Fill Pattern Line Weights

[prospero]

Why can you change the line weight of a fill pattern (when used in a filled region) but you cannot change the line weight of a fill pattern when it's associated with a material?

I know you can change the color and pattern of a "project/surface pattern" in visibility and graphics, but there's no option to change the line weight of the pattern.

Does anyone know how to change the line weight of a fill pattern? What is it being associated to?

Any help would be appreciated.

edit: i did a search and found it's not possible, this is horrible!

[rjcrowther]

The best I have been able to come up with is to make the pattern a suitable colour so those who copy my drawings in monochrome get a grey line rather than black.

Rob

[aaronrumple]

Fill patterns are associated with Pen 1 in your lineweight table. So I recommend reserving Pen 1 for hatching and adjusting your table as needed for best display of hatch at your varying scales. In 9.1 Pen 1 could only be set to a minumim of 0.003". In 2008 it can be set as small as 0.001". However the default in 2008 is 0.003"

[Calvn_Swing]

Yeah, but it would sure be nice if the surface pattern and cut pattern line weights would be available in Object Styles, VG overrides, or at least the material properties. Unfortunately, one lineweight to rule them all isn't a useful "solution." Am I supposed to print sheets A2.10 and A2.11 and then change the setting to print the rest of the enlarged details so I can get some "phat" lineweights on my floor patterns?

Come on!

[iandidesign]

I was just about to post a Dumb Noob Question asking how to control the line weight of model patterns. Guess it's not such a dumb question after all. A rather bizarre omission, don't you think?

Before I head over to the wishlist, how do you Revit sages think this should be controlled?

[atbergma]

I have encountered one exception to this frustrating lack of control - phase filters. The lineweight of model surface fill patterns will follow the projection lineweight of the phasing graphic override. I imagine the "New" phase graphic override is rarely used, but I am experimenting with using it for reflected ceiling plans to distinguish between new and existing ceiling grids.

There are limits to this as well. Using Overridden in the phase filter instead of By Category throws out all of the by category distinctions under VG and Object Styles.

[jv3dcad]

Why are we still thinnking in lineweights while working in a BIM? My greatest fear is that Autodesk starts developing a tool to change the lineweights in de material fill patterns. I think this will slow down the software just to get a plan looking nice.

[iandidesign]

As much as I like to ponder the promise of direct and seamless exchange of digital design data between AECO team members, extending as far as electronic measuring and layout tools, reality is getting a drawing "looking nice" is often exactly what I am getting paid (and told) to do. Even if it's never printed the line quality of hathing, be it surface patterns or the poché of cut elements, remains an important aid in distinguishing different materials and conditions.

I have witnessed the difficulty of controlling the line weight of every subcomponent of a window object essentially kill the adoption of ArchiCAD as BIM tool at offices that were obsessed with drafting perfection. This is a similar situation.

[diacovoni]

I too am having difficulty getting material patterns to show up the way that I would like them to. A prime example is a brick pattern vs a horizontal metal panel. The stock brick material showing each individual brick while accurate is not very asthetically appealing. I would like to use a traditional "Heavier" horizontal line for my brick pattern. Now if I do that the brick will look just like my horizontal metal panel because I cannot change the line weight.

This needs to be fixed.

[etornberg]

Fill patterns are associated with Pen 1 in your lineweight table. So I recommend reserving Pen 1 for hatching and adjusting your table as needed for best display of hatch at your varying scales. In 9.1 Pen 1 could only be set to a minumim of 0.003". In 2008 it can be set as small as 0.001". However the default in 2008 is 0.003"

Not so my version of 2012 - fill patterns have been assigned as model line weight 2! Seriously, I proved this by making #1 and #2 ridiculously different, then just to be sure it wasn't controlled by something else, selecting all object styles and making them line weight 1. The hatch lines stick out like a sore thumb. What is controlling this?? Why hasn't this been fixed? See post by bregnier dated 3/11/2010 that says the same thing, but with no answer. Looks like a bug to me.

[cdatechguy]

Looks like fill patterns applied to the material of an object use the projection line weight of the object under Object Styles.

Odd thing is if I override by object and change the projection line weight, only the boundary changes, the fill pattern does not. Same if I use visibility graphics...the boundary changes but not the fill...

So I can assign a lineweight for the fill....and then override the boundary....actually I think I like this, and I won't have to reserve pen #1 for fill patterns anymore. Oh man, I have to update our company standards again.

[etornberg]

cdatechguy: I don't understand where you are being sarcastic or not. Are you saying that the lines in model fill patterns (inside the fill, not the boundary) can be controlled by anything other than model line weight 2? If so, how? Thanks.

[lost again again]

NOOB here. I'm looking at a section of a pad where the fill pattern line weight seems to be controlled in Object Styles by the Pad Projection line weight. I had it set to 3, and the only fill patterns on my screen with a thick line weight were within the layers of the pad. I changed the line weight to 1 and the fill patterns' line weight changed. This matches cdatechguy' result, at least for pads.

I'm not experienced enough to confirm this is correct or consistent with the program's intent. If anyone with a better understanding of the program could explain what is happening, I would be most appreciative.