Insulation component + hatch

[Craig_L]

Does anyone have a .pat file for insulation similar to the 2D insulation component available in Revit?
Or if you aren't willing to share the file, maybe share how you achieved it so I can duplicate it?

I seem to be limited to the ****** hatch patterns available and none of them are even close to insulation.

I found this
http://plevit1.blogspot.ch/2013/10/curved-insulation.html
but I don't see how this works in a cut view, seems like it would get the result I want in plan but this guy has created an extrusion so in cut I'm just going to see a solid piece like I already see...and that's not what I want.

Seems to me I "should" be able to just set a hatch pattern but I have no idea why OOTB revit doesn't include a freaking insulation hatch pattern and only has a 2D component available...this is like the 15th iteration of Revit and they still haven't included this?

[david_peterson]

I hear you there. We've been using the hatch pattern for Rigid insulation since we usually don't use a lot of Glass Batts, just mineral fiber for sound.
But it sure would be nice to have a batt shape as a material pattern.

[hugh.69031]

These are pretty lightweight, fancier would replace the shorter lines with even shorter lines approximating arcs - but to no great visual advantage :


;%VERSION=3.0
;%UNITS=INCH

*batt,batt insulation
;%TYPE=DRAFTING
161.57,-53.001,18.995,7.59,2.53,6.32,-56.92
18.43,53.001,18.995,7.59,-2.53,6.32,-56.92
108.43,1,1,43,2.53,18.97,-44.27
71.57,-1,1,20.24,2.53,18.97,-44.27

*battM,batt insulation
;%TYPE=MODEL
161.57,-53.001,18.995,7.59,2.53,6.32,-56.92
18.43,53.001,18.995,7.59,-2.53,6.32,-56.92
108.43,1,1,43,2.53,18.97,-44.27
71.57,-1,1,20.24,2.53,18.97,-44.27


If the scale is not to your liking you can either resize on loading or use the free HatchKit Add-In for Revit to rescale a loaded pattern within the project without having to reload its original external .PAT file.

Hope this helps,

Hugh Adamson
www.hatchkit.com.au (http://www.hatchkit.com.au)

[Craig_L]

Thanks Hugh,
I want to try this out but can you tell me how I go about it?
Do I create a text file in notepad and save it as a *.pat?
I'm just not familiar with how to start / create the hatch pattern files

[hugh.69031]

Do I create a text file in notepad and save it as a *.pat?

You bet. Copy and paste the pattern text to Notepad or any other text editor such as PSPad. Trim any leading spaces from each line.
Make sure to save it as a .PAT file and not as a .PAT.txt file - which is what Notepad will gleefully give you if you just save with the default .txt file extension that Notepad thinks you need (you don't). Use Save as type:= All Files (*.*) to supply the .PAT extension, otherwise you won't be able to find it while browsing in Revit.

In your Revit project, select Manage>Additional Settings>Fill Patterns (to wake up Fill Pattern manager).
Click:

Drafting or Model radio-button (to select either Pattern Type)
New (New Pattern panel appears)
Custom (lower portion changes)
Import (file browser appears, restricted to .PAT files, remember)
Browse to your file and open it
Select the pattern you want to load from the dropdown list
Alter the pattern scale to taste
Alter the pattern name to taste
Click on OK (pattern will be added to the displayed list of patterns)


That's it. Redo to load with a different scale or you can use the free Add-In I mentioned earlier to do that inside your project.

Hope this helps,

Hugh Adamson
www.hatchkit.com.au (http://www.hatchkit.com.au)

[Craig_L]

Thanks Hugh, I managed to figure out most of this before you replied, but I seem to have hit a roadblock.
It's in inches don't know if this is an issue for importing in a metric project?
I can't seem to edit the scale upon importation all the choices to do with scale are greyed out.

And I really WANT to try the hatchkit, among other useful plug-ins also but where I work IT have a stranglehold on everything so I can't just download and try it out I need someone from IT to first approve it and blah blah red tape and it usually takes them a month to actually install something I ask for
(I waited 3 months for design review to get installed and its part of the CAD deployment package...)

[hugh.69031]

It's not an issue. The units used within the project are irrelevant as Revit stores all lengths as feet and conversion happens automatically as the pattern is read in.

Scale editing should become enabled when you open a file in step 5 and the first pattern in that file is highlighted/selected.
Units is greyed out as it's predetermined by the ;%TYPE= ... entries in said file.

If your experience is different could you post a screenshot in this thread or message me?

hth

[Craig_L]

no it's worked as you described - kind of...but I assume discrepancies are down to user error on my side.
The tray with the hole in it that comes out of the computer is for holding a Maccas drink cup right?

I actually got this mostly to work, I had to put my import scale way down at 0.01 but its more or less worked with one exception...

I've used a component family for insulation, and this has an "insulation" material applied, which in turn has your hatch pattern applied
When I place this element and runs horizontally across the screen (in plan) it works fine.
If the element runs vertically up and down the page/screen the hatch does not rotate 90 degrees but rather draws the elliptical line thingo sitting one on top of the other - as opposed to stringing along side by side as they should. I had the same problem appear in section because the piece with a depth of 300mm needs the hatch to turn 90 degrees to hatch how I want but it currently doesn't. Am I missing something or is this just how it is? Maybe I need to use the same hatch turned 90 degrees for section hatch?

[hugh.69031]

Yes, the DRAFTING version is way too huge for 1:1 use but is an example of a random non-Revit pattern sourced from the web somewhere. The MODEL pattern loads nicely.

If you want to rescale a pattern outside of Revit then multiply change all numbers in the pattern line definitions (except the first one which is the line angle) by a common factor. Excel's quite handy for this.

Revit treats DRAFTING and MODEL patterns very differently. Try using the MODEL version. MODEL patterns can be individually rotated.
See: https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/revit-products/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/Revit-Customize/files/GUID-4CD7F049-F548-46EE-8D64-1C9285B92E1E-htm.html

hth