Same hatch's appearance differs between dwg files

Tom Foster

Any ideas why in one dwg file a Solid hatch of color 253 (medium grey) looks quite strong in modelspace and in paperspace viewport, as normal, but just now, in another dwg file the same hatch is pale, barely visible? In both files, the hatch is inside a Block; Refedit is closed.
All other linework and hatches look fine.
All settings I can think of are same - 2dWireframe Visualstyle in both modelspace and for the viewport, viewport layer settings and transparency 0, entity and block layer settings same in both .. anything else? Viewing on the same monitor.
Copy the block into a fresh dwg file, the Solid hatch still looks pale.
Could Hatch style definition Solid have slipped, in one of the dwgs?

ScottS

May be plot style preview? if the two layouts' page setups use separate ctb files that treat that color differently.

Tom Foster

Thanks but no, same ctb file incl Display Plot Styles checked. Anyway the pale hatch shows in Modelspace - I think the problem's there before Paperspace comes in.

Alan Hendry

Are the layer colors different between the PS viewport and MS?

Anthony Apostolaros

Is the layer that the hatch is on locked in one of the files? Objects on locked layers can be faded, if LAYLOCKFADECTL is positive. The default value on my system is 50, which makes anything on a locked layer about half as bright.

Tom Foster

Alan - no, they look same - colour 253, a shade of grey, but much paler than usual
Anthony - no, layers not locked
Thanks gents - any more ideas?!

martin@enco.us

In the Layers list is Transparency set to something other than 0 or the plot style different?

Tom Foster

Martin - no, all transparencies set to 0, both have same ctb file incl Display Plot Styles checked.
Thanks

Tom Foster

Aha - something new. Into a new empty dwg file, I copy pasted the Block that has the pale-looking hatch Solid style, color 253 medium grey. In modelspace it still looks pale. I Refedit the Block, copy out the piece of hatch and remove same from the Block, closer Refedit. The piece of hatch, no longer in a Block, still looks pale - so it's not just about being in a Block. Then I make a new piece of hatch Solid style, color 253 medium grey. It looks just right! So if no one (incl Brics Support) comes up with something I can put right, I can go round and replace all the existing hatches in the dwg with newly created same - but there's a whole lot of them.

Tom Foster

OK guys, I found it, embarrasing - the colour of this hatch in one block was 'gray05' instead of ByLayer, a special colour that I think came in on a surveyor's drawing, no idea how it infected this. Thanks for trying.