Create Hatch Patterns in Revit (6 easy methods!)

Today’s video focuses on how to create pattern (.pat) files for use in Autodesk Revit. I cover 6 easy and accessible methods for how this can be achieved, with some methods more useful than others depending on the type of pattern being created.
I hope you enjoy the session and learn something new! Feel free to comment any feedback/questions below, or follow my channel if you enjoyed this.
Support Files/Further reading;
ABG Files: github.com/aussieBIMguru/Misc...
pyRevit: eirannejad.github.io/pyRevit/
getpat: www.turvill.com/t2/free_stuff/...
drawhatch: www.mladengradev.com/en/creat...
hatchkit: hatchkit.com.au/
hatch22: gregorymertens.com/
Software used;
Autodesk Revit 2019: www.autodesk.com/products/rev...
Autodesk AutoCAD 2018: www.autodesk.com.au/products/...
Flashback Express: www.flashbackrecorder.com/exp...
Hardware used;
Webcam: support.logitech.com/en_us/pr...
Laptop: laptopmedia.com/laptop-specs/...
Microphone: www.rode.com/microphones/nt-usb

[@michaelsandel4683]

Hello. Thanks very much for taking the time to produce this video. I found it very helpful. All the best. I'm based in Australia and have set up some custom patterns to reflect the standard rounding that we do out here i.e. 7 courses at 86mm = 602, but we rationalise this to 600mm by working on a couple of 9mm mortar joints instead of 10mm to acheive the 600mm module. All joints and course lines habve been rounded to the nearest 1mm. Here they are if anyone is interested: ;%VERSION=3.0 ;%UNITS=MM *Brick 76Hx230W stretcher bond, Standard Australian brickwork stretcher bond ;%TYPE=MODEL 0,0,0,0,600 0,0,86,0,600 0,0,172,0,600 0,0,257,0,600 0,0,343,0,600 0,0,429,0,600 0,0,514,0,600 90,0,0,0,240,86,-86,85,-86,86,-85,86,-86,86,-85,86,-86,85,-86 90,120,0,0,240,-86,86,-85,86,-86,85,-86,86,-86,85,-86,86,-85,86 ;%VERSION=3.0 ;%UNITS=MM *Brick 76Hx230W stretcher bond with mortar, Standard Australian brickwork stretcher bond with mortar ;%TYPE=MODEL 0,0,10,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,86,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,96,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,172,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,181,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,257,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,267,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,343,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,353,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,429,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,438,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,514,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,524,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,600,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,610,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,686,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,696,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,772,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,781,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,857,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,867,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,943,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,953,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,1029,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,1038,0,1200,230,-10 0,0,1114,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,1124,0,1200,230,-10 0,120,1200,0,1200,230,-10 90,0,10,0,240,76,-95,76,-96,76,-95,76,-96,76,-95,76,-95,76,-96 90,230,10,0,240,76,-95,76,-96,76,-95,76,-96,76,-95,76,-95,76,-96 90,120,0,0,240,-96,76,-95,76,-95,76,-96,76,-95,76,-96,76,-95,76 90,350,0,0,240,-96,76,-95,76,-95,76,-96,76,-95,76,-96,76,-95,76 ;%VERSION=3.0 ;%UNITS=MM *Brick 76Hx110W stack bond with mortar, Standard Australian brickwork stack bond with mortar ;%TYPE=MODEL 0,0,10,0,600,110,-10 0,0,86,0,600,110,-10 0,0,96,0,600,110,-10 0,0,172,0,600,110,-10 0,0,181,0,600,110,-10 0,0,257,0,600,110,-10 0,0,267,0,600,110,-10 0,0,343,0,600,110,-10 0,0,353,0,600,110,-10 0,0,429,0,600,110,-10 0,0,438,0,600,110,-10 0,0,514,0,600,110,-10 0,0,524,0,600,110,-10 0,0,600,0,600,110,-10 90,0,10,0,120,76,-10,76,-9,76,-10,76,-10,76,-9,76,-10,76,-10 90,110,10,0,120,76,-10,76,-9,76,-10,76,-10,76,-9,76,-10,76,-10 ;%VERSION=3.0 ;%UNITS=MM *Brick 76Hx230W soldier stack bond, Standard Australian brickwork soldier stack bond ;%TYPE=MODEL 0,0,0,0,240 90,0,0,0,600 90,86,0,0,600 90,172,0,0,600 90,257,0,0,600 90,343,0,0,600 90,429,0,0,600 90,514,0,0,600 ;%VERSION=3.0 ;%UNITS=MM *Brick 76Hx230W soldier stack bond with mortar, Standard Australian brickwork soldier stack bond with mortar ;%TYPE=MODEL 0,0,10,0,240,76,-10,76,-10,75,-10,76,-10,76,-10,75,-10,76,-10 0,0,240,0,240,76,-10,76,-10,75,-10,76,-10,76,-10,75,-10,76,-10 90,0,10,0,600,230,-10 90,76,10,0,600,230,-10 90,86,10,0,600,230,-10 90,162,10,0,600,230,-10 90,172,10,0,600,230,-10 90,248,10,0,600,230,-10 90,257,10,0,600,230,-10 90,333,10,0,600,230,-10 90,343,10,0,600,230,-10 90,419,10,0,600,230,-10 90,429,10,0,600,230,-10 90,505,10,0,600,230,-10 90,514,10,0,600,230,-10 90,590,10,0,600,230,-10 ;%VERSION=3.0 ;%UNITS=MM *Brick 76Hx162W soldier stack bond, Standard Australian brickwork soldier stack bond ;%TYPE=MODEL 0,0,0,0,172 90,0,0,0,600 90,86,0,0,600 90,172,0,0,600 90,257,0,0,600 90,343,0,0,600 90,429,0,0,600 90,514,0,0,600 ;%VERSION=3.0 ;%UNITS=MM *Brick 76Hx162W soldier stack bond with mortar, Special Australian brickwork soldier stack bond with mortar ;%TYPE=MODEL 0,0,10,0,172,76,-10,76,-10,75,-10,76,-10,76,-10,75,-10,76,-10 0,0,172,0,172,76,-10,76,-10,75,-10,76,-10,76,-10,75,-10,76,-10 90,0,10,0,600,162,-10 90,76,10,0,600,162,-10 90,86,10,0,600,162,-10 90,162,10,0,600,162,-10 90,172,10,0,600,162,-10 90,248,10,0,600,162,-10 90,257,10,0,600,162,-10 90,333,10,0,600,162,-10 90,343,10,0,600,162,-10 90,419,10,0,600,162,-10 90,429,10,0,600,162,-10 90,505,10,0,600,162,-10 90,514,10,0,600,162,-10 90,590,10,0,600,162,-10 Sincerely, Michael Sandel Plan Source E [e-mail]

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Glad it helped. Legend on the sharing too, will pin this so others can more easily find it!

[@becdukes4573]

This is such a great video! So easy to follow and answers EVERYTHING!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Glad it was helpful!

[@M44z3]

Thanks for sending me the file i needed mate, such a helpful soul. Best of luck!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You're welcome!

[@victors.7717]

Again, very useful tutorial and tools. You are an inexhaustible knowledge source, mate!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

More to come - aint seen nothin' yet!

[@marwanbeaino5377]

@@AussieBIMGuru We shall be waiting !

[@vukvukanic1095]

As usual, very well put togeather. Best of all, it's usefull. Thx Gavin for being the signal among the noise.

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You're welcome Vuk!

[@debhamwood]

Excellent explanation of creating pattern files. Thanks very much! Also, your cats are a cute addition to the video :)

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Glad you liked it! I have some videos on keynotes and assembly codes coming near the end of the year too which are similar system topics, might be of interest (14/12 and 17/12/20 release). Haha yeah the cats are the real stars of the show.

[@houseofwolfandlamb]

This is a REALLY helpful video! Thanks for making this!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You're welcome!

[@oreotitan4545]

Thanks so much for all your help! keep up the good work!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You're welcome!

[@user-sp9ig1ly1o]

I'm so grateful. I was struggled to make brick patterns.

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Glad this helped!

[@an0nim000]

Thanks for sharing! Greetings from Mexico!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You're welcome!

[@rory3556]

Thanks bro. Super useful!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You're welcome Rory!

[@cindychan427]

thank you sooooo much for creating this video , along with the EXCEL file you put together!! this is exactly what i have been looking for!! this is very helpful! Greatly appreciate it! =)

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You're welcome Moaki!

[@edmundchadwick3068]

Thanks, really well explained. Love the cat.

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Glad it helped! The cats are a bit bigger these days, but still around :)

[@honeymelon352]

Hey :), Normally I don´t write comments but I have to say THANKS!!! Your exel file and your explanation video helped a lot. You saved my day an my study project :)

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Thanks for commenting! Glad to hear this was useful for you - always glad to save someones day :)

[@VictorCoronelroundgrid]

Great video. Thank you!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You're welcome!

[@anhlam5891]

Thank you very much for this helpful video !!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You are welcome!

[@ahmedyasser-gw8wt]

You are Amazing and very professional

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Thanks Ahmed, I'm glad you like the content!

[@chrisandnatashabowker6429]

Thank you, very helpful and insightful. Please remember that with hatch patterns, if you change dimensional info in the Fill Patterns dialog box from the family editor's Additional Settings. Then reload it into your original model or nested family, and the pattern was already defined, the new settings will not take effect. You will then need to update the Fill Patterns dialog box in your host family or your project to match. In short, if you are looking to edit an existing fill pattern don't open the family editor just make the changes in your project's Fill Pattern Dialog box.

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You're welcome! Yes that applies to many things in Revit; materials, object styles, line patterns - the list goes on!

[@ahmedyasser-gw8wt]

thank you a lot for making this video

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You're welcome Ahmed!

[@vytaszalys4646]

That pattern generator is a life saver! Although my revit wouldn't accept the code with the version line in it, so had to remove that.

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Yeah I think a few people had to do that, might be a change in pattern definitions from when I first made the templates. Glad it helped!

[@morphinebunny4643]

PyRevit for the WIN!!!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Indeed, lots of great features - and their hatchmaker is solid too!

[@okagedesu]

that was really helpfull, thanks !!!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Glad you liked it!

[@staynoo]

THANKS YOU!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You're welcome!

[@anarampim7349]

You just saved me a whole afternoon worth of banging my head on the wall. Thank you! May awesome karma reach you (and your cute cat).

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Glad to hear! I'll pass on the message to my cats haha 🐈

[@anarampim7349]

@@AussieBIMGuru please do. :D

[@myxomop]

blessing from the internet gods

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Haha thanks!

[@josephisip7855]

Hello. Thank you for doing this. The drawhatch tool's link gives the program version 12.3 instead of version 12.5. Where can we find this newer version?

[@AussieBIMGuru]

github.com/aussieBIMguru/Misc/blob/master/ABG_190326_HatchPatterns-Tools.zip This is the only build I have on me. Haven't found any newer ones unfortunately.

[@raburns9875]

OMG, I can't believe how you have made such a painful process so easy.

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Glad to help!

[@redpepr1]

Thank you for the video! I will be using this in the near future. In the video you had a spreadsheet for calculating the hatch codes. Is the spreadsheet available for download? Is it right in front of my face or am I missing something? Thanks Bob

[@AussieBIMGuru]

It is on my github; github.com/aussieBIMguru/Misc/blob/master/ABG_190326_HatchPatterns-Tools.zip Enjoy! Try PyRevit also, its pattern maker is my goto tool of choice these days.

[@infinityworldstudios5567]

THANKS FOR THE VIDEO WHAT SOFTWAE DID U USE FOR THE RECORD OF THE VIDEO

[@AussieBIMGuru]

You're welcome! I use flashback express, combined with google remote desktop for the tabbed window

[@Smarties476]

Thank you. Is there a way to export a pattern from an existing revit file?

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Yes the pyrevit pattern maker tool can make new or extract existing pat definitions for revit.

[@javiervazquezsanchez8609]

Thank you for the tutorial it is quite helpful, however, the pattern i am after is a brick pattern that shows the mortar but without the bricks being staggered, is there any way to getting this done?

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Yes you could write such a pattern manually using the tips in the video or try the patternmaker in pyrevit if not.

[@supermavie]

Hello! thank you for this! I could not find the Draw Hatch version 12.5. The link you've provided leads to version 12.3 version only. Thanks again!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

These should be the files i use in the video: github.com/aussieBIMguru/Misc/blob/master/ABG_190326_HatchPatterns-Tools.zip

[@joshwang8321]

Hi, thanks for sharing this with us. Is there a way to create a transparent solid hatch Pattern ?

[@AussieBIMGuru]

I don't believe so. Usually in Revit we achieve these using a combination of foreground/background fill layers in filled region definitions.

[@joshwang8321]

@@AussieBIMGuru Thanks for your replie mate. I think then I will try to apply some filters to controll the transparency.

[@bradleykreuger154]

Hey awesome video! I'm actually getting the first method to work by editing Revit's default PAT file. I have a question for you. I am creating a Norman brick with a 1/3 running bond in US Imperial. so 12" x 2.667" brick with the running bond spaced at 1/3 the distance from the one below (4"). To achieve this, I have my horizontal information set to 90,0,0,2.667,4,2.667,-2.667. I need to space the bricks apart 12", but I cannot input this number. According to your example in the first method, you have the horizontal distance between vertical lines set to 400, but it is not described in your note pad and you didn't mention that number in the video. How do I tell the pattern file what this number needs to be? Thanks so much your videos are awesome! Liked and Subbed

[@AussieBIMGuru]

I actually use a bit of a shortcut with my first example by specifying a vertical and horizontal offset for the vertical line, so it will repeat in both directions to create the staggered brick pattern (on the second notepad line). A more exhaustive way to do this is to draw your pattern freehand, find an origin point and identify the repeating pieces you need to 'build' the pattern overall. For a 1/3 running bond I think you might need 3 lines. These days I typically use pyRevit to make patterns which comes with a great tool that can create a tileable pattern from detail lines you draw in Revit. From there you can view the .pat file and it will reveal the code required, so it can be a good learning aid too.

[@bradleykreuger154]

@@AussieBIMGuru This reply was so fast! You rock. I found a few Reddit threads about setting a running bond. Unfortunately I have yet to find the perfect solution in writing the code myself. I'm going to use your advice and try the pyRevit tool to build it myself. Thanks for the help! If I solve it I'll share the PAT code in the chat, so you can check it out.

[@suhasgharat3069]

Please One Video On Crub Location in Paver Block Pattern.

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Hrm in not quite sure what you mean unfortunately. Sounds like a civil sort of workflow, not really my specialty unfortunately.

[@michaelheath-caldwell4298]

Microstation was much better at this. Similar to Autocad array but you could select the line work to be repeated, then by distance of length and width and that was it. Autocad array can be done and then clip the array.

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Interesting - I never used Microstation but I did hear they got a lot of things right that haven't found their way to other software platforms. I've found pyRevit's pattern generator fairly intuitive recently; a similar workflow to what you describe by the sounds of it.

[@sandeepbhatia2519]

Hi Mate, Great video. Is there any way to import services/utilities linetypes from Autocad to Revit and they look the same as in Autocad? Thanks in advance.

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Not with line types unfortunately. The only way i know how to do this is to place line based detail items with annotations for the letters.

[@Indijaner90]

Great video! Can you please send me the Excel file for creating brick pattern. Thank you and greatings from Serbia!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Thanks! Great to know my content has reached more countries :) I've added them to a .zip file here; github.com/aussieBIMguru/Misc

[@user-ip3cp5di5h]

hi what is the meaning of a negative delta x or y?

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Depending which one it is being used in for the values, it would move in the opposite direction. E.g. a negative rotation (ccw), a pattern repeating in the opposite direction, moving down/back, or starting below/behind the origin of the definition. Generally most patterns can be written with no negative values I believe.

[@alonsoobregon8658]

Hi All. I downloaded Draw Hatch but I have the 12.3 version. It doesn't allow me to select "Revit" on the options. Also. when I try to import the .PAT file to a MODEL pattern It says Revit could not find any pattern. What am I doing wrong?

[@AussieBIMGuru]

I've had people report back to me lately saying drawhatch and getpat are experiencing bugs like this. They're quite old now so I suspect they're not compatible with newer versions anymore. I would try out PyRevit instead, which is free and can generate patterns in Revit itself in a similar way to drawhatch.

[@alonsoobregon8658]

@@AussieBIMGuru just tried Draw Hatch again. Only thing is that after saving the notepad file I had to add a certain text including the word "MODEL" and it worked for Revit ! Thanks for your video. Super helpful

[@AussieBIMGuru]

@@alonsoobregon8658 oh weird usually it adds that, maybe that aspect isn't working anymore. You're welcome! Definitely try pyrevit, it does curves and rectangular hatch tiles which drawhatch doesnt, I usually use this these days instead as a result.

[@Winterhorde]

@@alonsoobregon8658 hi where did you add this text and what is it? i have the same issue - not able to create a model hatch

[@alonsoobregon8658]

@@Winterhorde On the notepad. This was 5 months ago so I totally forgot how to do it. Adding hatchs to Revit is painful. I wish it was as simple as it is with AutoCAD

[@immi85]

i have seen some people are creating Hatch Patterns with DYNAMO+REVIT.

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Indedd they have, check out Dynapat by Hyun Woo Kim! plevit1.blogspot.com/2020/06/dynapat-pattern-maker-for-revit-by.html

[@immi85]

@@AussieBIMGuru true Hyun Woo Kim is genius, I am following from last 3years😀.

[@oreotitan4545]

I created a hatch pattern for use in revit and for some reason revit wont accept the .PAT file as a Drafting pattern or a Model pattern

[@AussieBIMGuru]

How does the warning read? Usually it is a formatting issue - feel free to email me the file and I can troubleshoot it

[@oreotitan4545]

Aussie BIM Guru it says “no ‘model’ type patterns found.”

[@AussieBIMGuru]

@@oreotitan4545 do you mind emailing me the .pat file so I can check the formatting? It's likely either related to the header rows of the pattern or the comma separation for the definition itself. My gmail is in the video banner :)

[@oreotitan4545]

@@AussieBIMGuru Sure, where can I find your email?

[@AussieBIMGuru]

@@oreotitan4545 check the banner of my recent videos. I avoid writing it out as spambots scrape text in comments sometimes!

[@starlingstarry2655]

Which software?

[@AussieBIMGuru]

In this video I am generally using Revit and AutoCAD for the lisp routines.

[@danielecucchi4827]

Where can i find the excel file?

[@AussieBIMGuru]

github.com/aussieBIMguru/Misc/blob/master/ABG_190326_HatchPatterns-Tools.zip

[@danielecucchi4827]

@@AussieBIMGuru have you ever done a flemish bond pattern?

[@AussieBIMGuru]

@@danielecucchi4827 i haven't, but it would make for a good challenge ;)

[@danielecucchi4827]

@@AussieBIMGuru 0, 0, 0, 0, 75 90, 0, 0, 0, 337.5, 75, -75 90, 56.25, 75, 0, 337.5, 75, -75 90, 225, 150, 0, 337.5, 75, -75 90, 168.5, 225, 0, 337.5, 75, -75 90, 337.5, 300, 0, 337.5, 75, -75

[@sihaoc3497]

amazing, still love it in 2020; Could you please reload the support ABG link , looks like its dead... Thank you! recent tries for getpat.... when i ran getpat.lsp. I hit error as follows: Command: GETPAT Select hatch: ; error: bad argument value: positive 0...FYI

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Thanks! I moved all my material to github recently, the hatch files are here; github.com/aussieBIMguru/Misc/blob/master/ABG_190326_HatchPatterns-Tools.zip I found getpat doesn't always work in later autocad builds, it's quite old now (I first used it in 2012!). I'd suggest trying out the plugin 'Pyrevit' which has a great pattern drawing tool like getpat, and works in Revit as well.

[@sihaoc3497]

@@AussieBIMGuru Thank you Aussie, love your video.

[@Marnerbanana]

I'm sure you've done a great job explaining this but wtf why on earth is it so utterly convoluted, I just want to draw a parquet tile pattern, god damn I hate revit so much

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Haha yeah it's a pain. These days I use the pyrevit plugin's pattern maker tool - it's ace! Highly recommend it

[@luislobosrivadeneira9670]

CAAAT

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Haha yep, two of em!

[@yurippyy]

that is amazing, thank you so much, however, this is absolutely crazy that you pay so much for a architectural program, and you have to do code for such a basic thing.

[@AussieBIMGuru]

There are apps out there to help such as PyRevit which are free. I hadn't used it as much at the time but use it now regularly for this type of task. Revit doesn't feel as expensive when you use it to make profit for a business, however maybe blender or freecad are worth looking into if it's not a feasible price for your expectations.

[@yurippyy]

@@AussieBIMGuru I agree, I just think for the price they sell this product for Architects, not coders, those tools should be integrated 100%. In the end Revit is a 20 years old program with millions of updates, but they won't re write it as 'Revit 2.0' Unfortunately, Auto-desk became a giant, monopoly. All the-other programs are way behind for the simple fact that other Autodesk bought them and incorporate them or just killed them. Anyway, your video is amazing, thank you for sharing.

[@AussieBIMGuru]

@@yurippyy i agree with all of it. Unfortunately most competitors seem to be 3D CAD versus BIM these days or aren't interested in authoring - only viewing and working with pre-authored models. Hopefully viable alternatives emerge eventually.

[@MiikaLiukka]

The first 4 methods are not in Revit, but in Notepad, Excel or AutoCAD. This is not helpful for our designers who need to create their own patterns! pyRevit is good but there are some issues where it crashes Revit on startup so we're no longer including it in our deployment... I really wish there was an equally easy-to-use plugin for making patterns inside Revit!

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Sure the first 4 aren't in Revit, but they're the fundamental methods all the addins are working from essentually. They're worth sharing and are the fallbacks when addins dont cut it. No point in sitting around waiting for someone else to solve a problem if another way is immediately possible in my experience. When PyRevit works it's great, no issues for me so far but I know a lot of addins conflict with it so maybe review which addins you are using and avoid any that arent well supported or regularly updated by their authors. Try dynapat or honeypat maybe? caddetailsblog.com/post/dynapat-ultimate-pattern-maker-for-revit-by-dynamo

[@MiikaLiukka]

@@AussieBIMGuru DynaPat seems awesome, thanks!

[@baldwincual3725]

bla bla

[@AussieBIMGuru]

?

[@unclefried8875]

This is not wat i want 😮

[@AussieBIMGuru]

Ok...