How to create custom regions in Revit using Hatch22

Hatch22 is a plugin I was introduced to no so long ago, before this I was editing .pat files from AutoCAD. I find this plugin really useful the only drawback being it is only free for Revit v2014 and they have not finished a version for 2016 yet. I am going to take you through some quick steps to get you up and running with this plugin.

Create a new drafting view and name it accordingly, I like to use the paving size that I am going to be creating. For every new hatch pattern I create a new drafting view and contain them all in one file.

Once you have created your drafting view, go to the add-ins tab and select mertens3d then you will see in the drop down Hatch22-2012.

Selecting the hatch22-2012 will bring up the operating menu, we will cover the various elements in this later but for now the first step is to add the line types that Hatch22 uses to create that hatches. Select Make Line Styles button.

Another dialogue box pops up and states you have added (automatically) 4 new line types. Select Ok then Done to take you back to the project as this is all you need for now.

Before we continue I will just explain the line types that Hatch22 has just added to your project. I have done a quick hatch below to demonstrate the different line types and how they will act when created in a region.

Now that you have added the line styles, go to annotation and select the line style you require. In this example we are going to be using Hatch22-Dashed line style. Draw the paving pattern you require. You will notice that I have created the pattern bigger than what is required, and the boundary line is then placed within the drawing to determine the repeating pattern. On some more complex paving patterns, I find this makes it easier to work out.

If you look closely, you will notice I have put the boundary line in the middle of the mortar gaps and this is to keep a 3mm gap when repeated.

Once you have the boundary finalised, crop the line work back to the boundary lines. After this select all the lines and go back to the Hatch22 plug-in.

Once the Hatch22 dialogue box is open, you will need to name the hatch (keep this the same as your view name); for this example select model hatch, you can also add a comment which may help you later if you are trying to find the correct .pat file. Once completed, select make hatch from selected.

Hatch22 will then generate all the text that makes up your .pat file. You have two options here: copy to clipboard or save .pat.

Copy to clipboard will allow you to paste into a .txt file before converting it to a .pat by changing its extension.

Save .pat will only save over an existing .pat file and not create a new one. Choose Save .pat to follow my example. Locate the existing .pat file and save.

Once you have done this create a new region next to the line work and name it the same as the pattern you have been creating.

It is now time to import the .pat file, so edit your new region type and go to fill pattern. Select new and import.

 

Once you have done this it will automatically name the pattern to match the one you have the .pat file. As we are wanting it to show exact size don’t change the scale factor. Press ok you will see your lovely new hatch.

If you are wanting more complicated hatch patterning, please visit Hatch22’s website