Offset curve offsets a curve in a specified direction by a specified distance.
Note: Offset is a mathematical function based on the curve. It is not necessarily a linear transformation. If you just want to move a curve, use the
Transform dialog.
- Select Construct tab > Curves panel > From Curves > Offset to display the Offset Curve dialog.
- Optionally enter a curve name in the Name field, or leave the default name.
- Select the curve you want to use from the
Curve menu, or click the
Pick Curve
button and select it in the graphics window.
- Enter the Offset distance.
- Select Left or Right to offset the curve in the direction you want. The new curve is displayed in blue in the graphics window.
- Offsetting a curve sometimes results in overlapping regions, for example:
To remove such regions, select Eliminate self-intersections and enter a Tolerance. The overlapping regions are trimmed away:
- Click OK.
Warning: Offsetting a curve can have surprising results depending on the nature of the curve, for example, arc sections of the curve might reverse themselves. Until you are familiar with the effects of
Offset, you should save your work before performing the offset to be sure you can return to a good set of data for your part model.