AutoCAD® 2012 FOR DUMMIES®

Pushing the Boundary (of) Hatch

The remainder of this chapter shows you how to refine the techniques presented in the preceding section. I describe how to copy existing hatching, take advantage of the various options in the Hatch and Gradient dialog box (which offers a bit more control than the Hatch Creation contextual tab), and choose more complicated hatching boundaries.

Catch a hatch: Copying hatch properties

One slick way to hatch is by using the Match Properties button on the Options panel of the Hatch Creation tab, or the Inherit Properties button in the Hatch and Gradient dialog box, to copy hatch properties from an existing hatch object. Think of it as point-and-shoot hatching. If someone — such as you — added some hatching in the past that's just like what you want to use now, click the Inherit Properties or Match Properties button and pick the existing hatching.

Inherit Properties (Match Properties) updates the hatch pattern settings in the Hatch and Gradient dialog box to make them the same as the existing hatch pattern object that you picked. You can use the cloned hatch pattern specifications as they are or modify them by making changes in the Hatch and Gradient dialog box.

Consistency is a good thing in drafting, especially in computer-aided drafting, in which some or all your drawing may be used for a long time. Thus, it's good to use the same hatch patterns, scales, and angles for the same purposes in all your drawings. Find out whether your project, office, company, ...