With the Gradient tool, you can add gradients of color to any selected area. The Gradient tool also works like the Hatch tool, but in this case, instead of a pattern, a color gradient is applied to the selected area.

In the example drawing of the kitchen that we used earlier with the Hatch command, we will add three-dimensional effects to the sink and the top of the refrigerator using the Gradient tool. You can start the Gradient tool from the expanded Hatch flyout on the Draw panel of the Home tab, as shown in the following screenshot. Alternatively, you can also use its command alias, GD:

In the following example, we will learn how to apply gradients to the sinks of the kitchen drawing:

1. To apply the gradient, select the Gradient tool and then click at the point inside the area where you want to apply the gradient. The workflow for applying a gradient will be like that of applying a Hatch.
2. Once you click inside the selected area, a gradient will be applied with default colors. The first thing that you need to do here is to change the gradient type. You can change it from the Pattern panel of the Hatch Creation tab.

3. In this case, I am applying the gradient to the bowl shape of the sink and I am using one of the circular gradients, as shown in the following screenshot:

4. Now we need to change the colors of the gradient, which can be done from the colors drop-down menu of the Properties panel on the Hatch Creation tab, as shown in the following screenshot. In this case, I am selecting a gray and white color combination for the sink:

5. Once you are done selecting the colors, click on Finish Hatch Creation to exit the Gradient tool and the gradient will be applied as shown in the screenshot that follows.

In this case, I have applied the gradient to both sinks using the same gradient type:

Let's try another gradient on the top of the refrigerator:

1. Select the Gradient tool from the Draw panel or use its command alias, GD.
2. Now select the closed area inside the refrigerator and, from the Pattern panel, select any pattern that you like. In this case, I am again selecting a pattern that looks circular.
3. For the colors, I will select light blue and white. After applying the pattern, my drawing looked like the following screenshot: 

As you can see, the white color of the gradient is exactly at the center of the selected area, but to give it a better three-dimensional look, I will make it off-center using the Centered option of the Origin panel:

I will simply uncheck this Centered option and the pattern will now look like this:

As you can see, in this case, the white gradient is more toward the top left of the selected area, giving it a much better appearance.

So, as you just saw, gradients can be applied to different areas of the 2D drawing to give them depth and to add colors to your drawing. However, if you want to apply only a single solid color, then you can select the Solid pattern from the Pattern panel and then apply it to the area where you want to add color.

The Gradient tool adds to the visual properties of the existing drawing. Just like a gradient, we can also use text in our drawing to add information, but unlike a gradient, information added with text can be precise. In AutoCAD, you can add single-line or multiline text—discussed in the next section.