AutoCAD hatch patterns

[Willallison]

Way back when I was using AutoCAD R14, it was a relatively simple matter to import new hatch patterns... you simply when into the 'support' file, opened the file called acadiso.pat and pasted the pattern definition in (great long strings of numbers and letters)
Now, using 2004, the help file suggests that it should merely be a matter of doing the same... but do you think I can find acad.pat or acadiso.pat? Nope! I searched my entire C drive... nope. I searched for existing pattern names like ANSI133 and DOLMIT... nope
HELP!!

For anyone interested here is some hatch patterns - most you would probably already have, but there are probably a few extra's in here that might be useful...
Oh and if anyon'es got a lead on where I could access more.......

[SailDesign]

I did a search for "*.pat" on my drive, and these results came up...
(my computer name here is "Engineering1")

C:\Documents and Settings\Engineering 1\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2004\R16.0\enu\Support\acad.pat

C:\Documents and Settings\Engineering 1\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2004\R16.0\enu\Support\acadiso.pat

C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2004\UserDataCache\Support\acad.pat

C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2004\UserDataCache\Support\acadiso.pat

Good luck!

[Willallison]

hmmm.... thanks .... I know they're in mine too ....
I didn't do *.pat search... I'll give that a go...

[ABoatGuy]

If you can't find them where SailDesign indicates go to MyComputer>Tools>FolderOptions>View and click on the radio button that says "Show hidden files and folders". They should show up.

[Willallison]

AARRRGH !!!!!!! ...... can't find them !!!!! *#%$@^*%$&&

[Willallison]

WAIT! ....I found it... yippee!!!!!
...Interestingly, even though I had marked all hidden folders as visible, the computer didn't find either acad.pat or acadiso.pat when I searched for them using *.pat....[?]
Still at the end of the day I got em!! Thanks y'all

[SailDesign]

Will,
Good to hear you found the little blighters.
Don't go and lose them again.....
Steve
PS - I use something called "TurboBrowser" to keep an eye on my files. Has full zip/unzip and search capabilities, plus it always looks/feels like the previous version of Windows Exploder (you know, the one you have been used to using for years, but they just changed it)

[Willallison]

... I still use Windows Explorer as often as not - much prefer it to all that newfangled crap.... but then I still like to draw with a pencil too..

on a less pleasing note...... having found the .pat files, I opened them in notepad, pasted the .txt file of new patterns at the end of the existing text - and hey presto....NOTHING!.... Try hatching and none of the new patterns appear in the list.....

[hugha]

Notepad may have saved your edited file as ACAD.PAT.TXT by appending .TXT to the filename.
Selecting "Save as Type" [All files (*.*)] on the "Save As" dialog avoids this quirk. Search for files of name ACAD*.PAT.TXT to see if this was the case.

Try HatchKit to view your hatch pattern files.
www.cadro.com.au/hatchkit/

Links to hatch pattern file collections
www.cadro.com.au/hatchkit/HatLinks.html

Hugh Adamson
Cadro Pty Ltd
www.cadro.com.au

[Willallison]

Thanks Hugh
I'll take a look and see if that's the problem, though I doubt it as I simply added the new patterns to the end of the existing .pat file.....

good links too

[Brent B]

New to this forum, so late into this thread.

I had exactly this problem when creating a hatch pattern for Contender MAXX sailcloth.

In my case, there were two acad.pat files, one in Documents and Settings, and another in Program Files. I ended up adding my new pattern to both of them, but I think I remember that acad actually looks at the Documents and Settings version.

Brent
Benson Sails