2011: How to improve performance in drawings containing hatches

Issue

You want to know how to improve performance in large, complex drawings containing hatches.

Solution

Here are a couple of the most common performance issues relating to hatches.

Performance Issues when Previewing

AutoCAD 2011 (and AutoCAD-based vertical products) default to showing a preview of hatches as you move the crosshairs over an enclosed area:

The automatic preview of hatches can cause performance issues in large, complex drawings.  You can disable this feature by setting the HPQUICKPREVIEW system variable to OFF.

Performance Issues when Selecting Hatches

When using very complex or dense hatch patterns, you may see your cursor freeze for several seconds when selecting the hatch pattern and again when deselecting the hatch pattern. This behavior is typically related to the hatch preview capabilities offered by the ribbon.

One workaround is to change to the AutoCAD Classic workspace (which, by default, does not use the ribbon) and restart AutoCAD in that mode. If your hatch patterns are extremely dense, another option would be to simplify the hatch pattern itself.

Performance Issues with Gradient Hatches

Sometimes the use of gradient hatches can cause noticable delays during zoom and pan. This is often related to having the grid display turned on. In these cases, turning off the grid can improve performance.