Custom Hatch - Tile "Superhatch" in ACAD, loads in as "Import Symbol", not Fill Texture

[hartley.rogers]

Hi,

I'm really struggling with getting a custom tile hatch into my Revit project.  I cannot afford Hatchkit, nor am I able to learn the .pat manual coding in time for this project deadline.  I read a few articles that indicated if you drew the pattern in AutoCAD, made it a block then applied it as a superhatch, you could then import the DWG file into a revit legend, partially explode the hatch, and if you clicked it, in the properties menu the pattern would be a "Filled Pattern".  

When I import the file, regardless of if I partially or fully explode the drawing, it comes out as a "Import Symbol" family--not a filled region.  I have tried it in both a Legend and Drafting View. 

I have attached my autocad file (both DWG and DXF) here and some screenshots of what things look like in my Revit.  

Thank you in advance for any insight/guidance you can provide! 

[ToanDN · Accepted solution]

Try pyRevit pattern maker, it is free.

[hartley.rogers]

Thanks for the tip -- I'll try it! 

[barthbradley]

---

@hartley.rogers wrote:

I'm really struggling with getting a custom tile hatch into my Revit project. 

---

This thing is huge. Not "pattern-sized".  Are these dimensions correct?  Or are you scaling it down considerably?  

[Pattycake_Kyle]

@hartley.rogers I had to use TrueView to downgrade the CAD file, which I think is the issue, but I'm getting some serious funky numbers for the base grid of your design (27,598.07 mm? x 27,414.75 mm?) --- I'm also seeing issues in the superhatch area (figA), so I think my conversion messed something up as I work in Imperial. 

FIG A: superhatch has issues tiling

FigB Base Grid

Therefore, I wont use the DWG/DXF to make the file, instead I'll redo it manually. If I make sense of your pattern, it kind of looks like 9 L shaped pieces around a 2x2 block for one part, with that base grid rotated around. It shares the block with a piece 180 degrees/mirrored from it and then the other 2x2 block fills in the gaps where needed for the offset? Diagramming it out, looks like 22x22 essentially base grid. Pretty cool pattern TBH.

FigC

I'm measuring the boards at like 1274.5584mm? width = 4.18 feet. So maybe this is meant to be closer to 4"? in which case 4" = 101.6. So I'm going to simplify this to 100 mm = 1cm and show you how you can make this on Pattycake using Draw in web, which would be pretty easy for this. So basically, I'll make a 22 x 22 base grid for an AutoCAD file, and set the snap to "1". Then draw the pattern. You can scale this pattern x 100 for mm or x (value) you need for your actual tile dimensions.

Process:

Process

image downloaded from pattycake

I assume you are working in CAD? Even though you image is from Revit? The Pattern is saved for CAD below, but you can change that in the settings on the left and download as needed and scale in Revit/CAD interface, or use EDIT > Scale on Pattycake.

Pattycake Link Here for PAT download: https://pattycake.io/pat/YVo8vnrqPQd

[barthbradley]

Maybe with a surface area that large, the pattern would be better as a Material Appearance image/bump?  

[barthbradley]

Actually, on second thought, if the surface area is that large and the design intent is for that pattern to be applied to the floor, perhaps by scoring concrete, I would strategically place model lines representing the scoring and pull dimensions between them so the contractor knows exactly where to place them in the field. Frankly, if it is concrete scoring, I highly doubt that is something that can be done in a single pour.  You're going to need to plan that construction well.  

[barthbradley]

FWIW: you can also create and divide Parts by using the Pick Lines tool to select the linework in CAD Import.  Maybe that's an approach you can use.  

More here: 

https://help.autodesk.com/view/RVT/2023/ENU/?guid=GUID-924CBB1E-71D9-47A4-9463-89CCB680C633