MockTab

Configuration

MockTab requests permissions from the system upon first launch, and drawing apps may need adjustment to take advantage of tablet features. This page describes system prompts that may appear, with per-application notes.

System permissions

On macOS, apps that read the keyboard, mouse, pen, or screen must first ask you for permission in System Settings before they can work normally. When prompted, grant access and relaunch MockTab. If a toggle will not stay on, remove MockTab from the list and add it again. Moving or reinstalling MockTab may invalidate a previous permission setting.

Accessibility

Accessibility lets MockTab provide pen events for other apps.

macOS prompt asking to allow MockTab to control the computer using accessibility features macOS prompt asking to allow MockTab to control the computer using accessibility features (dark)

Clicking Open System Settings launches the Accessibility pane. Usually requires admin approval.

System Settings Accessibility pane with MockTab toggled on System Settings Accessibility pane with MockTab toggled on (dark)

Input Monitoring

Input Monitoring lets MockTab read raw tablet input.

macOS prompt asking to allow MockTab to monitor input macOS prompt asking to allow MockTab to monitor input (dark)

Toggle MockTab on in the Input Monitoring pane, then relaunch MockTab when macOS asks.

System Settings Input Monitoring pane with MockTab toggled on System Settings Input Monitoring pane with MockTab toggled on (dark)
macOS dialog asking to quit and relaunch MockTab after granting Input Monitoring macOS dialog asking to quit and relaunch MockTab after granting Input Monitoring (dark)

Bluetooth pairing

Intuos Pro Gen 2 tablets (PTH-460, PTH-660, PTH-860) support Bluetooth Classic. To pair:

  1. Disconnect the USB cable.
  2. Power the tablet on without holding the touch ring's center button. The small LED near the USB port blinks while the tablet waits for a connection.
  3. Open System Settings → Bluetooth and connect to the tablet.

macOS may also list an entry with an "LE" prefix (for example, "LE IntuosPro L"). That is the tablet's low-energy profile, which macOS claims as a trackpad; the pen sends nothing over it. Pair the entry without the "LE" prefix.

MockTab detects the Bluetooth connection automatically and treats it as the same tablet as the USB entry.

Application notes

Most Mac drawing apps receive pressure and tilt without configuration. Stylus rotation is the outlier: only a handful of pen models (chiefly Wacom's Art Pen) report a true barrel rotation axis, and apps handle it inconsistently. The screenshots below show where each app exposes its rotation control. Background on the hardware axis itself lives in the Wacom Art Pen rotation notes.

Affinity

Canva Affinity detects rotation automatically for brushes that have a rotation-driven dynamic enabled. The brush editor's dynamics panel provides options to set rotation using nib angle, size, or other parameters.

Affinity brush dynamics panel with rotation bound to nib angle Affinity brush dynamics panel with rotation bound to nib angle (dark)

Adobe Illustrator

In Illustrator's brush options dialog, set the per-brush Angle variation to Stylus Wheel for rotation-driven nib angle. The control name is the same in every localization; only the surrounding labels translate.

Illustrator calligraphic brush options with Angle variation set to Stylus Wheel Illustrator calligraphic brush options with Angle variation set to Stylus Wheel (dark)

Krita

Krita exposes rotation as a sensor under the brush editor's Rotation parameter. Add the Rotation sensor and pick a curve to map raw barrel rotation onto brush tip orientation.

Krita brush editor with the Rotation sensor enabled Krita brush editor with the Rotation sensor enabled (dark)

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop's rotation detection may require additional configuration. MockTab includes a driver-side option, Art Pen: Swap Tilt with Rotation (in Pen Feel), that feeds barrel rotation into Photoshop's Pen Tilt control instead. Enable it when working with rotation-driven brushes in Photoshop.

Photoshop brush settings showing rotation behavior warning Photoshop brush settings showing rotation behavior warning (dark)

Escape Motions Rebelle

Rebelle reads rotation automatically upon selecting a rotation-aware brush.

Rebelle brush settings panel with rotation-driven nib enabled Rebelle brush settings panel with rotation-driven nib enabled (dark)

Rebelle > Tablet > Tablet Options also offers a built-in rotation invert.

Rebelle application settings for tablet behavior Rebelle application settings for tablet behavior (dark)

Panning

To map a button to a panning action (like the hand tool in many drawing apps), consider Smart Scroll or Smooze Pro.