The short version
- A type is one batten size you repeat, like "40 x 40 SHS" or "round bar".
- Spacing is the gap between two battens of the same type.
- The A → B gap is the gap between two different types.
- All your types together, in order, make one cycle. CAD60 repeats the cycle across the gate.
- Pattern Fit decides where that cycle sits inside the frame.
- A fold called Fine adjustments holds the settings you rarely change, like overhang and end caps.
Spacing vs the A → B gap
This is the part that trips people up first, so look at it before anything else. Spacing sits INSIDE a type, between two battens that are the same. The gap sits BETWEEN two types, where one type ends and the next one begins. You set both numbers yourself, and they can be different.
Step 1: Pick how many types
At the top of the pattern designer is a row of numbers, 2 through 10, labelled Types. Tap a number to pick how many different batten kinds are in your pattern. Two types gives you a simple A-B-A-B look. More types gives you a busier, more decorative rhythm. You need at least 2, since one type on its own is just a plain batten gate.
Step 2: Set up each type
Under the Types row, you get one card per type, labelled Type A, Type B, and so on. Tap a card to open it. Each card has three things to set: the profile (the shape and size of the batten), how many of that type sit in a row, and the spacing between them.
Closed
Open
- ① Profile: pick from square tube, rectangle tube, round bar, solid square, or pick "Other" and type your own width and depth.
- ② Count: the plus and minus buttons sit right in the card header, since this is the number you change most while you dial in the fit.
- ③ Spacing: the gap, in millimetres, between two battens of this same type.
Step 3: Set the gap between types
Between each pair of cards sits a small row that says something like "A → B gap". Type a number here for the gap between the last batten of one type and the first batten of the next. If you picked 3 types, you get 2 of these gap rows: A → B and B → C.
Step 4: Choose how the pattern fits your gate
Once your cycle is set up, you need to tell CAD60 where to put it inside the gate frame. This is the Pattern Fit choice, and there are four options.
Puts the pattern in the middle. The gap is the same on both sides.
Stretches the gaps so the first and last battens touch both edges.
You set the exact gap on the left. Whatever is left over goes on the right.
CAD60 repeats the pattern as many times as it fits, ends flush.
Most people start on Auto-repeat. It works out the repeat count for you and keeps both edges flush, so you spend your time on the pattern itself instead of the maths.
Step 5: The little dial-in options
A few more controls sit below the main pattern: Mirror flips the pattern about the centre for a symmetrical look, and Pattern Repeats sets how many times the cycle repeats when you are not on Auto-repeat. Below that, a fold called Fine adjustments holds the settings a shop usually sets once and leaves alone: how far the battens stick up past the top rail, a no-batten zone near the hinge or latch so a batten never clips the post, and whether the batten tops get trimmed for end caps. Leave the fold closed until you actually need one of those.
What the fit line is telling you
Under the type cards sits one line of text that tells you, in real time, whether your pattern fits the gate. It never says a plain "Fits". Instead it prints the pattern width next to the frame width, so you can see for yourself how close you are. If it turns red and says the pattern is too wide, lower a count, shrink a spacing or gap, or switch Pattern Fit to Auto-repeat, which always finds a fit on its own. A yellow "checking" message just means CAD60 is confirming your latest change. Give it a second.
Draw your own patterned gate
Type your opening size, set up a pattern, and CAD60 draws every batten with a dimensioned drawing pack. Start here:
Questions people ask
What is the difference between spacing and the gap?
Spacing is the gap between two battens of the SAME type. Gap is the gap between two DIFFERENT types, where one type ends and the next one starts. Every type gets its own spacing number. Every pair of types gets its own gap number.
Why does it say my pattern doesn't fit?
Your pattern is wider than the gate. Add up every batten width, every spacing gap, and every between-type gap and that total has to fit inside the frame. Lower a count, shrink a spacing or gap, or switch Pattern Fit to Auto-repeat, which resizes itself to fit.
What does Auto-repeat actually do?
Auto-repeat works out how many times your pattern can repeat across the gate on its own. It stretches the gap between repeats a little so the first and last battens land flush with both edges. You do not set a repeat count yourself in this mode.
Can I mix round bar and square tube in the same gate?
Yes. Each type is its own shape and size. Type A can be square tube, Type B can be round bar, Type C can be solid square, and so on, up to 10 types in one pattern.
Does this work the same on the slatted models?
Yes. The patterned-slatted gates use the exact same pattern designer. Types, counts, spacing, gaps, and Pattern Fit all work the same way, with wide flat slats instead of tube or bar.