How to Use Annotative Hatches and Gradient Fills in BricsCAD

Quick answer: HPANNOTATIVE controls whether new hatch or gradient entities are annotative, off by default. It isn’t saved between sessions, resetting to off every time BricsCAD closes, the same session-reset pattern seen with POLYSIDES and DONUTID on this hub’s Polygons and Donuts pages.

Setting HPANNOTATIVE

Any of three ways: in the Settings dialog under Drafting > Entity Creation > Hatches; by ticking the Annotative option in the Hatch and Gradient dialog (the same checkbox covered on this hub’s hatches page); or by choosing the Annotative option at the Command line prompt of -HATCH.

Making a Hatch or Gradient Fill Annotative

1. Select the hatch or gradient fill; its properties appear in the Properties panel.
2. Select the Annotative property.
3. Choose Yes; the current annotation scale applies, and the hatch scales accordingly right away.

Worth noting the contrast: unlike annotative text, which doesn’t visually change size the moment you toggle the property on, a hatch or gradient fill actually rescales immediately.

Removing the Annotative Property

1. Select the hatch or gradient fill; its properties appear in the Properties panel.
2. Select the Annotative property.
3. Choose No.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does HPANNOTATIVE stay on if I close and reopen BricsCAD? No, it isn’t saved between sessions and resets to off every time.

Does a hatch visually change size the moment I make it annotative? Yes, it scales to match the current annotation scale immediately, unlike annotative text, which only sets the model height without an immediate visual change.

Where’s the quickest place to toggle HPANNOTATIVE while creating a hatch? The Annotative checkbox right in the Hatch and Gradient dialog, no need to open Settings separately.

Can I make an existing, non-annotative hatch annotative after the fact? Yes, select it and set its Annotative property to Yes in the Properties panel.