Hatch

Last updated: 2023-01-04

Total video time: 15:15

A Hatch is an object that fills in a bounded area and displays either a Solid, Pattern, or Gradient. The display of the Hatch can be affected by setting a hatch scale, rotation, color (typically ByLayer), and/or transparency. The origin of the Hatch pattern can be reset so that it displays appropriately depending on the shape of the area filled, the hatch rotation, and the hatch scale.

There are also options to associate the Hatch with a boundary object such as a Polyline, so that a change to the boundary object will affect the Hatch accordingly such as with a Move, Scale or Rotate command. A Hatch object can be made Annotative so that the scale of the drawing dictates the scale of the Hatch. There are several additional Hatch options such as Match Properties and Separate Hatches that affect the way a Hatch is defined.

Warning: Having a large number of Hatch objects can significantly reduce drawing performance and stability. This is especially true if Hatch transparency and/or associative hatches are used.

Info: Many of the desired effects of a Hatch object are handled by Styles when working with Civil 3D objects (i.e. Surface, Pipe Network, or Corridor objects). This has the benefit of the "hatched" area of the Civil 3D object being created automatically as part of the object, being dynamically linked to the object, and being turned on/off at any time by editing Style display settings.

Exercise files: acad-data-c3d20.zip

Start with acad-htch-begin.dwg

acad-htch-01.mp4 7:11

Hatch creation

  1. Open acad-htch-begin.dwg
  2. Zoom and Pan to SECTION A-A detail

  3. Ribbon > Home tab > Draw panel > Hatch

  1. Hatch Pick internal point or: leave default to pick internal point
    1. Or, if necessary, Hatch Select objects or: pick internal point
    2. Move cursor inside area bounded by Lines representing 4" ASPHALTIC CONCRETE

    3. Observe Hatch preview

    4. Left-click to place Hatch
    5. enter

    1. Select previously created Hatch
      1. delete
  2. Ribbon > Home tab > Draw panel > Hatch

    1. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Boundaries panel > Select

    2. Or, if necessary, Hatch Select objects or: pick internal point
    3. Select individual Lines bounding SECTION A-A PAVEMENT area

      1. enter

    4. Select previously created Hatch
      1. delete
  3. Select individual Lines bounding SECTION A-A PAVEMENT area
    1. j enter
  4. Ribbon > Home tab > Draw panel > Hatch
    1. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Boundaries panel > Select
    2. Select single Polyline bounding SECTION A-A PAVEMENT area
      1. enter
  5. Ribbon > Home tab > Draw panel > Hatch
    1. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Pattern panel > ANSI31
    2. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Boundaries panel > Pick Points
    3. Left-click inside Lines bounding both SECTION A-A TOPSOIL areas

      1. enter

  6. Ribbon > Home tab > Draw panel > Polyline

    1. Use Endpoint Osnap to pick vertices bounding SECTION A-A 10" CRUSHED AGGREGATE BASE COURSE area

Tip: It may be necessary to create a Polyline to help with Hatch creation if existing linework does not get you the results you are after. You can delete the Polyline afterward if desired and still retain the Hatch.

Pattern & Properties

Use the Pattern panel flyout found on the Hatch contextual tab to choose from the available Patterns. Use the Properties panel to set fill type (Pattern, Solid, or Gradient), scale, rotation angle, and transparency. A Hatch scale will work in combination with the drawing scale if the Hatch is set to be annotative (see Associative & Annotative section).

  1. Ribbon > Home tab > Draw panel > Hatch
    1. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Pattern panel > ANGLE
    2. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Boundaries panel > Select
      1. Select Polyline bounding SECTION A-A 10" CRUSHED AGGREGATE BASE COURSE area
        1. enter
      2. Select Polyline bounding SECTION A-A 10" CRUSHED AGGREGATE BASE COURSE area
        1. delete
  2. Select previously created TOPSOIL Hatch
    1. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Properties panel
      1. Hatch pattern scale = 10
    2. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Pattern panel flyout
      1. Patten = AR-SAND

Start with acad-htch-01.dwg

acad-htch-02.mp4 5:04

Associative Boundaries

A Hatch is an independent object. As such, it does not depend on the presence of a boundary object in order to be retained after it is first generated. If desired, however, a Region or Polyline boundary can be created to aid in moving or retaining the original shape of a Hatch. For example, a Polyline boundary provides basepoint grips when performing a Move command on a Hatch. A Region will retain the original shape of the Hatch in the event the Hatch needs to be rebuilt. In order for the Hatch to move with or respond to edit to the boundary, the boundary must be made associative.

  1. Open acad-htch-01.dwg
  2. Zoom and Pan to left side of SECTION B-B detail
  3. Select Hatch representing PAVEMENT section
    1. M enter

      1. Select basepoint and second points

        1. Observe lack of Hatch boundary

  4. Select Hatch
    1. Observe available grips
    2. M enter
      1. Observe lack of grips during Move command
      2. esc
  5. Ctrl+z to undo initial Move
  6. Select Hatch
    1. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Boundaries panel > Recreate
      1. Enter type of boundary object: Polyline
        1. enter
      2. Associate hatch with new boundary? Y
        1. enter
    2. esc
  7. Select Hatch boundary Polyline
    1. M enter
      1. Select basepoint and second point
      2. Observe Hatch association with Polyline
  8. Select Hatch boundary Polyline
    1. M enter
      1. Use Endpoint Osnap to move Polyline back to original location

Annotative

Annotative scaling is used to dynamically set an annotative object's displayed scale based on the current drawing scale. It can also be used control visibility of annotative objects based on inclusion of scales in an object's annotative scales list. The end goal here is to display objects at the correct scale when plotting layouts. More detail on annotative scaling in general can be found in the training module dedicated to the topic. This section will walk you through making a Hatch annotative and managing the annotative scales list. You will also see how the Hatch pattern scale is different from a Hatch annotative scale, and how the two can work together.

  1. Continue working in acad-htch-01.dwg
  2. Select Hatch representing PAVEMENT section on left side of SECTION B-B detail
    1. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Properties panel
      1. Observe Hatch pattern scale = 5.0000
    2. Properties palette > Pattern dropdown

      1. Annotative = Yes

    1. Observe Hatch pattern displayed scale change

    2. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Properties panel

      1. Hatch pattern scale: 0.5

  3. Status bar > Current drawing scale flyout
    1. Select 1 IN:5 FT
    2. Observe no change in Hatch pattern displayed scale
  4. Status bar > Current drawing scale flyout
    1. Select 1 IN: 10 FT
  5. Select Hatch representing PAVEMENT section on left side of SECTION B-B detail
    1. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Properties panel
      1. Pattern dropdown > Annotative scale > dialog box icon
        1. Annotation Object Scale dialog
          1.  Add...
            1. Add Scales to Object dialog
              1. 1 IN:5 FT

              2. OK

  6. Status bar > Current drawing scale flyout
    1. Select 1 IN:5 FT
    2. Observe change in Hatch pattern displayed scale

Continue with acad-htch-01.dwg

acad-htch-03.mp4 3:00

Match Properties

Use the Match Properties button found on the Hatch contextual tab to push pattern, color, transparency, and Hatch pattern scale from a source to destination Hatch. This saves you time if you need to update multiple Hatches to have similar Hatch properties.

  1. Continue working in acad-htch-01.dwg
    1. Select PAVED SHOULDER Hatch on left side of SECTION B-B detail
    2. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Options panel > Match Properties

      1. Select FINISHED SHOULDER as source Hatch

Separate Hatches

You can set your Hatch creation options so that picking multiple bounded areas while in a single Hatch command creates either a single Hatch throughout all bounded areas or individual Hatch objects for each bounded area. You can also break an existing single Hatch that covers multiple bounded areas into separate Hatch objects for each bounded area.

  1. Continue working in acad-htch-01.dwg
    1. Zoom and Pan to PLAN VIEW detail
    2. Ribbon > Home tab > Draw panel > Hatch
      1. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Options flyout
        1. Hatch and Gradient dialog

          1. Create separate hatches = unchecked

      2. Pick internal points in the three bounded areas along top of PLAN VIEW detail
        1. enter
        2. Observe a single Hatch object created that covers all three bounded areas
    3. Ribbon > Home tab > Draw panel > Hatch
      1. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Options flyout
        1. Hatch and Gradient dialog
          1. Create separate hatches = checked
      2. Pick internal points in the MEDIAN SHOULDER and median crossover areas through center of PLAN VIEW detail
        1. enter
        2. Observe multiple Hatch objects created for the bounded areas
    4. Select Hatch created in step 1.B
      1. Ribbon > Hatch contextual tab > Options dropdown > Separate Hatches

      2. Observe single Hatch split into multiple Hatches