Help, Offset is not placing the line where i specified.

[Anonymous]

I am trying to use the offset on straight lines to do some simple window drawings.  I am using the rectangle tool to draw my openings then exploding the box and offsetting to draw my frames, they are offset a quarter inch from the original box.  I then offset to make the frame 2".  nothing overly compex, but for some reason i noticed the last two days when i offset using decimals, or even the 2" using through command, when i click on the line to offset then move it the direction I want then type any measurement.  Cad doesnt always get the measurement where I specified.  Sometimes it is 1/16" off sometimes it is up to a quarter inch off.  The only way that I Have found around it is to just type "o" then input the measurement, then specify.  Haven't noticed any problems with that yet,but it is slowing me down.  I have played around with the drawing units and that does not seem to change anything.  Please help I cannot seem to find anyting that will fix this annoying problem.

Thanks,

[Patchy]

Not world UCS maybe or osnap is on.

Commands:

UCS, World

Then PLAN, use Current

[BrianBenton]

Both methods should work. Is it possible that the lines you are offsetting are not flat and have Z elevations? Or different Z elevations per vertex? 

[Anonymous]

I looked in there but do not see anything that would affect it, any suggestions that i should look into?

[Anonymous]

Everything looks to be in the same plane, but not sure exactly how to check on this

[pendean]

LIST command would be a good tool to start with... .

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

I have attached a poor quality picture of the problem I am having.  simple box, used the through command to draw a line 2" from the original.  as you can see by the measurements only one of the lines were properly drawn.  The drawing is in the same plane.  Any suggestions?

[Patchy]

What is the UNITS you're using? is it possible that it's setting on decimal and you typed in inches for offset and autocad can't use that unit and it offset to where you clicked on the screen and that's what happend?

[Anonymous]

Units are as follows:

  Length

Type: Architectural

Precision: 0"-0 1/256"

Insertion scale

Inches

Lighting

American

angle

Decimal Degrees

precision

0.0000

I have changed a few setting to try to correct the problem but it doesnt seem to matter what i change it to, the problem still occurs.

[Patchy]

Post your actual drawing, let's test it.

 I have never seen offset doing this.

[Anonymous]

Here is one of the files.  have had the problem with all of the drawings.  the third and largest box was done the same way 2" offset from the outside.  the bottom line is way off.  I am assuming that you will not have any problem with it on your end, because it is either a glitch in my programing or some formatting that I inadvertently messed up.

[Patchy]

How about a .dwg  ? 

[nestly2]

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travis wrote:

... used the through command to draw a line 2" from the original.....

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 I never use that option unless there's already an obect/point that I need the offset to pass "through".  I would be interested in seeing your procedure for specifying the "through" point, but if you're just trying to offset a specific distance, just specify the distance without using "through"  (Ie overtype the word "through" with your offset distance)

I think the animation below will help clarify what's happening.  Basically it's offsetting "2" units from your pickpoint on the object "through" your cursor location using DDE  (Direct Distance Entry)  If you're going to use it like that, I recommend turning on Polar or Ortho.

[Kent1Cooper]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I have attached a poor quality picture of the problem I am having.  simple box, used the through command to draw a line 2" from the original.  as you can see by the measurements only one of the lines were properly drawn.  The drawing is in the same plane.  Any suggestions?

---

I suspect you may be using the Offset command incorrectly.  [There is no "through command" -- I assume you mean the Through option in Offset.]  In this image, I drew the left vertical line from A to B.  Then I started Offset, keeping the default Through option, selected the line at C, pulled the cursor over to D for the direction I wanted to go [with Snap on so I knew it was a truly horizontal direction], and typed in 2 for the distance.  Unlike the way it works in, for example, drawing a Line, in Offset there is no rubber-band line to the cursor location from the point at which you pick an object [or from any other point].  When you try to designate the Through point in that way, it does not use a location at the distance you typed in the direction of the cursor from the selection point on the object, as it does for the next point in a Line.  [EDIT:  That may not still be true in newer versions than what I have here, as it appears from nestly2's post, but in any case their solution is the same.  I do wonder, though, whether it might work as you expect if you have Ortho on, but that would only have the desired result when Offsetting orthogonal Lines.]  It apparently uses a location at that distance and in the direction toward the cursor from the last "drawn" point [represented by "@" or (getvar 'lastpoint)], which in this situation was the end point of the Line I had just drawn [B].  It used point E [2" from B in the direction toward D] as the Through point, and of course the resulting new Line [the right one] is not 2" away from the original Line.

I was only able to discern that it worked that way because I keep blips turned on, so I could see what point it used for the Through point [it put a blip at E, as at all the little yellow circle locations], and that it wasn't where apparently you are expecting it to be in using Offset in this way.

The solution to your problem:  Just give Offset 2 as the offset distance -- don't use the Through option.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Ok, so it truns out  to be a simple solution.  I had apparently hit F12 and turned off the Dynamic Input.  I couldn't figure it out until you said about the ortho.  Thank you all so much for the great help.  I truly appeciate it. 

[Anonymous]

Offset is not applying to the specified distance I don't know what's wrong it is driving me crazy plz help 😭😭

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> Offset is not applying to the specified distance I don't know what's wrong

We don't know what you have ... upload the dwg file (with the source object and the result), let us know which object you try to offset, how you have define the distance (manual input or showing a distance with cursor) and also let us know which version and service pack of AutoCAD you are using.

- alfred -