AutoCAD® 2011 and AutoCAD LT® 2011: No Experience Required

Chapter 11. Working with Hatches, Gradients, and Tool Palettes

Hatches can be abstract patterns of lines, they can be solid fills, or they can resemble the surfaces of various building materials. With a nearly endless number of combinations, hatches are incredibly versatile, and they provide a way to introduce depth and texture into otherwise flat plans. One way this is achieved is through the use of gradients, visual features that shift from one solid color to another over a specified distance. To give the appearance of texture to a drawing, an AutoCAD user can hatch in areas or fill them in with a solid color or gradient. Solid fills in a drawing can provide a shaded effect by screening a hatch using the new hatch transparency property. Also ...