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Tutorial Intermediate ⏱ 12 minutes

Parallel Offset Profile

Create a profile that is offset from an existing profile by a fixed distance — used for wall thickness, stock allowance, and cutter compensation geometry.

What You Will Build

An offset profile 5mm outside a 60×40mm rectangular base — demonstrating how to create parallel geometry for wall thickness and stock allowance calculations.

Operators Used

Line/Parlel,L,D Arc/Fillet,L,L Trim/L,to,L
01

Create the Base Profile

Create the inner rectangular profile that will be offset.

Rectangle/P_TL=(0,40), P_BR=(60,0) → L0: bottom (0,0)→(60,0) → L1: right (60,0)→(60,40) → L2: top (60,40)→(0,40) → L3: left (0,40)→(0,0) Base profile: 60×40mm rectangle
02

Create Offset Lines for Each Side

Create parallel lines 5mm outside each side of the rectangle. Use direction selectors to pick the outside direction.

Line/YSmall, Parlel, L0, D=5 → L4: bottom offset at Y=-5 Line/XLarge, Parlel, L1, D=5 → L5: right offset at X=65 Line/YLarge, Parlel, L2, D=5 → L6: top offset at Y=45 Line/XSmall, Parlel, L3, D=5 → L7: left offset at X=-5 Offset lines are 5mm outside the base rectangle.
Use YSmall for the bottom (below Y=0), XLarge for the right (right of X=60), YLarge for the top (above Y=40), XSmall for the left (left of X=0).
03

Find the Corner Intersections

Find where the offset lines intersect to locate the outer corners.

Point/Intof, L7, L4 → P0 = (-5, -5) [bottom-left outer corner] Point/Intof, L4, L5 → P1 = (65, -5) [bottom-right outer corner] Point/Intof, L5, L6 → P2 = (65, 45) [top-right outer corner] Point/Intof, L6, L7 → P3 = (-5, 45) [top-left outer corner]
04

Trim the Offset Lines to Form the Outer Profile

Trim the offset lines to create a clean closed outer profile.

Trim/L4, to, L7, Start → L4 start at (-5,-5) Trim/L4, to, L5, End → L4 end at (65,-5) Trim/L5, to, L4, Start → L5 start at (65,-5) Trim/L5, to, L6, End → L5 end at (65,45) Trim/L6, to, L5, Start → L6 start at (65,45) Trim/L6, to, L7, End → L6 end at (-5,45) Trim/L7, to, L6, Start → L7 start at (-5,45) Trim/L7, to, L4, End → L7 end at (-5,-5) Outer profile: 70×50mm rectangle (60+5+5 × 40+5+5)
05

Add Fillets to the Outer Profile

Optionally add fillet arcs to the outer profile corners.

Arc/Fillet, L7, L4, R=5 → A0 [bottom-left outer fillet] Arc/Fillet, L4, L5, R=5 → A1 [bottom-right outer fillet] Arc/Fillet, L5, L6, R=5 → A2 [top-right outer fillet] Arc/Fillet, L6, L7, R=5 → A3 [top-left outer fillet] Then trim all corners as in Tutorial 1.
The outer fillet radius (5mm) equals the offset distance, creating a smooth parallel offset profile.
06

Verify the Offset Distance

Use Measure → Distance to verify the offset is exactly 5mm at all points.

Measure → Distance Click L0 (inner bottom), Click L4 (outer bottom) → Distance: 5.000mm ✓ Measure → Distance Click L1 (inner right), Click L5 (outer right) → Distance: 5.000mm ✓ All sides offset by exactly 5mm.

Tips & Best Practices

  • The offset distance equals the wall thickness for a hollow profile.
  • For cutter compensation, the offset equals the cutter radius.
  • Use YSmall/YLarge for horizontal lines, XSmall/XLarge for vertical lines.
  • The outer corner fillet radius should equal the offset distance for a true parallel offset.
  • This technique works for any profile shape — not just rectangles.

Operators Used in This Tutorial

Line/Parlel,L,D

Parallel Line at Distance

Creates a parallel line at a fixed distance.
Point/Intof,L,L

Line Line Intersection

Creates a point at the intersection of two lines.
Arc/Fillet,L,L

Fillet Arc

Creates a fillet arc between two lines.
Trim/L,to,L

Trim Line to Line

Trims a line to a line boundary.

Related Tutorials

Tutorial

Rectangle with Filleted Corners

Create the base rectangular profile.
Tutorial

Intersection-Based Construction

Use intersections to locate geometry.
Tutorial

Pocket Machining Geometry

Create pocket profiles for CAM toolpaths.

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