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#62403 by M_Lanzer
Thu Nov 14, 2013 3:50 pm
Is there any way to change the aspect ratio of hatch patterns in DC14? I'd like to take the shingle pattern and squash it vertically, as the pattern looks like shingles hanging on a vertical surface. Obviously as they're laid on a roof plane closer to horizontal than vertical the horizontal lines should be closer together. Anyone know if there's a way to adjust this?

Thanks,

Matt
#62405 by Neil Blanchard
Thu Nov 14, 2013 4:50 pm
Hi Matt,

One way is to modify the the hatch pattern file. If you post the code here, and tell us what the new coursing you want, one of us might be able to do that.

Have you tried it at a smaller hatch scale? The would proportionally shrink the width of the shingles, but if those are random anyway, that would be a super easy fix.
#62612 by ORWoody
Thu Dec 05, 2013 9:18 am
I did exactly what Neil mentioned for roof shingles. I kept the horizontal elements as they were and revised the verticals to show correct for a 45 degree slope. Unfortunately, that wasn't as good a solution as I had hoped that it would be because at anything other than at a large scale, the horizontal lines began to give a dense pattern. At about a correction of two thirds the original spacing, the pattern became useful again.
I had hoped to see some way to do that for patterns on a circular surface and realized that the same density problem would be in place at each side of the cylinder. There is probably some way to do that where the density doesn't reach 100% along each rotating surface, but I now realize that the only person on Earth with the talent to create something like that is Josh Huggins.
Woody
#62613 by ORWoody
Thu Dec 05, 2013 9:20 am
Matt. I failed to mention that if you are interested, send a note to me and I'll send the modified pattern to you. It isn't much of a Christmas present, but it might save you a little time.
Woody
#62718 by wwwylie
Wed Dec 11, 2013 4:46 pm
Not really sure if this works in 14, but here's the workaround I just figured out to independently scale a hatch.

I needed some brick to look like it was set on a 45° wall on my elevations. To make use the same hatch pattern and make it scaled to 0.7071068 x the scale in the X direction only is currently not available in the hatching. So, I hatched the faces i needed with normal brick, then Clipboard Select > Cut them out. Then Paste as Symbol (Ctrl + Sht + V) back to the same spot. Open the symbol for editing and enlarge them by the insertion point to a factor of 1.4142140 (square root of 2) in the X direction only. Check the hatch scale and reset if needed because enlargements tend to change them. Close and save the symbol. Then, open the symbol properties and change the X scale to 0.7071068 (inverse of square root of 2).

Viola! Now the hatch pattern appears to be scaled in the X direction only. It also works on roof hatch patterns for different pitches (changing the Y scale only instead).

I realize this feature probably only works in 16, but you could try enlarging the symbol in the X direction only in previous versions.
#64649 by Richard Mauser
Mon Aug 04, 2014 8:25 am
Morning Matt,

Here is how you might do it in DataCAD 14: Hatch the pattern, and then rotate it to the required angle (whether to actual roof slope or a slope that isn't accurate but graphically looks good) using 3D rotate, on the X axis in your case. Here's the glitch: once you rotate it, you won't be able to stretch it to fit the orthagonally projected elevation view to fill out the roof. So you would have to first figure out the actual 'diagonal dimension (rake) of the roof (or a fudged rake dimension for 'graphically looks good' scale) make a temporary snapping point, and then hatch to that. Rotating it will then make it fill out the elevation view. If you then look at it in a side elevation or isometric view, you'll see that it is floating free of the lines of the elevation drawing, but in the plan view (assuming you are drawing elevations in the plan view like an old guy like me) they will appear to be in the same plane. Did I explain that so its understandable? It's Monday AM, so I'm not firing on all cylinders. Now, time to do something billable!
#67925 by joeferguson
Mon Dec 28, 2015 5:56 pm
I have just spent some time searching the forum, because I too like my shingles to look different at different roof pitches.

Here's how I have done it for years now:

Draw the outline of the area to be hatched on a separate layer. Move the outlined area to a clean area of the sheet. Enlarge the y-axis of the outline, by say, double. Hatch the enlarged area. Explode the hatch using 3D explode. Then use the inverse of the previous enlarge (in this case it would be .5) to reduce the hatched area to the original outline.

Now you have a hatch with the original x dimensions but reduced y dimensions.

This is a clumsy way and takes a lot of memory because of the huge increase in lines, but it's the only way I have found of creating the effect.

If someone has found a more elegant way that doesn't involve writing code, I would like to hear from you.
#67926 by Neil Blanchard
Tue Dec 29, 2015 10:35 am
Hi Joe,

I think you can make a symbol of a large area of hatch, and then use the Enlarge / Y factor you can get the foreshortening of the pattern. Then use Symbol Clip to "shape" it to fit your roof area.

Symbol Clipping is the same as X-Clipping for XRef's - it supports a clip fence.
#67939 by joeferguson
Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:33 pm
Thanks for the suggestion, Neil.

This allows me to keep a symbol library of the most common roof slopes and/or most popular shingle hatches.

I still need to explode the hatch before using Clipit to get the shape I want.

I don't know how to use Symbol Clipping (I don't even know where to find it...). I have searched the forum, the internet and the Reference Manual. Because people talk about it, I know it exists, but I sure would like to know where I can read up on how to find and use this tool.
#67940 by Neil Blanchard
Thu Dec 31, 2015 8:23 am
Hi Joe,

You can use Symbol Clip exactly like you would use X-Clip: Control/Right Click on the unexploded symbol, and select Symbol Tools / SClip, and then New Cube and then Polyline. Snap to the boundary of the roof area. That's it!

If SClip is grayed out, first toggle on Enable SClip right above it.

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