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Start the pattern creation by invoking Pattern Editor from the Utils menu in PCB. Create desired primary pattern by using Pattern Wizard or by doing it manually.

Decide how many alternate patterns you want to have for this component and assign meaningful names to them. Go to Pattern » Add Pattern Graphics dialog. Inside, you can enter all your alternate pattern names into the Existing Pattern Graphics list. This list is a pool of alternate patterns for your component and can contain more then eight alternate pattern names, however only eight alternate patterns can be assigned to a primary pattern for any one variant of a component.

For example, if you were to create sixteen alternate patterns named 1 to 16, you could then create variant A of your component with alternate patterns 1 to 8, and then edit variant A to create variant B of the same component with alternate patterns 9 to 16 from the list. This alternate patterns name list allows any 8 to be selected for any variant of the component, including duplicates.

Once you have finished entering names for alternate patterns, close the Add Graphics dialog and select Next Pattern Graphics from the View dialog. You will be presented with empty workspace to allow you to create the next alternate pattern. The title bar of the Pattern Editor Window will show the primary pattern name, followed by the alternate pattern name being edited, separated by a semi-column.

Create all the alternate patterns you need in the above manner and use the Validate option from the Utils dialog to ensure that all patterns you have created are correct.

Go to Utils dialog again and select Orientations option. Here you can choose which pattern out of your list will be your primary pattern and which other 8 patterns will be assigned to top and bottom orientations.

On the left side of the Utils Orientations dialog, you will find Top (or Component) side orientation options of 0,90,180 and 270 degrees of rotation. Likewise, the right side of Utils Orientation dialog provides Bottom (or Solder) side orientation options with the same degree assignments. By clicking on the down arrow button on the right side of each assignment, you expose and select which alternate pattern name will be assigned for a particular orientation and/or primary pattern. When all required names are assigned to their respective orientations and/or primary pattern, click OK and exit the Utils Orientations dialog.

To save your new component variant, go to Pattern dialog and select Save to enter into Pattern Save to Library dialog. Inside this dialog click on Library button to select destination component library for your pattern, type in pattern name, tick create Component box, and type in Component name.

Finish by clicking OK button and exit. You have successfully created a PCB portion of a component with multiple alternate patterns, so you can finish component creation by creating a corresponding Schematic symbol inside Symbol Editor, followed by the Library Executive, where symbol and patterns can be merged to create a complete P-CAD component.