers can be selected. This should improve clarity when working with large sketches.
• Pressure sensitivity for brushes: Some brushes now have pressure sensitivity – depending on how hard the user grips their input device, strokes appear more or less forceful.
• Up to 10 times the bit rate: Sketching is said to have become noticeably more performant – with a leap in performance from 5 frames per second to 50.
• Support for OpenXR extensions: Virtual reality and mixed reality applications are hereby supported – and Open Brush usable for a wider range of hardware offerings. This includes an extension that allows users of Meta Quest headsets to draw within a mixed reality environment.
• Two new tools: The Snip and Join tools have been added to the toolbox. With these tools, existing brushstrokes can either be halved using the control point or two existing brushstrokes can be joined together.

Clicked further: To the announcement of the release of Open Brush 2.0 or to the corresponding GitHub. Users can find out where Open Brush is available from via docs.openbrush.app . Digital Production reported on the previous version Open Brush 1.0 on 2 March 2022 – and on the new functions Lazy Input and other feature delights.

Source: cgchannel.com ( report by Jim Thacker)

The post Drawing with VR glasses – and in 3D space? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Icosa Gallery releases Open Brush 1.0, an open-source 3D sketching tool for virtual reality. The software is based on Tilt Brush, which was previously developed by Google. We last reported on Tilt Brush on 9 November 2017. Open Brush has been open source since 2021 and is no longer being pursued as a commercial project.

What can Open Brush do? With Open Brush, you can draw in 3D space – provided you have a headset compatible with Oculus or SteamVR. You can export your drawings in FBX, gITF, USD or JSON file format. This allows you to continue your projects in Blender or Maya – or you can place your drawings directly as an asset in a game engine. Alternatively, you can upload your drawings directly to YouTube.

The highlight of designing with Open Brush is that your drawings are displayed both as conventional 2D brushstrokes and as 3D geometries. You can adapt the brushstrokes to your creative wishes – regardless of whether you want to bend, rotate, restrict your strokes to straight lines or recolour them. A nice special feature: you can place your drawings in a 3D background. Open Brush provides you with templates for this.

What can you expect with Open Brush 1.0? The most important changes include the so-called “Lazy Input”, which is similar to ZBrush’s “Lazy Mouse” system. This allows you to smooth out strokes that you have created freehand. Many users will also be pleased to know that different sketches can now be merged with each other. The video below will take you on a journey of discovery of all the other features.

Preview of Open Brush 1.1: Open Brush 1.1 is due to be released within a few weeks. The new features will include a layer system and a snip tool. With the snip tool, you will be able to cut out parts of existing strokes – or delete them completely.

Click further: You can find all further information at docs.openbrush.app. There you can also find out all about the differences between Open Brush and Tilt Brush. Of course, you can also find out where you can download Open Brush . Also visit openbrush.itch.io.

Open Brush v1.0 Release

Open Brush Trailer

The post With the open source Open Brush 1.0 you can scribble in virtual space first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.