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Creating complex entities - Adding hatching

Specifying a hatch pattern

A hatch pattern consists of a repeating pattern of lines, dashes, and dots. You can select a hatch pattern from a set of predefined patterns, or you can define a pattern of your own. The hatch pattern you used most recently is the default pattern the next time you add hatching.

The program supplies predefined standard hatch patterns, which are stored in the icad.pat and icadiso.pat hatch pattern library files. You can use other external hatch pattern libraries, such as an office standard library, customized patterns, and libraries available from vendors or standards organizations.

Note The icad.pat hatch pattern library files are ANSI (American National Standards Institute)-compliant patterns; the icadiso.pat hatch pattern library files are ISO (International Standards Organization)-compliant.
To specify a predefined hatch pattern
  1. Do one of the following:
  2. Choose Draw > Hatch.
  3. On the Draw toolbar, click the Hatch tool (
    4. ).
  • Type bhatch and then press Enter.
  • In Type list, click Predefined.

With Predefined, you can apply a scale factor to make the pattern larger or smaller than the default size.

  1. For Scale, enter the scale factor as a percentage of the default.
  2. For Angle, enter the angle of the pattern in degrees (1-360).
    The default angle is clockwise; you can change the angle of any hatch pattern by entering a numerical value.
  3. For ISO Pen Width, enter the pen width.

If you choose a predefined, ISO standard pattern, you can scale the pattern based on the ISO pen width.

  1. For the hatch origin choose an option:
  2. Use source hatch origin: use the current ucs origin.
  3. Specified origin: allows you to choose a new origin. You can click on the desired origin or choose an option from Default to boundary extens. You can also save the new origin selecting the option Store as default origin.
  4. To copy the pattern properties from an existing hatch, choose Inherit properties and select the hatch. If necessary, choose also a Draw order option.
  5. To associate the hatch pattern to its boundary entities, select the Associative check box. An associative hatch updates automatically if you move any of its boundaries.
  6. To continue, add a hatch by doing one of the following:
  7. Select the entities you want to add a hatch. For details, See Selecting entities for hatching.Begin with step 2.
  8. Select an area or boundary you want to add a hatch. For details, See Selecting areas for hatching.Begin with step 2.
To specify a user-defined hatch pattern
  1. Do one of the following:
  2. Choose Draw > Hatch.
  3. On the Draw toolbar, click the Hatch tool (
    4. ).
  • Type bhatch and then press Enter.
  • In the Type list, click User Defined.
  • For Spacing, enter the line spacing for the pattern.
  • To crosshatch the pattern, select Double check box. Cross-hatching imposes a copy of the specified user-defined pattern at a 90-degree angle over the first pattern you defined.
  • To copy the pattern properties from an existing hatch, choose Inherit Properties, select a hatch pattern from a hatched entity in the drawing. You can also choose if copy the current origin or leave the source hatch origin.
  • To associate the hatch pattern to its boundary entities, select the Associative check box. An associative hatch updates automatically if you move any of its boundaries.
  • To continue, add a hatch by doing one of the following:
  • Select the entities you want to add a hatch. For details, See Selecting entities for hatching.Begin with step 2.
  • Select an area or boundary you want to add a hatch. For details, See Selecting areas for hatching.Begin with step 2.
 
  1. Determines how the hatch will be defined.
  2. Determines density of hatching for Predefined hatch patterns.
  3. Sets angle of hatch in relation to entity (User Defined only).
  4. Imposes another copyof the specified pattern at a 90-degree angle over the first.
  5. Determines density of hatching for User Defined hatch patterns.
  1. Sets pen width for ISO-standard pattern.
  2. Sets the current ucs origin.
  3. allows you to choose a new origin.
  4. Select to update the hatch automatically if you move any of its boundaries.
  5. Select to copy an existing hatch pattern properties.
To use a predefined library pattern
  1. Do one of the following:
  2. Choose Draw > Hatch.
  3. On the Draw toolbar, click the Hatch tool (
    4. ).
  • Type bhatch and then press Enter.
  • From the Pattern item click on Select Pattern icon.
  • For Hatch File, select the icad.pat or icadiso.pat hatch pattern library file.
  • To select a predefined pattern, do one of the following:
  • In the Patterns list, click the pattern name.
  • Click the graphical representation of the hatch pattern.
  • To continue, add a hatch by doing one of the following:
  • Select the entities you want to add hatching. For details, See Selecting entities for hatching.Begin with step 2.
  • Select an area or boundary you want to add hatching. For details, See Selecting areas for hatching.Begin with step 2
    •  
    1. Hatch pattern library files.
    2. Hatch patterns listed by name.
    1. Hatch patterns shown graphically.
  • NOTE Hatch patterns are memory intensive and can take a considerable amount of time to draw and display. To improve performance, add hatching as one of the last steps when you create a drawing, or insert hatches on a separate layer that you can freeze as you continue to work on your drawing.