User Guide
User Guide
User Guide

Hatch Area

Use it!

Used to hatch an area. Elements used to define the area to be hatched can be in the active model, or in references. Where associative patterning is used, any modification to elements defining the hatched area results in an equivalent update to the hatching.

Tool SettingEffect
Icon bar

Determines the area that is hatched.

  • Element
    • — The interior of a shape , ellipse , or closed B-spline curve; or between components of a multi-line.
    see footnote 53
  • Flood
    • — The (minimum) area enclosed by a set of elements (something like the flood fill tool common in painting programs). With method set to Flood, a Show Extended Information icon appears in the lower right corner of the tool settings window. Clicking this icon expands the tool settings to display further controls.
  • Points
    • — An area defined by a series of data points, each of which defines a vertex.
  • Fence
    • — The area inside the fence.
Spacing

Sets the interval between hatching lines.

Angle

Sets the angle at which hatching lines are drawn. By default, the angle is relative to the view being used. Where AccuDraw is active, however, the angle is relative to the AccuDraw drawing plane.

Tolerance

Maximum distance between curved element and approximating line segments used to pattern.

Associative Pattern

If on, hatching is associated with hatched geometry.

  • If Method is set to Element, the hatching is associated with the hatched element and is automatically updated when the hatched element is manipulated or modified.

  • If Method is set to Intersection, Union, or Difference, a complex shape that bounds the hatched area is created, and the hatching is associated with the complex shape. The hatching and the complex shape are automatically updated when the original element(s), used to create the complex shape, are modified or manipulated, only if Associative Region Boundary is also on.
    see footnote 57

Associative Region Boundary

(Associative Pattern on only) If on, hatching can be placed on a level other than the level of the hatched element. If the Method is Intersection, Union, Difference, or Flood, a complex shape that bounds the hatched area is created, and the hatching is associated to the complex shape. If you move or modify the original element(s), used to create the complex shape, the complex shape is updated, along with the hatching.

Snappable Pattern

If on, hatching lines can be snapped to. If off, hatching lines do not interfere with snapping to other elements.

Locate Interior Shapes

(Method set to Flood only) If on, all closed elements (regardless of their Area attributes) inside the selected area are avoided when the area is hatched.

Locate Text

(Method set to Flood only) If on, any text or dimension text inside or overlapping the selected area is avoided when the area is hatched.

Dynamic Area

(Method set to Flood only) If on, the area to be hatched displays dynamically as you move the screen pointer over the shapes.

Alternating Area

(Method set to Flood only, with Locate Interior Shapes on and Dynamic Area off) If on, alternating areas are hatched where shapes are nested inside one another.

Max(imum) Gap

(Method set to Flood only) The maximum distance, in working units, between the endpoints of enclosing elements.

Search For Holes

When creating a non-associative pattern, you can ignore hole elements or search for hole elements on the same level as the element to pattern, or on all levels displayed in the view.

Use Element Symbology

If on, a pattern is created using the active color, weight, and style of the element being patterned.

To hatch the area inside a closed element
  1. Select the element.

  2. Select the Hatch Area tool.

  3. Set Method to Element.

  4. Enter a data point to define a point through which a hatch line must pass.
    Elements that are inside the selected element and have the Area attribute Hole are hatched as follows:

    If Associative Pattern is

    Then Hole elements inside selected element

    Off

    Are not hatched.

    On

    If they were grouped with the Solid element using the Group Holes tool, they are not hatched and the hatching is associated with the Hole elements as well as the Solid.

    Otherwise, the area enclosed by any other element inside the element, regardless of its Area attribute, is hatched, and no associations are made to it.

Alternative Method — To hatch the area inside a closed element
  1. Select the Hatch Area tool.

  2. Set Method to Element.

  3. Identify the element.

  4. Enter a data point to define a point through which a hatch line must pass.

    Hatching the area inside a closed element. Identify the element (1) and then enter a data point to define a point through which a hatch line must pass. “A” denotes the Active Pattern Angle. “S” denotes the Active Pattern Spacing.

      

To hatch the area between multi-line components
  1. Select the Hatch Area tool.

  2. Set Method to Element.

  3. Identify one component that is to be a boundary of the hatched area.

  4. Identify the other component that is to be a boundary of the hatched area.
    If Associative Pattern is off, this data point defines a point through which one of the hatch lines must pass.

  5. Reset.

    Hatching the area between multi-line components

      

To hatch the fenced area
  1. With the fence present, select the Hatch Area tool.

  2. Set Method to Fence.

  3. Enter a data point to define a point through which a hatch line must pass.

To hatch the intersection or union of closed elements
  1. Select the Hatch Area tool.

  2. In the Tool Settings window, set Method to Intersection or Union.

  3. Identify one element.

  4. Identify another element(s).
    As you accept each successive element, the edges that do not enclose the area to be hatched are hidden. The resulting area is highlighted.
    If the elements do not overlap, the following occurs, depending on the Method:

    Method

    If elements do not overlap, then

    Intersection

    “Elements do not intersect” is displayed in the status bar.

    Union

    All elements are hatched.

  5. After you accept the last element, Reset to finish (or select a different tool).
    The area is hatched. The final acceptance point defines a point through which a hatch line must pass.

    Identify one element (1) then another element (2), accept (3), then Reset to finish.

    Results with Method set to Intersection (left) and Union (right).

      

To hatch the difference between elements
  1. Select the Hatch Area tool.

  2. Set Method to Difference.
    If any elements are selected, they are de-selected.

  3. Identify the element from which to subtract.

  4. Identify the element(s) to subtract from the element that was identified in step 3.

  5. Accept the elements.
    The area to be hatched is displayed dynamically.

  6. Reset to finish.

    With Method set to Difference, identify the first element (1) and the element to subtract (2), then accept (3).

      

To hatch an area enclosed by bounding elements
  1. Select the Hatch Area tool.

  2. Set Method to Flood.

  3. (Optional) If you want the hatching to avoid closed elements, text or dimension text inside the selected area, or you want to view the hatch area dynamically, click Show Extended Information (lower right in the tool settings) and turn on Locate Interior Shapes, Locate Text, and/or Dynamic Area.

  4. Enter a data point in the area enclosed by the bounding elements. (To minimize the time required, zoom in to the area of interest or select the bounding elements.)
    The area to be patterned is displayed dynamically.
    If there are selected elements, only selected elements are considered as possible bounding elements. If no elements are selected, all elements in the view in which the data point is entered are considered.

  5. Accept the hatching.
    The area is hatched. If Locate Interior Shapes and Locate Text is on, any inside closed element (regardless of its Area attribute), text or dimension text is avoided. If Associative Pattern is on, the hatch lines are associated to a complex shape created from the bounding elements and the inside elements.

    Enter a data point inside the bounding elements (1). Accept the hatching (2).

    Results with Locate Text on (left) and Locate Interior Shapes on (right).

      

To hatch an area containing nested elements within the bounding elements
  1. Select the Hatch Area tool.

  2. Set Method to Flood.

  3. (Optional) Click Show Extended Information (lower right in the tool settings) and turn on Locate Interior Shapes, and Alternating Area.

  4. Enter a data point in the area enclosed by the bounding elements.
    The area to be patterned is displayed dynamically.

  5. Accept the hatching.
    The areas are hatched alternately. If Associative Pattern is on, the hatch lines are associated to a complex shape created from the bounding elements and the inside elements.

    Left: Enter a data point inside the bounding elements (1). Accept the hatching (2).

    Right: With Alternating Area on, alternating enclosed areas are hatched or left blank.

      

To hatch an area defined by data points
  1. Select the Hatch Area tool.

  2. Set Method to Points.

  3. Enter a data point to define each vertex of an imaginary shape that encloses the area.
    The imaginary shape is dynamically displayed.

  4. Reset to finish.

Key-in: HATCH [ICON | DIFFERENCE | ELEMENT | FENCE | FLOOD | INTERSECTION | POINTS | UNION]