Hatch types and textures are project resources, loadable items that can be used in the project as they are or in a modified version. All the items that are in a project, such as line types, hatches, color palettes, are resources that are saved within the project file. To avoid ending with an overly large file, by default a new project opens with only a limited set of resources that are commonly used in a project.
The Resource Manager window allows you to add, edit, create and manage resources and add more items from the libraries as they are needed. HighDesign SE and Pro editions also offer the ability to create new resources and store them in custom libraries.
In this tutorial we are going to add more hatches and textures to a project. The underlying principles apply to the other resources as well.
Hatches, Patterns and Textures
Select Project ▸ Resource Manager and click the Hatch Patterns pane to access the options to browse the hatches and textures currently loaded in the project. You can also add new ones from the existing libraries, create, edit and organise vector hatch patterns and textures.
The table on the left lists the resources currently loaded in the project and stored in the Project Library.
Note:
A loaded resource is one that is available for use in the project, but may not be actually in use. Think of loaded project resources as a menu of items that at some point you might need to use.
To add more hatches and textures to the project, click the Load… button on the bottom (or the Plus button on the left) to show the all the available resources stored in the HighDesign and the User Libraries.
Available resources are: Linear hatches and Tiled patterns (vector hatches), and Textures (tiled images within the hatched region).
Select the item to load and push the Plus button or drag the item to the Project list. The item is loaded into the project and immediately available for use.
Push the Done button to confirm or select other hatches or textures to add to the project.
A resource added to the project is a copy of the original resource found in the library. That means that it can be modified as needed without worrying that the changes might inadvertently propagate to other projects. When you want to update a resource in the project to match the original in the library, which for example could be a newer version, you can simply re-add the original to the project to reload. Once a resource is reloaded, all the objects that used that resource will be updated to use the new version.
Creating New Textures
To create a new texture, click the New hatch type button, select New Texture and choose the image in any of the supported file types (JPEG, PNG, TIFF, GIF, etc.). Images must have a 72 dpi resolution.
A texture only supports 90° rotations and can be scaled via the Hatch Properties panel. The origin of the texture can be changed just as in linear hatches and patterns, by moving the center point when the hatch object is selected in the drawing.
All the hatches and textures added to the project are immediately available for use through the Hatch settings window.
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