Down&Dirty

Does anyone know how I can use the "Hatch" function in AutoCAD to add balsa and plywood grain detail to my plans. Is there an add-on available that will allow me to do this?

Thanks in advance!

Tim

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

Doesn't exist to my knowledge.

You can go to CADALOG and download wood grain patterns in SHX/SHP formats, but they don't resemble what was done years ago.

What you would like to see as a wood grain pattern, is just simplier to make via hand. Grab an old set of plans from the 1960-70's and examine how the draftsman did it via hand. Just draw up a few 1x1 or 2x2 squares with a few squiggly lines, a herrringbone pattern, and a birdeye. Then import the drawing file shapes to your details, rotate each a few degrees, rescale, or mirror to make them not readily apparent to each other. Then, explode, and trim to size. This is the routine I used with many of the House of Balsa plans that were redone a few years ago. Customers can't tell, but the wood grain pattern on the FW-190 is the same as on the P-47 details, etc.

So much faster to do it yourself, and by hand.

Wm.

Rodrigo C

Tim,

I usually draw a sall box with the grain and make it a block. Then I apply it using the "Super Hatch" command, I have tried to look for wood grains over the net to use as hatches but managed to find nothing usefull at least on the "free" part.

Here is a picture of a balsa grain hatch applied.