Offset Tool like Autocad

[archislave]

This is the one command I miss most about Autocad. If you don't know what I am talking about then next time you are able to access autocad the select a line, polyline, or polygon and press offset. See how simple it is and can be repeated over and over!

[Anonymous]

Keith wrote:
(Compared with Archicad - Click on offset, trace the line, R, 1000, click on offset, trace the line, R, 1000 etc.)

Keith, I am afraid I could not disagree with you more! Being an old user of the program sometimes makes you use it the "old" way! Just as I have done many times!

I will show the sequence of commands in both applications so everyone could make a comparison between them:

ACAD - for offset at the same distance:
1. press "o".
2. press "enter".
3. type the distance.
4. press "enter".
5. click on the object.
6. click beside the object to offset it.
7. click on the new object.
8. click beside the object to offset it.
9. press "esc" to finish the command.

ACAD - for offset at different distances:
1. press "o".
2. press "enter".
3. type the distance.
4. press "enter".
5. click on the object.
6. click beside the object to offset it.
7. press "esc" to finish the command.
8. press "enter" to restart the command.
9. type the new distance for the offset of the second object.
10. press "enter".
11. click on the object.
12. click beside the object to offset it.
13. press "esc" to finish the command.

AC:
1. press "o" twice.
2. space-click on the object and drag.
3. type the distance.
4. press "enter".
5. type the new distance for the offset of the second object.
6. press "enter".
7. press "esc" to finish the command.

Notes:
1. With Tracker switched on there is no need to press "r" before typing the distance. This was the AC 9 way! 😉
2. In AC you could type a different distance for each offset. To do this in ACAD you have to stop the command, restart it and do everything again!
3. By pressing "o" twice you start the "repetitive offset" command so there is no need to"click on offset" each time! And no need to trace the object each time too!

[TomWaltz]

Keith wrote:
Everyone I've spoken to about has suggested a workaround of some kind or other. How do you create a wall parallel to one which is at an angle to the grid? Reset the grid to the angle, then drag a copy? How many steps is that? Why not just offset (a line or a wall)?

Uh... this is what the Offset command does. Why not just use it?

[Anonymous]

I would like to paraphrase a dialogue from the Reservoir Dogs film, when they discussed Madona's song Like a Virgin:
- Click, click, click, click, click! (He used the word with "d").
- How many clicks is that?
- A lot!

[Anonymous]

I seem to have lost the offset icon/function in the new version. I'm not averse to setting up a new keyboard shortcut, but I can't find what I'm looking for.... Where is it?

[Rod Jurich]

Jozzz wrote:
I seem to have lost the offset icon/function in the new version.//// Where is it?

Set a shortcut key or show the control box extended.

[Anonymous]

kliment wrote:
AC:
1. press "o" twice.
2. space-click on the object and drag.
3. type the distance.
4. press "enter".
5. type the new distance for the offset of the second object.
6. press "enter".
7. press "esc" to finish the command.

Didn't work for me, Kliment. Maybe a click or two missing?
And presumably if you want to offset from a second element then you have to repeat all the steps 1 thru 7. I rest my case.

I didn't know about the 'O' shortcut key. It doesn't appear to do anything unless you have the 'Control Box' showing. (Not very user friendly!)

Jozzz wrote:
I seem to have lost the offset icon/function in the new version. I'm not averse to setting up a new keyboard shortcut, but I can't find what I'm looking for.... Where is it?

So it's not just me, then!

- Keith (Version 10 on Mac OSX 10.4)

[TomWaltz]

Keith wrote:
And presumably if you want to offset from a second element then you have to repeat all the steps 1 thru 7. I rest my case.

Yes,you would repeat steps 1-7, just as you would have to repeat steps 1-14 in Autocad. What case are you resting, the one that shows you refuse to accept that the Archicad way is less steps than the Autocad one, no natter how much evidence is offered?

[Anonymous]

TomWaltz wrote:
Yes,you would repeat steps 1-7, just as you would have to repeat steps 1-14 in Autocad.

No, in Autocad you would only repeat steps 5 & 6 (just 2 clicks). I suggest you guys get hold of a copy of Autocad and try it. You may be astounded!

Keith

[TomWaltz]

Keith wrote:

TomWaltz wrote:
Yes,you would repeat steps 1-7, just as you would have to repeat steps 1-14 in Autocad.

No, in Autocad you would only repeat steps 5 & 6 (just 2 clicks). I suggest you guys get hold of a copy of Autocad and try it. You may be astounded!

Keith

I do have one. I was never impressed with it. I was a power user in that before I was one in Arris before I was one in Archicad. Autocad has never been an exciting product in any way. It just did for drafting what WordPad did for typing.

If you wanted to offset a whole series of walls from the slab (OK, I know it has neither, but there's a point here) in Autocad, similar to what Archicad's offset and magic wand combination would do, how would you do it?

Last I checked (this morning in AC2008), Autocad's offset command was closer to a "copy parallel" command. It would not let you offset one element type from another

[Anonymous]

Tom -

I'm sorry I didn't really mean this to develop into one of those endless arguments. You're giving me a specific example where Archicad performs better than Autocad. Fine. That's why we're using it, I hope!

It would be more useful for me, and everyone else who has difficulty with the offset command (which, believe me, isn't just me!), to understand why, when going through Kilment's seven steps, nothing happens!

- Keith

(Archicad 10 on Mac OSX 10.4)