Reproducing Alt-F2 run dialog effect (focus dialog box, dim and disable rest of desktop) in LinuxMint Cinnamon in other applications.
 

When I press Alt-F2 in Linux Mint Cinnamon, the run dialog appears and the rest of the desktop is dimmed and disabled until the run dialog is closed (by pressing esc or entering a command). Is there are technical name for this effect? Also, are there applications or windows environments that can create this effect for other apps/windows in general?
There are many other neat uses of this effect. One I can imagine is being able to press some keys and have a calendar or system information pop up. Or, maybe menus.