Frequent contributor Raymond Rizkallah sends us a unique AutoCAD routine that can generate hatch patterns on the fly. Before you get started, you will need to plan what you want the pattern to look like, such as the spacing of the lines and how many angles you will need.

To get started, load the LISP file, then type in the command Matrix. At the first prompt, enter a string such as "0.5 0.2 0.1," designating the distances between the lines. Next, enter the angle for those lines. You can repeat these steps multiple times for each set of lines you need in the pattern. When you are done, use the zero (0) key to end and the Hatch command will be initiated, ready to place your new pattern.

Raymond has also provided a depiction of sample hatch patterns created with this routine: