Vector pattern fill?

[JayBall]

I'm a pumpkin pattern designer. I've used both Inkscape and Illustrator to create my pumpkin carving templates, but now I'm trying to make the switch to Affinity Designer. I use a simple hatch pattern on my pumpkin templates to indicate areas of "sculpting" (or where NOT to cut all the way thru on the pumpkin). See an example here:
https://pumpkinglow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Jormungand-pattern.pdf
https://pumpkinglow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/PW-Jormundgand01.jpg

I'm trying to figure out how best to do this technique in Affinity Designer. In Illustrator I was able to create a custom vector fill pattern that I could setup in a swatch as if it were a color, then apply it to areas that I want "hatched" in my pumpkin templates.

[firstdefence]

Welcome to the forum @JayBall

From the PDF link it looks like you are doing as most people would suggest by using the Fill tool and the bitmap option.

[JayBall]

So after poking around it looks like there is no support for vector patterns in Affinity Designer at this point.

Seems like my best option is to use the Fill tool and bitmap option as suggested. A simple Add-Plus (+) sign symbol saved as a png image will make a perfect bitmap file to use for this pattern. Is there any more precision way to control scale of the pattern other than eye-balling while dragging it?

To retain consistency in all my hatched objects I've decided my best option is to create an object and use the Fill tool and bitmap option and adjust and set the scale I want in this object. Then copy it and *Edit>Paste Style* everywhere I want "hatched".

[thomaso]

This topic might give more info about pattern as fill (as far I remember certain SVG appeared to work):

 

[Dazmondo77]

Theres a few of ways to cheat making vector patterns - the easiest I've discovered today, is to use the data merge layout tool in the 1.9 betas, along with symbols or you can hand draw using vector or bitmap brushes - for me this seems far more powerful than the new pattern feature in the latest photo betas - the old way of cheating was to make an empty box and make it a symbol then step and repeat it to fill your page (seems to slow down a little) then anything you paste into the symbol would repeat 

[JayBall]

Great responses - Lots of options. Thanks so much! 

The data merge layout tool in 1.9 beta looks promising. AD is going is a good direction with this one. I look forward to using this more in the future.

In the end I ended up creating a symbol then stepped and repeated it to create a pattern that fills the entire page of my pumpkin pattern template that I can now use to clip to create my desired hatch. More work than I wanted to do to set it up, but now that I have a template it will work great for me.

[fde101]

On 11/14/2020 at 8:46 PM, JayBall said:

AD is going is a good direction with this one

Data Merge is only in Publisher, actually.