How to Add Autocad Roof Hatch Patterns to a Hatch Library

Architectural drawing

Autodesk's AutoCAD series is an industry standard in the architecture, engineering and design fields for the production of technical drawings. While the software comes with many out-of-the-box features and provides a great amount of choices in graphic representation, you may come across times in which you want to add a customized touch to the standard software. One good way of achieving this is through the use of customized hatch patterns, which can be loaded into the Hatch Library within the program.

Things You'll Need

• AutoCAD 2009

Instructions

1. Locate the hatch pattern you want to add to your Hatch Library before opening AutoCAD. .pat files are the correct file format for Hatches. Cut or Copy the desired hatch pattern file into your AutoCAD's "Support" folder. (Generally, C:\Program Files\AutoCAD\Support\ )

2. Open AutoCAD and the file in which you want to use the hatch pattern. Type in HATCH or H in the command bar, and hit "Enter." A dialog box should pop up that is titled "Hatch and Gradient."

3. Select "Custom" in the "Type:" drop-down menu. Next to the second drop-down menu called "Custom Pattern:" click on the button to the right of the drop-down. Another dialog box should pop up, titled "Hatch Pattern Palette."

4. Select the "Custom" tab on the top portion of the "Hatch Pattern Palette" dialog box. Scroll through the extensive lists of patterns until you find the name of the custom pattern you pasted into your folder. Generally, the custom hatch patterns you add are on the bottom of the list.

5. Select your custom hatch, and hit the OK button. A small preview of the pattern should appear in the "Swatch:" window.

References

• Cadtutor: Loading Custom Hatch Patterns

Resources

• Autocadeverything.com
• AutoCAD Product Site