Creating a Custom Crosshatch Pattern
Creating a Custom Crosshatch Pattern
Crosshatch patterns can be read in two different formats. The first is the .dat format described below, a format used exclusively by CADKEY and Kubotek products. The second is the .pat (Pattern) format used widely by a variety of other systems.
You can create your own crosshatching patterns and save them to a .dat or .pat file that can be read into the program. See the information below for an example of the XHATCH.DAT file format.
xhatch.dat entry:
name
Name of crosshatching pattern
type
Crosshatching type: Single (0) or Double (1)
ang
Angle of lines in the hatch pattern
line1
Line type of first line in pattern; 0 for a blank line
line2-line"x"
Same as line 1 for each line in the pattern
Steps:
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Use any text editor to create the .dat file and follow the steps below.
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Press the spacebar between each entry. Do not press ENTER until you have typed the last variable.
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Using a text editor, create a file named <pattern name>.dat. All of your entries should appear as a string of information on one line, with a space between each entry.
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Type the name of the hatching pattern you want to create. The name cannot contain spaces.
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Press the spacebar.
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Enter a number for the type of crosshatching style: 0 for a single style, 1 for a double style.
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Press the spacebar.
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Enter the angle, in degrees, for the line slant of the crosshatching.
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Press the spacebar.
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Type the line type number for the first line of the pattern: 0 = Blank, 1 = Solid, 2 = Dashed, 3 = Center line, 4 = Phantom line.
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Press the spacebar.
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Continue to type the line types for the rest of the lines in the pattern. Make sure that you press the spacebar after every entry.
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When you finish entering the last variable, press ENTER.
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Save the file.
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Select Detail>Crosshatch>Create, and use the Patterns button to load the hatch pattern.