Create 2D View with Hatch from 3D Model - AutoCAD 2025

[araymondNYBG9]

Hello, I am currently using AutoCAD 2025.  I have a complex 3D model consisting of 3D Solids, Surfaces, and Regions. I want to create orthographic views that have solid hatch for the objects. I have tried both FLATSHOT and VIEWBASE followed by EXPORTLAYOUT, but these only provide the linework, not the hatching. The complexity of the model makes manually hatching from the linework prohibitively time-consuming (See screenshot of model below).

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, Andrew R.

@araymondNYBG9 Your post title was modified to add the product name and version and to increase findability - CGBenner

[paullimapa]

Any reason for not manually creating vports in a layout looking at the various orthographic views with the shademode type you want on?

[araymondNYBG9]

I want to use it as a block in multiple drawings, be able to quickly draft other objects around it in 2D, and not have the performance issues associated with rendering the 3D model.

[paullimapa]

If you're ok with breaking the link so that any future updates are not reflecting then you can plot the orthographic shaded view as an image file or as a pdf and attach that into your 2d drawing files.

[araymondNYBG9]

I'm okay to break the link, but I really want a hatch that I can work with.  I want to be able to have the hatch plot as white so that it can mask features partially obstructed by the tanks without needing to have the tanks shaded, and be able to set and change the color for them to plot without having to re-render the 3D model and export/import an image.

[paullimapa]

in that case back to using the linework version you may need to manually generate hatch areas so you can control where they appear

[pendean]

@araymondNYBG9 That's not "hatching" in your screenshot, that's a SHADEMODE setting you have turned on that is displaying the surfaces of your objects. Feel free to share your DWG file here for confirmation.

Just change your SHADEMODE setting to the output you prefer.

Yes it's going to be tough to hatch anything like that as a 2D linework, AutoCAD is not very good at complex hatching.

[imadHabash · Accepted solution]

Hi,

>> but these only provide the linework, not the hatching.

• Flatshot command creates a 2D representation of all 3D objects based on the current view.
• If you really want to get linework with hatch in AutoCAD, then you have to make sections through 3D objects by specific commands like VIEWSECTION or SECTIONPLANE.
•  AutoCAD will not provide any facade elevations with hatches.
•  AutoCAD doesn’t automatically fill facades with hatch — because elevations are projections, not cuts.

[araymondNYBG9]

So the feature I want does not exist in the current software, understood. Is there a process to submit this as a feature request to Autodesk?

[paullimapa]

This is a wish list forum you can post to but no guarantees Autodesk will respond:

https://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?1202-AutoCAD-Wish-List

[R_Tweed]

If your looking for easy and you are limited to Autocad Plain, there is another way to create your mask.  The "mask" below was created from your uploaded image modified using gimp.    There is also another thread that might be of some help that shows other steps to create a boundary for a hatch. <here> 

Another alternative would be to vectorize your image using inkscape,  save to pdf and import linework to generate your outline for your hatch.

[CGBenner]

@araymondNYBG9 

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