Outline color for collection instances is different (dimming, also no indication for "Active") #81010

New Issue

Russell · 2020-09-20T23:58:22+02:00

Russell commented

2020-09-20 23:58:22 +02:00

System Information
Operating system: Windows-10-10.0.18362-SP0 64 Bits
Graphics card: GeForce RTX 2080 Ti/PCIe/SSE2 NVIDIA Corporation 4.5.0 NVIDIA 452.06

Blender Version
Broken: version: 2.91.0 Alpha, branch: master, commit date: 2020-09-20 17:34, hash: 0d5aa352d3
Worked: (newest version of Blender that worked as expected)

Short description of error
If the Outline overlay is selected then the color is either desaturated or semi-transparent for collection instances. I treat them like every other object in a scene and this change of color is very jarring. I can't find any setting that would control this. I understand that the empty is the real active object but since those are often hidden or turned off the outline color really should pass down to the instance itself. In fact it already does, but it's modified for some reason.

Exact steps for others to reproduce the error

Enable Outline Selected in the Overlay dropdown.
Create a collection containing at least one object.
Add an instance of that collection to the scene
Select the instance object and notice that the outline doesn't match the Object Selected and Active Object colors in the Theme settings.

**System Information** Operating system: Windows-10-10.0.18362-SP0 64 Bits Graphics card: GeForce RTX 2080 Ti/PCIe/SSE2 NVIDIA Corporation 4.5.0 NVIDIA 452.06 **Blender Version** Broken: version: 2.91.0 Alpha, branch: master, commit date: 2020-09-20 17:34, hash: `0d5aa352d3` Worked: (newest version of Blender that worked as expected) **Short description of error** If the Outline overlay is selected then the color is either desaturated or semi-transparent for collection instances. I treat them like every other object in a scene and this change of color is very jarring. I can't find any setting that would control this. I understand that the empty is the real active object but since those are often hidden or turned off the outline color really should pass down to the instance itself. In fact it already does, but it's modified for some reason. ![Screenshot (157).jpg](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F8904159/Screenshot__157_.jpg) **Exact steps for others to reproduce the error** 1. Enable Outline Selected in the Overlay dropdown. 2. Create a collection containing at least one object. 3. Add an instance of that collection to the scene 3. Select the instance object and notice that the outline doesn't match the **Object Selected** and **Active Object** colors in the Theme settings.

Russell commented

2020-09-20 23:58:22 +02:00

Added subscriber: @Russ1642

blender-admin commented

2020-09-20 23:58:22 +02:00

#88134 was marked as duplicate of this issue

Philipp Oeser commented

2020-09-21 15:29:04 +02:00

Added subscriber: @lichtwerk

Philipp Oeser commented

2020-09-21 15:29:04 +02:00

Changed status from 'Needs Triage' to: 'Archived'

Philipp Oeser closed this issue

2020-09-21 15:29:04 +02:00

Philipp Oeser self-assigned this 2020-09-21 15:29:04 +02:00

Philipp Oeser commented

2020-09-21 15:29:04 +02:00

This is done on purpose, see https://developer.blender.org/diffusion/B/browse/master/source/blender/draw/intern/draw_common.c$104

So it blends the color for Object Selected with the background color.
In my opinion it makes sense, no? It serves the purpose of communicating that this is an instance that some actions cannot be done on (why would you think this is a bug?)

Will close for now (feel free though to comment again why this makes you feel like having found a bug...)

This is done on purpose, see https://developer.blender.org/diffusion/B/browse/master/source/blender/draw/intern/draw_common.c$104 So it blends the color for Object Selected with the background color. In my opinion it makes sense, no? It serves the purpose of communicating that this is an instance that some actions cannot be done on (why would you think this is a bug?) Will close for now (feel free though to comment again why this makes you feel like having found a bug...)

Russell commented

2020-09-21 15:45:06 +02:00

I feel this is a bug because I want to see the object outline highlighted amongst a bunch of other objects. That's its purpose. Not to communicate something I already know, which is that I'm using collection instances. Knowing what objects are selected and which is the active seleected object is far more important than than being reminded yet again that my object is a lesser object citizen - the collection instance.

Philipp Oeser commented

2020-09-21 16:02:01 +02:00

Ah, it is selected vs. active.
In its current state, you can only tell apart active vs. selected instances by looking at their origin point [which still draws differently], not by the outline, that is true.

In contrast to objects [which have a separation between colorActive and colorSelect], for instances there is only colorDupliSelect.

This would be a nice addition in fact (and could be added of course), I agree 100%, but this sounds more like a feature request?
For more information on why this isn't considered a bug, visit: https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Reference/Not_a_bug

Ah, it is `selected` vs. `active`. In its current state, you can only tell apart active vs. selected instances by looking at their origin point [which still draws differently], not by the outline, that is true. In contrast to objects [which have a separation between `colorActive` and `colorSelect`], for instances there is only `colorDupliSelect`. This would be a nice addition in fact (and could be added of course), I agree 100%, but this sounds more like a feature request? For more information on why this isn't considered a bug, visit: https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Reference/Not_a_bug

Russell commented

2020-09-21 16:13:45 +02:00

This is NOT a feature request. I only would like a feature that exists, outline highlighting, to work properly. I need to SEE the objects that I have selected. I have a scene filled almost entirely with collection instances. If you want to use outline highlighting for some other purpose such as communicating object type then do it through another colour in the themes panel, not by DIMMING the HIGHLIGHTING. I hope I haven't come across as rude

Philipp Oeser commented

2020-09-21 16:35:54 +02:00

Changed status from 'Archived' to: 'Needs Developer To Reproduce'

Philipp Oeser reopened this issue

2020-09-21 16:35:54 +02:00

Philipp Oeser commented

2020-09-21 16:35:54 +02:00

I hope I haven't come across as rude

I hear many things every day, so no worries :)

Not sure if the original decision was made to save some uniform in the globals block [but it looks like 2.79 already behaved the same].
I would still see this implemented as dimmed, but with the color for selected being dimmed and the color for active being dimmed (but making a distinction between active vs. selected).

I can only raise awareness to the appropriate module to make a decision then.
Dont get me wrong either, that link https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Reference/Not_a_bug also explains why it is not possible to to implement every inconsistency we might come across.

> I hope I haven't come across as rude I hear many things every day, so no worries :) Not sure if the original decision was made to save some uniform in the globals block [but it looks like 2.79 already behaved the same]. I would still see this implemented as dimmed, but with the color for selected being dimmed and the color for active being dimmed (but making a distinction between active vs. selected). I can only raise awareness to the appropriate module to make a decision then. Dont get me wrong either, that link https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Reference/Not_a_bug also explains why it is not possible to to implement every inconsistency we might come across.

Russell commented

2020-09-21 16:44:00 +02:00

The collection instances only highlight with the dimmed 'active' colour, whether or not they're just selected or active. Also, please run this past someone who uses collection instances a lot. As I said I have scenes entirely filled with these objects and outline highlighting is nearly useless. I set the highlight colour to bright yellow and I can't see it most of the time because it blends right into the background. This is making it hard to work in my scene. I've even considered not using collection instances until this is fixed.

Russell commented

2020-09-21 17:09:40 +02:00

Dont get me wrong either, that link https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Reference/Not_a_bug also explains why it is not possible to to implement every inconsistency we might come across.

I wanted to address this specifically. The code for highlighting the entire object is already there, ready to go. Just remove the part where it's dimming the colour from the themes panel for no good reason. The purpose of outlining selected and active objects is to see what we have selected, not to identify object types. Dimming a highlight color goes against that in every way. So please bring up this point. It's an outline highlight to help us old farts see. I'd go so far as to call it an accessibility issue as well.

> Dont get me wrong either, that link https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Reference/Not_a_bug also explains why it is not possible to to implement every inconsistency we might come across. I wanted to address this specifically. **The code for highlighting the entire object is already there**, ready to go. Just remove the part where it's dimming the colour from the themes panel for no good reason. The purpose of outlining selected and active objects is to see what we have selected, not to identify object types. Dimming a highlight color goes against that in every way. So please bring up this point. It's an outline highlight to help us old farts **see**. I'd go so far as to call it an accessibility issue as well.

Philipp Oeser commented

2020-09-21 18:31:54 +02:00

In #81010#1020422, @Russ1642 wrote:

Dont get me wrong either, that link https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Reference/Not_a_bug also explains why it is not possible to to implement every inconsistency we might come across.

I wanted to address this specifically. The code for highlighting the entire object is already there, ready to go. Just remove the part where it's dimming the colour from the themes panel for no good reason. The purpose of outlining selected and active objects is to see what we have selected, not to identify object types. Dimming a highlight color goes against that in every way. So please bring up this point. It's an outline highlight to help us old farts see. I'd go so far as to call it an accessibility issue as well.

But there is specific code that separates instances from regular objects reg. outline color, so there is clearly an intention to differentiate these (and I do think this is helpful -- there is just some stuff for instances that makes them "less editable" which I think is communicated by this) That dimming could be made more subtle?
And of course, it would be good to have selected vs. active for instances, too.

> In #81010#1020422, @Russ1642 wrote: >> Dont get me wrong either, that link https://wiki.blender.org/wiki/Reference/Not_a_bug also explains why it is not possible to to implement every inconsistency we might come across. > > I wanted to address this specifically. **The code for highlighting the entire object is already there**, ready to go. Just remove the part where it's dimming the colour from the themes panel for no good reason. The purpose of outlining selected and active objects is to see what we have selected, not to identify object types. Dimming a highlight color goes against that in every way. So please bring up this point. It's an outline highlight to help us old farts **see**. I'd go so far as to call it an accessibility issue as well. But there is specific code that separates instances from regular objects reg. outline color, so there is clearly an intention to differentiate these (and I do think this is helpful -- there is just some stuff for instances that makes them "less editable" which I think is communicated by this) That dimming could be made more subtle? And of course, it would be good to have selected vs. active for instances, too.

Russell commented

2020-09-21 19:10:28 +02:00

They're certainly less editable, but the outline color is there so I can see the objects to transform them and do stuff with them. Dimming a highlight colour negates the entire purpose of highlighting. When you have a scene with a hundred or more collection instances this is a big deal. I want the objects I've selected to be visible. That the code for dimming is already there is unfortunate but it's doing something completely counterproductive. Use it to put in another color. Make it a dashed outline. Just do something that makes it so I can still see what I've selected.

Philipp Oeser removed their assignment 2020-09-22 09:09:49 +02:00

Ryan Inch commented

2020-11-17 09:42:13 +01:00

Added subscriber: @Imaginer

Philipp Oeser changed title from ~~Outline color for collection instances is different~~ to Outline color for collection instances is different (dimming, also no indication for "Active")

2021-05-10 14:43:06 +02:00

Philipp Oeser commented

2021-05-10 14:44:57 +02:00

Added subscribers: @Vyach, @finirpar

fin commented

2021-05-12 21:09:22 +02:00

This problem cannot be depicted with cubes - it appears on massive scenes with lots of collection instances.
It is important to detect active collection instance properly there (at least because it is possible to use the active one as transformation pivot so it is important to detect which one from selected is active).

This problem cannot be depicted with cubes - it appears on massive scenes with lots of collection instances. It is important to detect active collection instance properly there (at least because it is possible to use the active one as transformation pivot so it is important to detect which one from selected is active).

blender-admin commented

2021-11-09 17:12:05 +01:00

This issue was referenced by aa13c4b386

This issue was referenced by aa13c4b386b1311162e74378ad864a51b2f1b7af

Hans Goudey commented

2021-11-09 17:15:12 +01:00

Changed status from 'Needs Developer To Reproduce' to: 'Resolved'

Hans Goudey closed this issue

2021-11-09 17:15:12 +01:00

Hans Goudey self-assigned this 2021-11-09 17:15:12 +01:00

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Outline color for collection instances is different (dimming, also no indication for "Active") #81010