Custom hatch patterns: will this process ever be streamlined?

[Anonymous]

To start off, I'm running AutoCAD 2018 Windows 10.

I frequently use a range of hatching patterns in roadway design and I find the extremely useful for generating quantities that can be used in cost estimates. I'm working for a private municipal engineering firm that deals with dozens of different cities, and each one seems to have their own standard practices, which in this case includes using their specified hatching patterns for different street surfaces.

For years now, our firm has used a custom hatch that we received from one particular municipality, but no one here has ever successfully imported it into our hatch library. A number of us have had our try at it, and all attempts have been unsuccessful. What we're left doing is essentially copying/pasting the pattern, and adjusting the boundaries to the appropriate area. This is absolutely not a problem, but relative to boundary hatching it's a huge pain. I've done plenty of research on creating new hatch patterns and applying them with the Super Hatch function, but again relative to Boundary Hatching, it's painfully slow and inefficient. 

Does AutoDesk have any plans on streamlining the process of custom hatch generation?

As far as I can tell, the following article describes the only way someone can create their own hatch pattern:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Creati...

It boggles my mind that AutoCAD can be as sophisticated as it currently is, and still require this cryptic, and extremely inconvenient means of hatch generation. Am I missing something here, or is this really the best that AutoCAD can do?

One possible workaround that I've also been unsuccessful in figuring out, is importing the text-file code (described in the link above) for a user-defined block. When I create a block, does it also create a text file with the same formatting that I can just copy into the hatch pattern text file? It just seems ridiculous to take the time to learn how to code using the text file formatting described in the link above.

Thanks for the help,

JH

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

I see that you are visiting as a new member to the AutoCAD forum. Welcome to the Autodesk Community!

Can you share a file with the hatch pattern? i would like to see what is unique about this hatch that it is causing you so much difficulty.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[Anonymous]

Hi John,

Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure if I attached the preferred format, but here it is. 

JH

[pendean]

Custom Hatch patterns/ PAT-extension file rules that have never changed:

1. File name and hatch pattern name must be one and the same.
2. One hatch pattern per file.
3. there must be a single blank line at the end of the definition in the PAT file.
4. The PAT file must be in AutoCAD's search path. This can be any folder, simply add that folder to the search path using OPTIONS command>Files Tab>Support File Search Path.
5. You then find all of these new hatch patterns that you added under the CUSTOM option in HATCH command pop-up (or in the Ribbon).

This has worked for us for 20+ years now. Hope it helps.

[john.vellek · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous,

The drawing you provided had over 200 AUDIT errors!

At any rate, I don't think this is actually an AutoCAD hatch but perhaps a Microstation one.  I am not able to extract it using my normal methods.

[Anonymous]

That's interesting about the errors... All I did was create a new dwg and copy/paste the hatch into it. I guess I'm a little relieved that it's not an AutoCAD hatch, but that kind of leads me back to the two questions I posed in my first post. 

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

Hatch creation has always been a painful process in my opinion.  I know of no changes to the process in the future however.

I did run across a post recently that describes some hosted service that can help users create hatch patterns dynamically but I have not yet looked into it.  Perhaps a little searching will help you find something like that.

[pendean]

Dude, fix your file, it is full of errors and more.

How to extract hatch patterns from DWG files if that is all you folks ever do, and may explain why you all find the process so exceptionally challenging since that is the hardest way to get hatch pattern:

Load and run GETPAT.LSP (http://www.turvill.com/t2/free_stuff/getpat.lsp)

OR

WBLOCK a portion of the drawing hatched with that pattern area to an ASCII .DXF file to open with HatchKit. (www.hatchkit.com.au) Save the pattern of interest to a .PAT file.

OR

WBLOCK a portion of the drawing hatched with that pattern area to an ASCII .DXF file. Open the file with a text editor ... hatch definitions can be assembled from the ENTITY section by following these DXF codes: https://www.autodesk.com/techpubs/autocad/acadr14/dxf/hatch_al_u05_c.htm

[Anonymous]

@pendean 

I'll look into those other programs, thanks for the help. I may have overstated the magnitude of our troubles regarding hatching; the extent of our attempts have honestly been pretty minimal, but unsuccessful nonetheless. 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the honesty John.

Is there a formal route that you might recommend for making suggestions to AutoDesk?

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

Of course 🙂

You are  welcome  contact the product team directly. If you have additional comments specific to the software or its functionality for future consideration, please use the Product Feedback page. How to provide feedback on Autodesk products goes into more detail.

Another great option is to participate in the AutoCAD Customer Council. This is an opportunity for our customers to partner with the AutoCAD development team to improve future releases of AutoCAD by giving continuous feedback on ideas, designs, and early builds.
In order to get involved email autocad.beta@autodesk.com or autocad.lt.council@autodesk.com

[scot-65]

One method that comes to mind involves using profiles.

Since it seems you have many hatch patterns that are used for
a given client, having a support path to the folder that contains
the stand-alone patterns from that client can be declared as
part of the profile itself.

When switching clients, switch profiles and this next profile
will point to the next folder which contains the next library
of stand-alone patterns.

Desktop icons can be used that contain the /p switch...
"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD ####\acad.exe" /p "Client_1"

???

[hugha]

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For years now, our firm has used a custom hatch that we received from one particular municipality, but no one here has ever successfully imported it into our hatch library. A number of us have had our try at it, and all attempts have been unsuccessful.

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Could you possibly post that hatch pattern as a text file? It looks like it had a hard life on its way to you.

Meanwhile, given the context and its general appearance you may find the attached pattern more amenable, containing a square array of 0.4 circles (approximated in the same way as a 32 sided polygon) spaced each way at 0.8 centres and tilted similarly to that shown in your .dwg

(BTW change the attached filename to DetectableSurfaceWarning.pat  before adding it to your custom pattern collection's folder.)

hth,

Hugh Adamson

www.hatchkit.com.au

[Kent1Cooper · Accepted solution]

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@Anonymous wrote:

.… As far as I can tell, the following article describes the only way someone can create their own hatch pattern: ....

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There are software programs out there to make Hatch pattern definitions from drawn elements.  Search for HatchMaker [it's on the Cadalyst CAD Tips site], and for HatchKit [referenced in the Customization Forum here several times recently], and for {I think it's called} PattyCake [also in these Forums recently].