Managing custom .pat files?

[randyspear6624]

What's the best way to manage a specific client's custom hatches?

I don't like including them in the stock acad.pat file because then users will unknowingly apply them to projects that they shouldn't be applied to. Additionally, if the drawings sent out to clients and consultants that don't have custom hatches, they are unable to edit them or use them.

We use tool palettes and a designated directory for all our larger clients. We have one folder where all custom linetypes are stored and everyone's autocad is set up to look here first. It works create for client's custom linetypes that are stored in our templates. However, for hatches, there can be only one .pat file that gets referenced.

How do others manage them? I don't like setting different profile settings for different clients as our users have a hard enough time keeping one profile in tact. My only solution right now is to attempt to temporarily build a custom path to a .pat file in a tool palette tool macro.

Any insight would be great. Thanks.

[pendean]

>>>...don't like setting different profile settings for different clients ...<<<
Sadly that's how the program is designed to address your exact issue.

TPs are a good manual alternate: as long as they pull from a custom client-specific PAT file.

[Moshe-A]

@randyspear6624  hi,

if the drawings sent out to clients and consultants that don't have custom hatches, they are unable to edit them or use them.

that is true if your clients and consultants are advanced user that know how to edit a .pat file. most of user don't.

a custom hatch sent to others can be edit (scale/rotate/angle) and even apply to other polygons as long as they save aside a copy of the origin hatch or on invisible layer.  

Custom hatches may be saved (each hatch) to different files stored in different folders to be references by any AutoCAD profile.

Moshe