Hatch Database Changes: How Our Updated Hatch System Works & Hatch Troubleshooting (June 2023)

Have you noticed that our hatch database has changed? Do our hatch patterns and hatch previews look different, or even cause issues, when you go into existing files and make revisions?

We've updated our system of hatch pattern system with Land F/X version 19.21 (June 2023). Here's why we did it, and how it works.

• Why did we update our hatch pattern system?
• How does our updated hatch system work?
• What happens when you run the update?
• How are the hatch patterns now organized?
• Troubleshooting: Hatch issues you might be seeing after the update

Why did we update our hatch pattern system?

Here are some of the main benefits of our updated hatch pattern system:

• We've vastly increased the size of our hatch library, with tons of new hatches. Here are a few examples:

 

Old Hatch dialog box, Detail hatch patterns

 

Updated Hatch dialog box, Detail hatch patterns

 

Old Hatch dialog box, Drip hatch patterns

 

Updated Hatch dialog box, Drip hatch patterns

 

Old Hatch dialog box, Groundcover hatch patterns

 

Updated Hatch dialog box, Groundcover hatch patterns

 

Old Hatch dialog box, Site hatch patterns

 

Updated Hatch dialog box, Site hatch patterns

• We've also restructured our hatch pattern library so that:
• The ordering and sorting of the hatch patterns are more easily navigated.
• We can add new hatch patterns continuously.
• When we create new hatch patterns, or make revisions of existing patterns, we can add them to your library automatically without overwriting your custom hatch setup.
• Saving hatch patterns and adjusting our default hatches keeps your user hatches all together in a safe place, making it easier to troubleshoot and fix the hatch library if something ever goes wrong.

How does our updated hatch system work?

The main categories of Detail, Drip, Groundcover, Site, and Truecolor are now split into subcategories such as User, Simple, Complex, etc.

 

This new organization system makes it much easier to navigate and locate the right hatch pattern.

What happens when you run the update?

The first time you use our Hatch tool after running the update, you'll see the new structure automatically.

Wondering what happened to your existing saved hatches or customized Land F/X hatches? The system will take the _site_.xml file within your LandFX\Hatch folder and make a _site_.bak file, then turn your existing _site_.xml file into a user - site.xml file. From there, the _site_.xml you see is the new one.

 

If you have any previously saved hatches in any Primary hatch group, such as Site, you'll find them in the User subcategory.

If you had previously set any layers to any of these hatch patterns, you'll need to re-enter these layer settings into the new system – an unfortunate but necessary step that fortunately only needs to be completed once. From here, the new structure is much more flexible and dynamic, making future changes much easier and safer.

How are the hatch patterns now organized?

Each primary hatch group now includes subcategories, as shown in the examples below.

 

Groundcover hatch subcategories

 

Site hatch subcategories

Here's how we've organized the subcategories in each category:

• The Detail hatch category has subcategories associated with detail work, organized by typical materials found when completing detail work.
• The Drip category is broken into two main subcategories: Dripline and Emitter style hatches.
• The Groundcover category is split into Simple, Complex, and Aggregate subcategories.
• The Site category is split into Simple, Complex, Aggregate, and Paver subcategories.
• The Truecolor category is split into all available color wheel hatches set up in our Site Color tool.
• Each primary hatch category will also include a User subcategory that will be listed first if you or your office has created custom hatch patterns within that category.