Standardised Hatch Patterns have disappeared from library

[Anonymous]

Hey everyone, 

So I've just tried to apply a hatch pattern (standard ones which come with the regular 2016 AutoCAD), and the only hatches which are showing in my library are the gradient ones, none of the pattern ones. 

Furthermore, when I try to select the pattern hatches from the drop down menu which lets you select: Solid, Gradient, Pattern or User Defined, it won't let me select the Pattern option and just goes to either User Defined or Gradient. 

Is this a problem which can be solved by reinstalling AutoCAD? 

[David_W_Koch · Accepted solution]

Check your current AutoCAD Search paths (Options dialog, Files tab, under the Support File Search Path node).  The folder in which your hatch pattern file(s) is(are) located needs to be on that list.

Are you using vanilla AutoCAD or AutoCAD Architecture?

The default location for the acad.pat and acadiso.pat files in AutoCAD Architecture is:

C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\ACA 2016\enu\Support

AutoCAD Architecture also ships with additional "architectural" patterns, which can be found here in the default installation loaction:
C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\ACA 2016\enu\Support\pats

Note that AppData is a hidden folder by default in Windows; you will need to turn on the display of hidden files and folders in order to be able to see it in Windows/File Explorer.  If your installation customized the location of your AutoCAD profile files, then your file(s) may be in different locations.  If you are using vanilla AutoCAD, the name of the ACA 2016 folder is likely ACAD 2016; I do not have an installation of vanilla AutoCAD where I can check that.

Uninstalling/reinstalling might fix your situation, but if the problem is that your search paths have somehow omitted that(those) folder(s), adding the paths back will be easier.  If the acad.pat, acadiso.pat and any other hatch pattern files are missing, then unless you have backups somewhere, a repair installation or a reinstallation may be necessary.

[dbroad]

During the hatch command, the ribbon palette displays the choices that make sense.  Change the word gradient to pattern with flyout menu and you should see the hatch patterns.

[Anonymous]

Just FYI to the above:  I'd tried that as well and there was nothing to select.  Further above in this conversation it occurred to me that when they reconfigured my workstation that I may have lost my profile.  Once I switched back to the unnamed profile (Tools, Options, Profiles) the .pat files were all available.