The problem with pre-selection is that a lot of people don’t like it, because is a lot of visual noise. So, it’s a solution for a minority that prefer it.
Seriously man, which world are you living? Pre-selection highlighting is one of the most loved features of 3D apps. Literally every 3D app has that, only Blender doesn’t.
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Yeah, in my last work only one worker left it activated, when I asked the reason he told “I don’t know how to remove this shit”
The real difference between blender and other applications, especially if we talk about 3dsmax, is that blender is very predictable when selecting components, except maybe when you are with some very messy mesh in wireframe mode. It is very difficult to make a mistake when you are selecting, but for example in 3dsmax select a simple vertex is a headache.
I am not saying that we should not have blender this, although I see it unnecessary, if not that it is not a real solution because many people do not use it.
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In that example that is the area where the modeler probably its going to work or evaluate, the head arms legs and tail need a bigger screen or a closer look, and this is both with or without face dots.
That area (the head) at that distance even when the mesh its probably clean its simply not readable or something that a modeler can easily work with.
I was going to add more but @Alberto @zebus3d and @JuanGea basically resume all about this argument, its just a circumstantial waste of time, in this particular subject “on and off” overlays or theme preferences solves the problem.
̶I̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶e̶r̶r̶o̶r̶,̶ ̶p̶l̶e̶a̶s̶e̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶’̶t̶ ̶f̶i̶x̶ ̶i̶t̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶k̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶b̶e̶h̶a̶v̶i̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶p̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶o̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶r̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶a̶c̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶d̶e̶l̶,̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶e̶d̶i̶t̶ ̶m̶o̶d̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶o̶i̶n̶t̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶’̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶e̶a̶s̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶c̶l̶i̶c̶k̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶p̶o̶i̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶e̶l̶e̶c̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶e̶c̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶n̶g̶e̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶f̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶v̶e̶r̶t̶e̶x̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶e̶v̶a̶l̶u̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶f̶i̶x̶ ̶i̶t̶
I have been testing this particular example and it works really different than in other models that i worked on, in this particular exmple yes its really broken, maybe more related to the way that dots are drawn but yep it doesn’t work.
Actually in the version that i have from 2.8 also its not working xray in edit mode so could also be my build.
at lest on and off solves the problem until a new draw method its added to blender but probably that its a totally different topic that its not talked or coded or relevant here.
Please devs, put that face dot back on. The poll is showing what Blender users want. We are not asking other App members how they want Blender to look like, we are asking Blender users. We, the people that use the App almost everyday (i have been busy lately) are making the decision for our own App.
Btw @ideasman42 when the poll will close?
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Just go to the overlays and enable it.
Seriously? 
The opinion that face dots are clutter for dense meshes, could also be argued about those thick lines for edge mode. If everything were to be optional, including those horrible thick lines, I wouldn’t mind whatever defaults you guys choose.
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I like the face dots but feel they need to be drawn in a separate pass for non occluded faces so the are visible independent of mesh topology. They are hard to read or sometimes even invisible using the face centered cubes drawn in the same pass as the mesh surface which seems to be how it’s done now. I agree that I could live with either option as long as we get the ability to turn off the thick edges.
an autoscaling of the dimension of the dots would be enough to disappear as the geometry becomes more dense, or the object is distanced from the visual …
it does not make much sense to have the dots if the geometry from afar is so dense that I can not distinguish between selecting a “dot” or its polygonal edge …
this would be a polish job … and a nice little trick
try to imagine this example with scaled dots, where in the large face geometries the dots are thicker, and in the smaller geometries the dots have disappeared or almost …
dynamically, when we zoom on the smallest faces geometries, the dots are sized to the point of making a useful visual information .
I’m not sure … but maybe this similar feature could also work for the edge and vertex size …
and perhaps it would give a sense of depth to all the geometry
obviously if it would not be wasteful at the level of performance …
@fclem what do you think about it?
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While working with Blender I got used to the visual changes on the mesh to depict the mode I was editing in, but there are other apps like LightWave, Maya and Modo… that tell the user what mode they are in by changing the cursor or icon next to the cursor. Just as effective and doesn’t have to redraw the entire mesh, keeps things visually clean. Personally I just turn on the dots, as it was getting hard to tell when I went from edge to face mode.
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Obviously, preselection is total faillure.
It is very poor design movement, when something jiggling on the model when you moving mouse across it. Look, how miserable it is looks on GIF from maya.
Much jiggling, no sense))
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Okay, as professional baroque modeller, that deals with most dense meshes possible, I will explain why dots are do not interfere.
Because when you are working with faces, you, actually, working with faces.
You are selecting them, modifying them, extruding, etc.
You entering mode most comfortable to view and edit faces.
Single point clearly shows where is it’s face’s median point - and this is essential for modifying them around their centers, and detecting ngons.
Also - it clearly shows faces mode, because if you entered faces mode, you, actually enter there to edit faces and nothing more.
If you want to view clean shape of object for composition or viewing actual topology, you are exiting edit or going to edge mode.
That’s how simple it is at complex organic/architectural modeling level.
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That means, that modifier’s display mode simply is not ready yet, or broken (2.79 has got no such issue)
Also - manifold dinosaur toy?
Please, let’s take something from real daily work.
When you, actually, have to select faces through your model.
Anyone want to do this without dots? Anyone want to try some funny preselect on this?))
I guess, no one wants to suffer.
Please, let’s be delicate with face dots, as far as they were designed by wise man,
and are needed for serious work.
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The dots are useful not only for visual feedback of the mode. With a dense mesh it helps you determine centres of polygons and their position precisely. Without the dots it becomes one huge mess of edges.
Current state is that the dots are visible in xray mode which is clever, but they are very helpful in solid mode as well. I’m for the dots by default, but the toggle option in the prefs.
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It seems, that moving to any side from default 2.7 visual style brings local problems, as everything there is interconnected by design, so it should be not as option in prefrences, but as behaviour selector, that will define mode+behaviour+appearance preset.
Actually, appearance style.
For example,
- default (face dots + thin edges + no preselect) like in 2.7
- and “style X”, sandbox, where abscense of facedots is compensated with pre-selection, and some design solution that differs such faces mode from edges mode.
Also, maybe, making there holding L to preselect select_linked_pick until L will not be released to select, Alt to preselect loop selection until will not be released to select, etc. (othervise preselect concept realization will be pretty much poor)
It is almost impossible to mix 2.7 behaviour solution with some new design without losses, given that it is a stable solution, that already works for most possible cases.
Please, don’t talk bullshit man, just don’t.
Why not go straight and scream “don’t change my blender”, huh?
Dammit.
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Oof… and what’s that supposed to mean? 
just thinking of polygons
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