AutoCAD Tips & Tutorials

AutoCAD Tutorial: Create a gradient fill

Gradients are a great way to easily make a 2D drawing look like a presentation drawing done in Photoshop or Illustrator. AutoCAD offers one- or two-color gradients and lots of variations.

Here are the steps to create a gradient:

1. On the Draw toolbar, choose Gradient. (In 2009, choose Home tab> Draw panel (expanded)> Gradient.) The Hatch and Gradient dialog box opens with the Gradient tab on top.

2. Choose One Color or Two Color. If you choose One Color, click the ellipsis button to choose a color and click OK. Then use the slider on the right to adjust the Shade/Tint slide. This lets you create a gradient that gradates to black or white. If you choose Two Color, select the second color in the same way that you chose the first one.
3. Choose one of the 9 gradient types.
4. By default, the gradients are centered. You can uncenter them by unchecking the Centered check box. You'll see the center in the 9 thumbnails move.
5. You can change the angle of the gradient using the Angle drop-down list. Again, watch the thumbnails to see the results.
6. To let AutoCAD calculate a closed area, choose the Add Pick Points button. To select a closed object, choose the Add Select Objects button. You'll be back in your drawing. Either click inside a closed area or select an object, depending on the method you chose.
7. Right-click and choose Preview from the shortcut menu.
8. Ribht-click to accept the hatch. Press Enter or Esc to return to the dialog box.

Here's a sample car, all filled with gradients.

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