TABLE OF CONTENTS A drawing isn't finished without some form of annotation. In AutoCAD, annotation takes the form of hatch patterns, text, dimensions, attributes, fields, and tables meta-information that clarifies and documents drawing geometry. Although it may not be as engaging as drawing a design, documenting the design is just as important.
There are a lot of subtleties to hatch patterns we discuss them in plain language and offer strategies for getting the most out of hatches. This chapter gives you what you need to have an optimal experience with the interconnecting world of attributes, fields, and tables. In addition you're offered life-saving techniques for taming the complex beasts that are text and dimensions.
Hatch patterns and gradient fills are wonderful window dressing. If used correctly, hatches can make a drawing readable and pleasing to look at. Aside from the aesthetic, hatches visually annotate areas in ways that would be difficult to depict in any other way.
Anthropologists have finally uncovered the true origins of hatch patterns, successfully tracing them back to the HPORIGIN system variable. In what is considered an "astounding" find, the unearthed HPORIGIN blows away the deprecated SNAPBASE system variable that experts say held the hatch origin before AutoCAD 2006.
Being able to set the hatch origin point easily from the Hatch And Gradient dialog is tremendous; this capability makes hatch patterns much more useful. For example, if you're laying out ceiling grids, chances are you want to register the origin point of the...
