Hatch patterns

Hatch patterns

With the 'Hatch input' you can enter both hatch patterns and filled areas.

For several settings there is the option 'FROM LAYER'. This means that this setting should be adopted from the layer to which the hatch belongs.

The following settings can be made for the input:

Preferred layer for automatic hatching: When storing different plans (e.g., floor plan, rafter-purlin plan, section plan), hatch patterns can be generated automatically. For these hatch patterns you can set here on which layer they should be placed. There are different options for this:

Fixed name: Any fixed layer can be chosen onto which all automatic hatch patterns will be placed.

#like object lines#: With this option the automatic hatch patterns are placed on the same layer as the lines of the hatched objects. Thus the hatch of a hatched rafter (located on the 'Rafter' layer) would also be placed on the 'Rafter' layer.

#like object lines#_Hatch: With this option the automatic hatch patterns are placed on their own layers, which are derived from the layers of the hatched objects. Thus the hatch of a hatched rafter (located on the 'Rafter' layer) would be placed on the 'Rafter_Hatch' layer.

Scale-dependent hatch settings:

A hatch setting can have any number of scale-dependent settings. With the large button you switch from one scale setting to the next. In the first setting the scale field is deactivated and the value 0 is entered. This means that this setting is used from scale 1:0 onward. As soon as you advance a setting with the switch, you can enter a scale from which another setting should be used.

Depending on the scale of the plan window in which the hatch is inserted, the respective setting is used. If you change the scale afterwards, the setting also adapts to the new scale. Depending on the scale the following options can be set:

Angle of the hatch: For some hatch patterns an angle can be entered. How the angle is measured can be seen in the reference image. For the other hatch patterns this field is locked.

Dimension on paper: The dimension is defined differently for each hatch pattern. This is best seen from the reference images. The value is specified in the unit set in the program (see status line, bottom right).

For the insulation hatch and the sealing hatch there is a peculiarity. Here the spacing indicated in the reference image can be entered or an automatic mode can be enabled. With the spacing "0.000" the program automatically calculates the spacing as 1/5 of the hatch height. This way the hatch always fits into the hatched area and looks appropriate regardless of the hatch height. If one wants to influence the automatically calculated height more precisely, the divisor can be entered manually. To do this enter the divisor as a negative number. Example: A value of -6 produces a spacing A equal to 1/6 of the hatch height. The smallest possible divisor is -4.2, since smaller values would lead to visually unappealing results (the circles would already overlap).

Line weight: Hatch patterns can have arbitrary line weights. Whether the set line weight is displayed on the screen depends on the setting under 'File -- Settings -- General'. On the printout (printer, inkjet plotter) the line weight is visible in any case.

Color set for hatch: The color in which the hatch or the color fill should be displayed on screen and on paper. With the switch at the right edge of the field you navigate to the dialog box where you can define custom color sets.

With the drop-down list before the color selection you can determine whether the primary color of the color set or the pale fill color should be used. For example, the color set 'red' has a strong color for lines (the first two colors in the color set) and a pale fill color.

Color set for background: Each hatch can contain a background color that lies behind the hatch lines like a fill. Here, too, either the primary color (the first two colors in the color set) or the pale fill color can be chosen.

Adopt color of component for automatic hatching: As with the preferred layers for automatic hatches (see above) you can make a special setting for the colors of the hatch and the fill. If this switch is enabled, then the color of the hatched component is used for the automatically generated hatch patterns instead of the hatch color set above.

Detect islands automatically with 'Interior point': With the interior point function the contours of a hatch are analyzed automatically. Within such a determined contour there may be further contours. If these are closed they are called islands. With this option you can set whether these islands should be considered or not. If they are considered (detected), the hatch omits these islands. Otherwise the hatch runs over these islands as if they did not exist.

Interior point: With the input function 'Interior point' you click with the mouse into the area to be hatched or filled. The program attempts to recognize the outer contour automatically. The found contour is displayed and after confirmation the hatch or fill is generated.

Contour: With the 'Contour' switch you can enter any contour with the mouse. All input and snap functions are available for this.

Change hatch

With the 'Change hatch' function you can modify all settings of an existing hatch that you made when creating the hatch.

Central elements of the dialog are the five buttons 'Ok', 'Interior point (ignore islands)', 'Interior point (detect islands)', 'Contour' and 'Cancel'. During hatch input the 'Ok' button is deactivated.

If you call the function '02-02 Change' you can also redefine or automatically re-determine the contour of an existing hatch using 'Interior point (ignore islands)', 'Interior point (detect islands)' and 'Contour'. A hatch can thus be quickly adapted to changed conditions. The basic procedures are analogous to those for entering hatch patterns. If the dialog is exited with 'Ok', only the changes made to the hatch setting are adopted and there is no re-determination of the hatch polygon.

New with version 24 is the ability to change or replace individual segments or individual points of a hatch polygon. The functions 'Move line', 'Replace line', 'Move point' and 'Delete point' can be called via the menu under '02-03 Edit contour' or the context menu of a hatch. The procedures correspond in principle and application to other already known procedures for modifying polygon chains (see polylines or Edit reference polygon slab). The new functions can be applied to elements of the hatch polygon and also to elements of the island polygons. Circles, circular segments, ellipses and elliptical segments as well as individual start and end points of segments of these objects cannot be changed or adapted.

Delete hatch

The hatch patterns and color fills can be deleted graphically.