So I am using matplotlib to generate SVGs to draw with my axidraw through inkscape. I recently added some hatching, which appears fine in rendering, but isn't drawing. Digging into the SVG file itself, it seems like what gets drawn are the paths ie

<g id="axes_1">
<g id="patch_2">
<path clip-path="url(#p079d46adee)" d="M 1125.220949 392.397995
L 1127.047463 394.178781
L 1127.96072 394.178781
L 1129.787234 395.959567
L 1130.700491 395.959567
L 1132.527005 397.740353
...

But the circles are a pattern

<pattern height="72" id="hd9c7ab4729" patternUnits="userSpaceOnUse" width="72" x="0" y="0">
<rect fill="none" height="73" width="73" x="0" y="0"/>
<path d="M 0 73.2
C 0.318244 73.2 0.623496 73.07356 0.848528 72.848528
C 1.07356 72.623496 1.2 72.318244 1.2 72
C 1.2 71.681756 1.07356 71.376504 0.848528 71.151472

I'm wondering if it possible to treat those patterns as paths so they can be drawn.

for hatches you could convert using 'object to path' and they should be seen... For fill patterns it's different... there is no way that I know to convert all the objects in a pattern fill to real objects. If it's pattern on path the same object to path should do. Once again the lack of any image reference results in a lot of guesswork on my part...

You need to use real objects (i.e. paths, instead of styles) for this, so either create the pattern manually and cut it with boolean operations, or use one the available extensions.

https://github.com/evil-mad/EggBot/blob ... t_hatch.py

or use the gcodetools area fill, depending on the pattern that you want:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxUF9T53zSA