Custom Fill Pattern anyone?

Have you ever needed a specific look for a fill pattern and nothing in the standard Revit PAT files fits the bill?  You need a “custom” fill pattern.  So off to the help file you go to find out how to create a custom fill pattern.   You find out you can import a custom PAT file, great news.  Then you look to see how a custom PAT file is created and it looks like some kind of foreign language.

PAT files are simply text files written in a specific way to tell Revit basically when to lift the pen up and place the pen down when drawing the pattern.  The instructions in the text file make up a series of lines or dots we see as the fill pattern.  Without a lot of experience in creating these files, or a lot of time to experiment with trial and error, writing a PAT file “by hand” can be a daunting task.

If you still have AutoCAD (I know, I know), you can use the LSP file downloadable below to help you create a custom PAT file just by drawing what you want it to look like.  The LISP allows you to draw the pattern using basic AutoCAD elements, line, point, circle, arc, etc… in a 1 unit by 1 unit box.  Then the LISP translates what you draw in the box into a PAT file.  Now you can import the PAT file into Revit to create the custom fill pattern you need.

Download HatchMaker.lsp

Remember if you want to use your custom PAT file as a model fill pattern you need to modify the text file to let Revit know it can be used as a model pattern.  Open the PAT file in a text editor and add this line before the pattern definition.

;%TYPE=MODEL

Now save the file.  It is as simple as that.  Now the PAT file can be used to create a model pattern.

This Tip comes to you from the desk of Jeff Hanson.  Thanks Jeff!

Comments

[Korean user]

Thank you for tip.
This lisp can't convert circle (and arc) to PAT file. Is it possible?
(p.s I'm so sorry. I'm a fool of English.)

[sdub315]

For those of you like me who aren't ACAD savy

1. open up a blank autocad drawing
2. set the snaps and grids to 0.01 units
3. draw a square 1 unit by 1 unit
4. draw your pattern snapping to the .01 unit grid with only normal lines. no circles, ellipses etc.
5. Your fill will repeat at the top and side ends so if it is a repeating pattern make sure it lines up
6. load in the attached lsp file by typing APPLOAD into the command prompt
7. browse to where the lsp file is located.
8. Click OK
9. Erase the square you drew
10. Type SAVEHATCH --> ENTER
11. follow the prompts