2004

Modify Compound Objects | 421
Explode Dimensions and Hatches
When you explode a dimension or a hatch, all associativity is lost and the
dimension or hatch object is replaced by individual objects such as lines,
text, points, and 2D solids.
Explode Polylines
When you explode a polyline, AutoCAD discards any associated width infor-
mation. The resulting lines and arcs follow the polyline's centerline. If you
explode a block that contains a polyline, you need to explode the polyline
separately. If you explode a donut, its width becomes 0.
Explode Block References
If you explode a block with attributes, the attribute values are lost, leaving
only the attribute definitions. The colors and linetypes of objects in exploded
block references can change. For more information about the properties of
block references, see Using Symbols (Blocks).
Explode External References
An external reference (xref) is a drawing file linked (or attached) to another
drawing. You cannot explode xrefs and their dependent blocks. For more
information about the properties of external references, see Reference Other
Drawing Files (Xrefs).
To explode an object
1 From the Modify menu, choose Explode.
2 Select the objects to be exploded.
For most objects, exploding has no visible effect.
Modify toolbar
Command line
EXPLODE
Modify Hatches and Solid-Filled Areas
You can modify both the pattern fill and the boundaries of hatches. You can
also modify solid-filled areas, but the method you use depends on whether
the solid-filled area is a solid-filled hatch, a 2D solid, or a wide polyline or
donut.
Control Hatch Pattern Density
Hatching can produce a very large number of line and point objects.
Although stored as hatch objects, these line and point objects do use disk
space and take time to generate. If you use a relatively small scale factor when
hatching an area, the hatch could require millions of line and point objects,
thus taking a very long time to complete and possibly exhausting the