Additional Hatch Patterns for Idiots (ACAD 2005) ?

Didn't get any response to my query about migrating the ACAD.PAT file
so trying again:

How do I go about adding more hatch patterns to AutoCAD 2005 ?

I tried simply replacing the stock acad.pat file that came with ACAD
2005 with the acad.pat file from my old ACAD2000 which had about 10x
more patterns) but when I run the program, it doesn't give me the
additional patterns in the dialogue box.

What's the secret? (And why did AutoDesk make it so difficult to do ?)

Thanks in advance for taking the time to help.

 

The acad.pat file in which folder did you replace?

Juergen

 

In earlier versions, this is one of the most FAQ. "How do I get
my new hatch pattern to show up in the dialogue with the others?"

It was never easy, and I never got around to it because it's not that
important to me.
I don't know if it has been made any easier in 2005, but it used to involve
fooling around with a slide library (for me, the hard part),
as well as editing the acad.pat (the easy part).

It would be appreciated my by many, including me, if someone who knows how
to do this would
spell it out in a document and post it on the web.....
In the mean time what I do with custom patterns is invoke them as such, by
name,
in the dialogue. I also have a dwg with samples of my various custom
patterns in "swatches"
above their names. It's clumsy, but I don't hatch that much.....

 

Juergen;

I put the replacement pattern file here:

E:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2005\UserDataCache\Support\acad.pat

As mentioned, it didn't have any effect.

An "Alan" in the UK contacted me off-line (thanks Alan) and mentioned
that he'll check the correct path once he gets to the office.

 

That's the wrong place. You must go to
\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD
2005\R16.01\enu\Support\acad.pat.

May be your path sounds a little different, I don't have an english version
of OS. Additional you can do a search for the correct file (Window search
function).

HTH
Juergen




I put the replacement pattern file here:

E:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2005\UserDataCache\Support\acad.pat

 

Thanks for that! I think I saw this before, but my eyes glazed over
around the point where it said "open an MS-DOS window" ; ]
I really disliked that OS, and was a Mac-head back then.

 

Thanks Jürgen. Mission successful.

For some reason, when I was stumbling around on my own prior to your
assistance, the Windows Explorer file search function did not reveal
the location that you mentioned.

My [YourUserName] subdirectory was hidden from view as well.
Not sure how I managed to unhide it but it doen't matter because the
enhanced acad.pat function is now operational; thanks to you.

Have a snort of brandy on me. Hell, make that a whole bottle.

 

I think your problem is revealed in the 'Help' files on hatch patterns and
displaying them. This is from R14, not 2005, but I guess something similar
applies:

"The pattern images are stored in slide files in the acad.slb slide
library file. If you customize acad.pat, you must also update acad.slb."

So I reckon you must also transfer the acad.slb from one to the other,
hoping that the R2000 and R2004 formats are the same :-((