How do you import hatch patterns and where can you get them?

[cdavis]

I know you can create hatch patterns, but can you import them and use Autocad patterns. Where can you get hatch patterns that will import. I was looking for paver patterns that are not included.

Thanks

[Robert Anderson]

There's good source of stone hatches (in VectorWorks format) in StoneCAD 5. You can Google it -- it's from Owens-Corning. Also there is a discussion on this list about how to get the hatches out once you've got StoneCAD, which is not exactly intuitive.

[jan15]

Autocad hatch definitions are kept in a separate .PAT file, not in the .DWG file. But there's enough information in the .DWG file that VW can create any hatch object that's in the .DWG file, and when it does, it creates a VW hatch definition for it in the .MCD file.

So you can't import an Autocad hatch definition that's provided only in the form of a .PAT file, but if they give you a .DWG file that actually uses that hatch pattern in at least one object, then it will automatically import.

Incidentally, that hatch importing trick is something Autocad itself can't do with Autocad files. It can display any hatch in any .DWG file someone sends you, but it doesn't create a hatch definition for it. So if you don't already have it in your own .PAT file, you can't use it to create new hatch objects or to edit one that's already there. Bear that in mind when you export to DWG and send it to a colleague. You should select the "Export Hatch Pattern Files" option, and send the colleague the .PAT file that VW creates.

[Guest]

".mcd file" .. or .vwx with VW 2008.