Modifying a Hatch Pattern

Modifying a Hatch Pattern
Like everything else in a project, a hatch pattern may eventually need to be changed in some way.
Hatch patterns are like blocks in that they act like single objects. You can explode a hatch pattern
to edit its individual lines. The Properties palette contains most of the settings you’ll need to make
changes to your hatch patterns. Perhaps the most direct way to edit a hatch pattern is to use the
Hatch Edit dialog box.

Editing Hatch Patterns from the Hatch Edit Dialog Box
Follow these steps to modify a hatch pattern by using the Hatch Edit dialog box:
1. Return to the Unit drawing by choosing Window  \directory path\Unit.dwg.
2. Press the Esc key to clear any grip selections that may be active from earlier exercises.
3. Double-click the hatch pattern in the kitchen to open the Hatch Edit dialog box. It’s the same
as the Hatch And Gradient dialog box.
TIP When you double-click a hatch pattern, you don’t get the typical Properties palette. Doubleclicking
complex objects such as text, blocks, attributes, and hatch patterns opens a dialog box in
which you can edit the object in a more direct way. You can still access the Properties palette for
any object by right-clicking the object and choosing Properties from the shortcut menu.
4. Click the ellipsis button to the right of the Pattern drop-down list to open the Hatch Pattern
Palette dialog box at the Other Predefined tab.


5. Locate and double-click the pattern named AR-BRSTD. It’s the pattern that looks like a brick
wall. The Hatch Pattern Palette dialog box closes, and you see the AR-BRSTD hatch pattern
in the Swatch field.
6. Click OK to accept the change to the hatch pattern. The AR-BRSTD pattern appears in place
of the original parquet pattern.
7. Exit and save your file.
In this exercise, you were able to change the hatch just by double-clicking it. Although you
changed only the pattern type, other options are available. You can, for example, modify a predefined
pattern to a user-defined one by selecting User Defined from the Type listing in the Hatch
Edit dialog box.



You can then enter angle and spacing values for your hatch pattern in the spaces provided in the
Hatch Edit dialog box.
The other items in the Hatch Edit dialog box duplicate some of the options in the Hatch And
Gradient dialog box. They let you modify the individual properties of the selected hatch pattern.
The upcoming section “Understanding the Boundary Hatch Options” describes these other properties
in detail.
If you create and edit hatch patterns frequently, you’ll find the Modify II toolbar useful. It
contains an Edit Hatch tool that gives you ready access to the Hatch Edit dialog box. To open the
Modify II toolbar, right-click any toolbar, and then click Modify II in the pop-up menu.