Support speech command input

[hzhou3]

When using designing and creative software like Maya, users often need to fixate their eyes on a small spot of a large screen for details adjustments. It is distractive and interruptive at this moment to have to click some UI elements like menu items or tool buttons located somewhere else because users have to move their eyes to guide the mouse pointer. As a result, I (and many others) use keyboard shortcuts for the same purpose. Although keyboard shortcuts are better than mouse in terms of avoiding operation distraction, sometimes we still have to take a look at the keyboard because we are not sure where our fingers are. A wrong key stroke might be troublesome or even disastrous. Secondly, we can't keep our hands above keyboard all the time because we have to move mouse. Also, we might wanna give our hands a break just because we are tired. At this moment, it would be so nice if Maya can recognize our speech command like "Lasso tool" or "Snap to grids", or shortcuts like "W", "E" to switch operation mode. Hope my idea can be adopted because that could really make the operation inside Maya more convenient.

[dgorsman]

There's a reason why voice commands are not more prevalent.  Someone yelling "ERASE!  ALL!  ERASE! ALL!" or other commands would make it a little *less* convenient.  Working anywhere there is more than one user would be a nightmare, as everyone is talking over each other; ever try to get work done as someone is busy talking loudly on the phone behind you?  Same principle.

And while you're used to clicking and typing all day, try speaking as you enter command just for a half day.  Then see how you feel afterwards.  Even those who do frequent public speaking don't do it as often as that.  Its a similar principle as to why we aren't using VR-style input for everything as well.

[hzhou3]

So this is the biggest problem of designers of big companies like AD. You always think users are like you and force users to think like you and to behave like you. But this is not always true. As for your counterexamples. 1) There are individual users working alone at home. Surprised? 2) We don't have to yell but rather speak at a normal volume. If we have to yell, that means there is some problem with the hardware. 3) The reason why voice commands are not prevalent is only because no one makes it. 4) Something you feel inconvenient or even wrong to you might well be convenient and right to others, because you are *NOT* a user. It is very common that software designers do not use their products at all. 5) I am just suggesting speech command as a complement, not a replacement. It is used occasionally. Saying a few words in a hour is not the same thing as giving a presentation in a noisy meeting for half a day. It is clear that the difference is obvious.

Same principle.