Keeping the Drop Pattern setting off when you use the Hatch Area tool, Crosshatch Area tool, or Pattern Area tool, causes the pattern to be associated with the patterned element. This means that whenever the element is modified or manipulated, the pattern automatically is updated.

The Hatch Area and Crosshatch Area tools have a tool setting called Associative Pattern that, if on when a the hatching tool is active, causes the hatch lines to be associated with the element. This means that whenever the element is modified or manipulated, the patterned areas are automatically updated.

If an element that has an associated pattern is rotated or scaled, the associated pattern also is rotated or scaled.

Associative patterns can be created from:

• elements in the active DGN file
• elements in references, including nested reference and self-references
• a combination of elements from the active file and references

When any of the elements used to create the patterned area are modified, whether they be from the active file or a reference, the associated patterning updates also.