Before going into details about installation patterns and stamps, let's take a moment to define the difference between them.

• Installation pattern – design/arrangement of specific sizes of tiles. It is basically a wireframe of where tiles will be placed, empty and ready to take tiles when used on a flooring surface.
  
  
• Stamp – predefined design/arrangement where the tiles have already been set within the wireframe. It is already filled with tiles when used on a flooring surface.

You can edit an existing pattern or stamp, or create a new one from scratch. Both actions are carried out in the Installation patterns and stamps dialog, which is opened from the Flooring tab. Once patterns and stamps are saved, they are ready for use in your project or for sharing with others as reusable files.

On the left-hand side is a list of available patterns.

If you edit a built-in pattern, it has to be saved with a new name in order not to overwrite the original pattern.

To create a new installation pattern, follow the steps below.

1. Create a core pattern

1. Click the Create New Pattern button.
   
   
2. On the right-hand side, select the measurement unit and click the tile size that you want to use.
   
   
3. Move the cursor to the design area. A tile is attached to the cursor. In the Quick Properties box, choose how you want the tiles to snap to each other:
   
   
   • Auto – when checked, all tiles will snap in the same direction as the tile they snap to. When unchecked, you can choose which side a tile should snap to. Toggle between None, Left, Right, Top, or Bottom to find a placement that suits your needs.
     
     
4. Click to place the tile. A new tile is attached to the cursor. Keep clicking out tiles to create your core pattern.
   
   
5. When you are finished, press the Esc key or move the cursor off the drawing area to release the tile.
   
   
6. To further edit your pattern, there is a Position tool and a Remover tool in the toolbar. You can also decide whether to Show/Hide arrows in your pattern.

2. Set pattern repetition

1. Click the Set pattern repetition button and move the cursor towards your core pattern. A blue rotation line is attached to the cursor.
   
   
2. Find a corner on your core pattern and let the rotation line snap to it.
   
   
3. You'll now have to click twice to repeat the pattern vertically and horizontally, and possibly creating an offset:
   
   Click once to attach the rotation point to the core pattern and then move the line slowly across or along the core pattern to explore different repetition suggestions.
   
   When the pattern is to your liking, click once more and slowly move the cursor to expand the pattern.

3. Save pattern

To save a pattern with your current drawing, follow these steps:

1. Click the Save pattern icon.
   
   
2. Type a pattern name and click Save pattern.

Creating a stamp

Creating a stamp is straightforward once you have an installation pattern that you want to use. To create a stamp, follow these steps:

1. On the Stamp tab, select which installation pattern you want to work with.
   
   
2. From the Palette on the right-hand side, pick a product. The palette is filtered to only include products that will fit the installation pattern.
   
   
3. Move the cursor to the design area. The cursor turns into a paint brush.
   
   
4. Move the paint brush to the core pattern. If the product is not compatible with the tile, you are notified about this. Otherwise, go ahead and click once to apply the product to the selected tile.
   
   You can click the Show/Hide textures icon in the toolbar to have the core pattern in your stamp show / not show textured tiles.
5. Click the Save pattern icon, give your stamp a name and click the Save pattern button.

Applying an installation pattern or stamp

There are two Apply to options in the Installation patterns and stamps dialog:

• Target – this button activates an animation that allows you to choose which flooring surface the pattern or stamp is applied to.
  
  
• Selection – when a flooring surface in your drawing is selected, the Selection button will be activated and your pattern or stamp is immediately applied.

Saving your pattern or stamp also makes it accessible from a floor surface's Quick Properties box and can quickly be applied from there.