As mentioned in T87134, to make the feature of the "Transfer Mode operator" (D10953) useful for other workflows as well.
## Current Issue
It can be very difficult to tell which object you are switching to with the transfer mode operator.
This is why the "fade inactive geometry" overlay was implemented, to grey out any object that is not currently affected by the mode.
The issue with this is that is actively obscuring important color information, which makes it extremely inconvenient for texture, shading and painting worklfows (essentially anything that has a strong emphasis on color & light).
Most artists are turning the overlay off as a result, which makes it very hard to use the Transfer Mode operator, which they wouldn't use as a result either.
{F9993291} (The overlay when using a paint mode as an example)
The visual effect of the greying out can vary based on the colors and lighting.
There are also other reported issues related to the current overlay implementation, like that instances are not affected.
{F9994292} (The overlay when using edit mode in a scene. The tree in the back is a linked instance)
## Proposal
To make the overlay more convenient for all workflows it would have to be animated instead.
This means it the moment the user is switching between objects either with the outliner or with the D shortcut, the new active object would flash for a moment with an overlay and then the overlay would disappear.
This would very clearly highlight the new active object you are editing and not obscure any important information from the active or other objects going forward.
@pablodp606 Already created a prototype where the object flashes grey as a test. I also created a mockup via shaders that shows the objects being highlighted with the active selection color instead with it fading in & out more smoothly.
{F9993116}
##Important Notes
- This is a very special case. Nowhere in Blender is an overlay animated so this direction needs to be approved first.
- It's not enough to flash the outline of the object. It's most reliable to have the overlay cover the entire surface.
- This overlay can be very unpleasant to look at so it needs to be smoothly animated but still short. It also needs a noticeable color but not too distracting.
- In the prototype the entire surface of the object is flashing, even surfaces that are covered by other objects. Ideally only visible geometry should be included in the overlay to make it clearer which object is active.