Offset
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Curve Offset Curve |
The Offset command copies a curve so that all locations on the copied curve are a specified distance from the original curve.
Steps
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Select a curve or an edge.
Or, Ctrl (CMD) + click connected curve/edge segments before running the command.
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Move the mouse cursor to decide the offset direction, and click.
- For best results, use proportionately small offset distances and smooth curves; otherwise, you may get kinks and doubled-back curves.
Command-line options
Distance
Sets the offset distance.
Loose
Yes - Offsets a curve by moving its edit points.
- Polycurve segments offset individually. Segments will break apart at corners in the result.
- The Corner and Tolerance options are not used and are not shown.
- Curves with fewer edit points may distort more in the result.
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The output curve has the same parameter structure as the input curve.
No - Offsets the curve shape within the Tolerance setting.
- A small tolerance creates an output curve with more control points.
Corner
Specifies how corners are handled when they are offset to the "convex" side as pointed out in the image.
Original curve (blue). Offset curve (red).
Sharp
Extend the adjacent offset segments to form a sharp corner.
Round
Fill the gap between adjacent offset segments with a tangent arc segment.
Smooth
Fill the gap between adjacent offset segments with a degree 3 tangent segment.
Chamfer
Fill the gap between adjacent offset segments with a straight segment.
None
Leave the gap open between adjacent offset segments.
Trim (Yes/No)
Specifies whether the intersected curve segments will be trimmed to the corners. No creates self-intersected curves.
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Yes |
No |
ThroughPoint
Offsets through a picked point instead of at a distance.
- The interactive preview is less accurate than the final curve for speeding up display.
Tolerance
Sets the tolerance for the offset curve. Type 0 to use the default system tolerance.
BothSides
Offsets the curve on both sides of the input curve.
InCPlane
The curve is offset in the plane of the original curve. This option offsets the curve in the plane of the current construction plane instead.
Cap
Closes the gap at the curve ends.
None
No closing segments are added. The offset curve goes on the current layer.
Flat
Straight-line segments are added between the curves and joined. The object goes the same layer as the original.
Round
Tangent arcs are added between the curves and joined. The object goes the same layer as the original.
OutputLayer
Current
Place the results on the current layer.
Input
Place the results on the same layer as the input objects.
Hidden command-line option
SubCrv
Type subcrv to select part of a curve as input.
See also
OffsetMesh
Copies a mesh by moving the vertices a specified distance with different direction modes.
OffsetCrvOnSrf
Copy a curve on a surface parallel to the original.
OffsetNormal
Copy a curve on a surface parallel to the original in the surface normal direction.
OffsetMultiple
Copy curves or surface edges parallel to the original.