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You are here: Home / AutoCAD / How to: add custom pattern to AutoCAD

How to: add custom pattern to AutoCAD

April 18, 2012 by Edwin Prakoso 21 Comments

In this Article...

  • Combine with acad.pat
  • Add support file search folder

So you have downloaded or created your own AutoCAD pattern. Now you want to use it. But how?

There are two ways to do this: you can combine your custom pattern with acad.pat or add a support file search path. I will recommend the last one. You may lose your custom pattern if you somehow need to reinstall AutoCAD or your Windows account corrupts. Or you may just make your acad.pat corrupt.

Combine with acad.pat

You can find acad.pat in support folder. It should be something like C:\Users\YOURWINDOWSACCOUNT\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD XXXX – English\RXX.0\enu\Support. Find acad.pat and open it with text editors like notepad or notepad ++. Do not use Microsoft Word. I suggest you make a backup of this file before you start to work.

Open another instance of Notepad and open your custom hatch. Select all, then copy it using [Ctrl] + C. I use chainlink pattern from DotSoft website.

Paste it at the bottom most of your acad.pat file.

There is a comment that if you add user-defined hatch below that section, then when you upgrade your AutoCAD this file will be migrated correctly.

custom hatch in acad pat

However, I still avoid this method.

Now save this file. You should immediately see your custom hatch in pattern list.

custom hatch in pattern list

Add support file search folder

If you place all your custom hatch in your custom folder, you can add support file search path. Open AutoCAD options (type OP then enter).

In files tab, below support file search path, add your folder.

support file search

Click OK to accept this changes, then when you activate hatch command, you should see it in your pattern list. If you can’t find it, you may need to change pattern type to user-defined.

user defined pattern

If you use hatch dialog box, you can change pattern type to custom or user-defined.

custom hatch in hatch dialog box

I always use the last method and avoid the first one. So I never really have a problem or may be benefits of the first method. If you use the first one, why do you choose to use it? Will you recommend it instead of the last method?

About Edwin Prakoso

I work as a Sr. Consultant in PT Cipta Satria Informatika. I've been using AutoCAD since R14 and Revit since Revit Building 9. I occasionally write for AUGIWorld magazine and I am also active in Autodesk discussion forum. I'm a member of Autodesk Expert Elite, an appreciation for individuals who give contributions to the Autodesk community.
Connect with me on twitter or LinkedIn.

Filed Under: AutoCAD Tagged With: AutoCAD, custom, Hatch, pattern

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mani shrestha
mani shrestha
10 years ago

Many many thanks to you for your best tutorials about hatch pattern. Thanks a lot.

0
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the_mini_guy
the_mini_guy
10 years ago

Hatches are a huge pain in my #@&. I deploy hundreds of custom hatches via tool palettes for Metric and Imperial. There is a couple of cool out of the box tricks that allow you to deploy them as Annotative.

However most, if not all custom hatch tools are written to make a unitless hatch pattern then you battle the hatch scale to get it to work at a scale range 1:5 to 1:2,000,000, you need to make it tight for detailing and ok for plan production + metric/imperial.

The biggest problem is hatches coming in solid or not at all… Did I mention that I have problems with this all the time…

This is an area in the product that is fundamental with sheet production and is nearly unsupported by Autodesk.

0
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Edwin Prakoso
Edwin Prakoso
Author
Reply to  the_mini_guy
10 years ago

There are many features that don’t have enough attention.
Have you submit this in AutoCAD wishlist or feature request, Paul?

0
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mitch
mitch
11 years ago

Nice tip, thanks! Any idea where I can get free geological hatch patterns?

0
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jason
jason
11 years ago

great information! both with the patterns and the '…iso' files. i NEVER knew they were metric system versions of the others, and that "MEASUREMENT" controlled which were used.

but what about when you have a hatch pattern – not the code, but the actual elements? How can I saw that? my situation is this: there is the default gravel pattern, but i would like to save this custome made one, which is also identified with "LIST" as "gravel". i suppose i can save it as "gravel 2" (i prefer the way it looks compared to the default "gravel"), but how…? thank you for any assistance.

0
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jason
jason
Reply to  jason
11 years ago

i apologize for my poorly written post.

there is the "gravel" hatch pattern.

for some reason, i have a pattern that lists as "gravel", but it appears differently in my 2D, AutoCAD 2011 file. this one looks better, so i would like to save the elements as a hatch pattern.

can i do that?

note that if i were to hatch an area and 'inherit properties" with the 'better looking' pattern, it will hatch the area using the OTHER, default-type gravel. (if it did NOT do that, i can simply cut/paste the desired hatch pattern from file to file, and use it to match properties, rather than spend all this time trying to find out how to save it with a unique name!).

thanks…

0
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TreeLove
TreeLove
Reply to  jason
11 years ago

I do not think you will save time this way : let's suppose you keep copy-pasting this custom 'hatch' regularly, it'a a lot of time and boring repetitive tasks. Let's suppose you spend a horrendous 10h finding how to integrate it for good in your program, and you never have to waste time on that thing again ;)

You can then even make more customs hatches to your own satisfaction. Forever ;)

0
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Edwin Prakoso
Edwin Prakoso
Author
Reply to  jason
11 years ago

Hi Jason,
You can't save existing hatch pattern to .pat file. There is a program that can do that, but you need to purchase it.
AutoCAD itself can't do that.

0
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Jas
Jas
Reply to  Edwin Prakoso
11 years ago

i thought so, but held on for hope…thanks, mr. prakoso.

0
Reply
Jason
Jason
Reply to  Jas
11 years ago

i did find a roundabout way to succeed in using a modified or alien pattern without having to save it to a .pat file. i will type it out if anyone would like to hear about it.

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khem
khem
12 years ago

thanks

0
Reply
Abhay Panchasara
Abhay Panchasara
12 years ago

thank you edwin..

0
Reply
Saw Thiri
Saw Thiri
12 years ago

So thanks Edwin :)

0
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homestilo
homestilo
12 years ago

Adding support file worked- thanks a lot!

0
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Kay Afie
Kay Afie
12 years ago

thanks for the tutorial Edwin. Worked for me

0
Reply
Simon Weel
Simon Weel
13 years ago

There are actually two PAT files: acad.pat and acadiso.pat. Which file is used by AutoCAD is controlled with the MEASUREMENT system variable. If it's set to 0, then AutoCAD will use acad.pat (imperial units). When set to 1, AutoCAD uses acadiso.pat (metric system).
The same applies to line type files acad.lin and acadiso.lin.

0
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Edwin Prakoso
Edwin Prakoso
Reply to  Simon Weel
13 years ago

Thank you Simon,
I never realize this before.

0
Reply
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