Drawing quick offsets

You can create offsets to objects. An offset is treated as a discrete object — most often it is of the same type as the original object.

You can create offsets also on axes.

The contextual edit bar

During drawing when continuous mode is turned off.

During drawing when continuous mode is turned on.

Attributes

• Offset.Sets the distance between the original object and the offset. Appears as Offset in the contextual edit bar.
• Style. Offset objects inherit the style of the objects to which they are created. After an offset has been created, you can change its style.

Control points and tabular presentation

An offset adopts the control points and tabular area representation of its object type.

Drawing quick offsets (standard)

1. Do any of the following:

• On the Objects toolbar, click Quick Offset .
• On the Objects menu, click Quick Offset.
• Press CTRL+D+O.

The contextual edit bar appears.

2. In Offset, enter a value for the offset.
3. Rest the mouse pointer over the object that you want to make an offset on.

An image of the offset appears at the distance from the main object that you have specified.

4. Click to position the offset.

5. Press ESC to cancel the drawing of offsets.

NOTE: Unless you cancel the offset-drawing mode, you can continue drawing offsets on other objects at the distance that you have set.

Drawing quick offsets (continuous)

By using the continuous drawing of quick offsets you can close gaps at the edges during the creation of offsets. The mode is useful when you alternate creating offsets with other types of drawing and need to close contours. In creating a continuous offset, you begin from an already created offset.

1. Do any of the following:

• On the Objects toolbar, click Quick Offset .
• On the Objects menu, click Quick Offset.
• Press CTRL+D+O.

The contextual edit bar appears.

2. In Offset, enter a value for the offset, and then press ENTER.
3. Press Continuous , and then press Select First Object to Link Offset To .
4. Click the offset that you want to use as a starting object from which to continue the offset line.
5. Click the next object to which you want to draw an offset.
6. When you have drawn the last-but-one offset, before closing the offset contour, press Select Object To Close Offset With .
7. Click the object whose offset will serve to close the offset contour.

The offset contour is closed.

8. Press ESC to cancel the drawing of offsets.

Notes

• In the continuous mode, hold down SHIFT or SHIFT+CTRL to switch between the Previous and Next functionalities, respectively, and then click an object.
• When you create a quick offset to an ellipse, an elliptical arc, a Bézier curve or a true-type text letter curves, when the respective object has not been previously converted to arcs, Package Designer treats the respective object as if it were converted to arcs.
• When you create a quick offset to a point, a circle is drawn around the point. The radius is equal to the specified offset distance.
• During drawing, in the expressions of object attributes you can use mathematical functions.
• When you are in a continuous drawing mode — for example, when you are drawing consecutive lines — you need not cancel the current mode to switch to the offset-drawing mode.