2004

422 | Chapter 17 Change Existing Objects
available resources. You can avoid this problem by imposing a limit on the
number of objects created by a single
HATCH or BHATCH command. If the
approximate number of objects needed for a particular hatch (considering
the boundary extents, pattern, and scale) exceeds the limit, AutoCAD dis-
plays a message indicating that the hatch scale is too small or that its dash
length is too short, and the hatch request is rejected. If this occurs, carefully
examine your hatch settings. The scale factor may be unreasonable and may
need to be adjusted.
The hatch object limit is set by the MaxHatch environment setting, which is
stored in the system registry. Its default value is 10000. You can change this
limit by setting the MaxHatch system registry variable using (setenv
”MaxHatch” “n”) where n is a number between 100 and 10000000 (ten
million).
Change an Existing Hatch Pattern Fill
You can modify the pattern properties, such as scale and hatch angle, of an
existing hatch, or you can choose a new pattern for it. You can also explode
a hatch pattern into its component objects.
Modify a Hatch Boundary
Hatch boundaries can be copied, moved, stretched, and so on. You can also
use grips to stretch, move, rotate, scale, and mirror hatch boundaries and
their associated hatches just as you do other objects. If the editing you do
maintains a closed boundary, an associative hatch is updated automatically.
If the editing produces an open boundary, the hatch loses any associativity
with the boundary and remains unchanged. Associativity may also be lost
during editing of a hatch boundary if the hatch pattern file is not available
at the time of editing.
Hatch associativity depends on whether you choose Associative in the
Boundary Hatch (
BHATCH) and Hatch Edit (HATCHEDIT) dialog boxes.
Nonassociative hatches are not updated when their original boundary is
changed. You can remove hatch associativity at any time, but once it is
removed for an existing hatch, it cannot be reestablished. The hatch must be
re-created to restore associativity.
Modify Solid-Filled Areas
Solid-filled areas can be represented by
■ Hatches (with a solid hatch pattern)
■ 2D solids
■ Gradient fills
■ Wide polylines or donuts