Topics

• Purpose
• Command List
  • Hiding or Showing Commands
  • Suppressing or Activating Commands
• Display Tab
• Speech Tab
• Options Tab
  • Listen
  • Suspend listening
  • Suspend listening on startup
  • Listen on startup
  • Fully define Xpress sketches
  • Show commands in status bar

Purpose

The Xpresso Task Pane lists all of the active commands and allows you to configure Xpresso. The Task Pane has three tabs which allow you to configure Xpresso to suit your particular voice and the way you use SolidWorks. When Xpresso is first installed only a small set of the most common commands are activated and shown. This small set of frequently used commands dramatically improves command recognition and accuracy. However, the Task Pane and Command Editor can be used to activate or change the name of a command for a custom user experience.

To show the Xpresso Task Pane, click on the Xpresso Icon on the right side of the SolidWorks screen.

Command List

The command list is the bottom part of the Task Pane. It is visible on all three tabs. The command list allows you to view the commands Xpresso listens for. This is also where you can Suppress or Unsuppress (activate) commands, Hide or Show commands, and change the Spoken Phrase of the command. The Command list also show a Command Hint when you hover your mouse over a command. Commands are separated into groups based on the type of function they serve. For example the commands related to creating sketches are listed under the Sketch group.

Hiding or Showing Commands

Commands may be hidden or shown in two ways.

• Scroll through the Xpresso Task Pane and right-click on the desired command. Select Hide from the right-click menu.
• Double-click on the desired command and select the Hide check box in the Command Editor.

TIP: To quickly scroll to the desired command, Click once into the Command Editor Window, and type the first letter of the desired command on your keyboard. This will jump to the first command with that starts with that letter.

Suppressing or Activating Commands

Commands may be suppressed or unsuppressed (activated) by two ways.

• Scroll through the Task Pane and right-click on the desired command. Select Suppress from the right-click menu.
• Double-click on the desired command and select the Suppress check box in the Command Editor.

TIP: Suppressed commands are not loaded into the speech engine database. The fewer commands in the speech engine database limits false recognitions because there are fewer commands to choose from. Therefore, suppressing unused commands can improve your speech recognition experience.

Display Tab

The Display tab of the Task Pane allows the user to adjust which commands are visible in the Command List. Show active selection will only show commands that are available in your current SolidWorks context (e.g. mate will only be active when working on an assembly). These commands appear in black in the Task Pane. This option greatly reduces the number of commands visible. Hidden commands will be recognized if spoken, but will not show up in the Command List.

The Show all selection will show all commands that are available in Xpresso AND commands that are not available. Commands that are shown, but are not available in SolidWorks are shown in red.

Checking the Show hidden box will show commands that the user has hid from the Task Pane. Hidden commands will be recognized if spoken, but will hot show up in the unless this option is checked. Hidden Commands are shown in blue.

The Show Suppressed option shows commands that you have suppressed. These commands ARE NOT recognizable by Xpresso and are shown in gray.

Speech Tab

This tab allows you to configure the speech setting for Xpresso. The slider allows you to change the confidence level of the speech recognition engine. The farther to the left, will result in very fast recognition but may increase stray commands. Moving the slider to the right will reduce stray commands, but will take longer to choose each command that is spoken. Adjusting this slider can be a powerful tool in improving recognition levels for your personal voice.

You can also access the Microphone setup and Voice Training sections from this tab. Having your microphone adjusted properly is very important to getting good recognition.

Options Tab

The final tab is the options tab. This tab allows you to configure some of the basic options of Xpresso.

Listen

Toggles if Xpresso is listening for commands.

Suspend listening

Forces Xpresso to not listen for any commands. This is great if you want to have a conversation with a co-worker or talk on the phone. Read more about Suspended Listening here.

Suspend listening on startup

Xpresso will not respond to verbal commands on startup. Read more about Suspended Listening here.

Listen on startup

When SolidWorks first loads Xpresso will be listening for commands and ready to start designing.

Fully define Xpress sketches

When using the Xpress Commands (e.g. Xpress Block) Xpresso will insert dimensions to fully define the sketch.

Show commands in status bar

Shows the command Xpresso is executing in the status bar.