AutoCAD

AutoCAD 2012
2012
and
and
AutoCAD
AutoCAD LT
LT 2012
2012
Essentials
Essentials
By Scott Onstott
Ch 8: Hatching

Types of Hatch Objects

Hatch objects can be filled with solid color, tiling

line patterns, or gradients
Line patterns can optionally include a solid
background color, making them hybrid solid/line
hatches
Gradients can fade from one color to a set
percentage of white (called tint) or you can
create two-color gradients that fade from one
specified color to another
There are a variety of gradient patterns that
fade linearly, cylindrically, or spherically
Gradients can fade from the center or off to one
side
Ch 8: Hatching

Island Detection Options

Islands are nested bounded areas

You have options on how to hatch nested
islands
Normal island detection alternates hatching
(hatch, no hatch, hatch, and so on) within
each nested boundary
Ignore island detection hatches all nested
boundaries as one
Outer island detection hatches only the
outermost hatch boundary, leaving all other
nested boundaries without hatching

Ch 8: Hatching

Associative Hatching

Associative is a toggle in the Hatch Creation tab of the ribbon that appears
when using the HATCH command
Associative hatches link the boundary object to the hatch itself so that the
extents of the hatch effect is controlled by the boundary object
Altering the shape of a boundary object automatically alters the extents of the
associated hatch effect

Ch 8: Hatching

Grayscale Colors

Colors 250-255 represent six

gradations of gray in Index color
You can choose any gray value when
using True Color
Index color is most often used in
AutoCAD because of its relative
simplicity (255 colors plus ByLayer or
ByBlock)

Ch 8: Hatching

Overriding Properties with Hatch

The HATCH and GRADIENT commands are unique in

their ability to override the following object properties:
Color, Transparency, and perhaps most surprisingly:
Layer
Objects are usually assigned to the current layer but
this is not necessarily the case with the HATCH and
GRADIENT commands
It doesnt matter which layer is current when you issue
the HATCH or GRADIENT commands

Ch 8: Hatching

Varying Transparency of Hatch Objects

By dragging the Transparency slider in the Properties

panel on the ribbons Hatch Creation tab, you have the
ability to control the relative opacity/darkness of hatch
objects
Transparent overlapping hatch objects blend
You must toggle on the Show/Hide Transparency button on
the status bar to see transparent effects in the drawing
canvas

Ch 8: Hatching

Creating Separate Hatches

Use the Create Separate Hatches toggle in the

expanded Options panel on the ribbons Hatch
Creation tab to break multiple bounded areas into
separate hatch objects
Before creating separate hatches it is more
efficient to style multiple bounded areas as a
single hatch object. When you are satisfied with
the pattern, scale, color, and so on, click Create
Separate Hatches to break the multiple bounded
areas into separate objects
Each hatch object can be edited independently

Ch 8: Hatching

Manually Setting the Hatch Origin

Click the Set Origin point to manually

select a point that the pattern begins from
Setting the origin is especially helpful with
ceramic floor tiles, acoustical ceiling
panels, and cross hatched mating parts

Ch 8: Hatching

Creating Gradient Hatches

Use the HATCH command and select a gradient in the Pattern

panel, or use the GRADIENT command
Gradients can fade from one color to white (i.e. blue to white), or
from one specified color to another (i.e. red to blue)
Click the button next to the Tint slider to toggle between 1-color and
2-color gradients
Adjust the Tint slider to adjust the amount of white mixed in 1-color
gradients

Ch 8: Hatching