Set hatch to ignore certain (anything)???

[peterjwinberg]

Wondering if hatch can be set to ignore predetermined properties or objects, like a certain layer (Defpoints for example) or certain colors, linetypes, etc., or even an xref.

When drawing 2D elevations of a house I like to have my section/structural linework in the background, so when I hatch an area I need to temporarily move, turn off or freeze the background content. Honestly not that big of a problem, but if there's a way to setup hatch to ignore a layer then it would save me a little time.

Thanks!

[imadHabash]

Hi,

if i understand you right, you can specify a default layer for new hatches and fills by HPLAYER  system variable.

[peterjwinberg]

I believe HPLAYER controls which layer the hatch ends up being on. That is not what I asked about.

I want the hatch field/boundary to ignore objects based on a predetermination.

For example, let's say you have a roof truss profile that shows all the chords running this way and that. You want to draw a new exterior elevation based on this profile. You put the profile on Defpoints so it won't print, and draw your elevation around the profile. You want to keep the profile "in the background" for future reference. You run hatch so you can fill the elevation with siding. You need to select all the areas within the truss profile components (dozens?). I want hatch to be programmed to ignore Defpoints layer so I can pick one field.

Moving, turning off, or freezing Defpoints (in this example) would also work, and that's fine. But I would save lots of time in the long run if I could setup hatch to ignore certain things. Just an idea!

[WarrenGeissler]

In the hatch command you can type "DE" to go into boundary object selection mode. There might be a command syntax or programmatic way to perform a non-inclusive selection.

[Kent1Cooper · Accepted solution]

If selecting boundary objects, rather than picking inside areas, is workable as @WarrenGeissler suggests, you don't have to type anything to get into that mode -- just go for this:

But I don't know of a way to have it ignore things in picking-in-areas mode, except for one cockamamie work-around.  I think it's bad practice to use the Defpoints Layer for things that are not Dimension Definition Points [that's what it's for] but that you simply don't want to plot -- make yourself a non-plotting Layer named for whatever the purpose is.  But if you're going to use Defpoints in that way even if it's a bad idea, then if you turn off or freeze Layer 0, things on Defpoints will still be visible, but they cannot be selected, nor Osnapped to [quirks that I've known about for years], and also, Hatch pick-in-areas mode ignores them  [which I didn't know, but found to be the case in experimenting].

EDIT:  No, wait!  In limited circumstances you can do it.  Set the cumbersomely-named HPISLANDDETECTIONMODE System Variable to 0, and when you pick in an area, it will find the outermost perimeter bounding it, and ignore any other stuff inside that area.  For instance, pick within the width of an outer chord member in your roof truss profile, and all the web-member internal stuff will be ignored.  This used to be easier, by a setting in the Hatch dialog box, but that seems to have disappeared.  But in the command-line -HATCH command, there's an Island detection option.  And in the ribbon-based Hatch command, if you pull down the Options thingie, Island detection is in there [use the "No" or "Ignore" item below -- I'm not sure what the difference is]:

EDIT:EEEEEEEE

[peterjwinberg]

Well, that is the result I'm looking for, thanks Kent!

Selecting a boundary object would work in some cases, but most often there's a window or some other feature (in the case of exterior elevations) that would have to be trimmed out, so I wouldn't accept this as any easier than what I'm already doing.

I should take your suggestion in creating a no-plot layer, but you know what they say about old habits 🙂 Ha.

Obviously AutoCAD already has the ability to do what I want (even if it's by accident), so I wonder how much of a jump it is to add this sort of feature to the hatch settings.

Thanks guys!

[Kent1Cooper]

[I suspect Post 6 went up while I was doing the "No, wait!" Edit of Post 5, which may suit you even better.]

[peterjwinberg]

Thanks again!

[nrz13]

Here's the method I use, which is not what you're asking for but may still achieve your desired outcome (it usually works well for me):

1) Select the layer(s) you want to hatch (Elevation layer, for instance)
2) Select or enter the LAYISO command to isolate just that layer or layers (Structural, Xref, etc. layers are then turned off temporarily)
3) Place your hatch in the desired elevation area
4) Select or enter the LAYUNISO command to restore the layers you just isolated

Note that you can select multiple layers to retain, so if you had Elevation and Windows, let's say, and you wanted to hatch around the windows within the wall areas, then you could select both of those layers before initiating the LAYISO command.

If you do this a lot like I do, make a custom alias (keyboard shortcut) for both LAYISO and LAYUNISO so you can fire it off quickly while you draft.

[peterjwinberg]

Very useful info, thank you!

[DSJcabinets]

You can just use leaders as a guidelines not a multileader just type in leader / and you can put it on depoints layer if you want to so it won't print the hatch will ignore it but you can snap to it