FormIt for Windows
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  • Introduction
  • What's New
  • FormIt Capabilities
    • Multiple Clients
    • Conceptual Solid Modeling
    • Working with Data Formats
    • Languages
    • Collaboration
    • Presentation Graphics
    • FormIt + Autodesk Docs
    • FormIt + Dynamo
    • Solar + Energy Analysis
    • FormIt + Revit
    • FormIt + JavaScript for Plugins
  • FormIt Introduction
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Prerequisites and Installation
    • Setting Up the Project
    • Toolbars and Palettes
    • Navigating the Scene
  • FormIt Primer
    • Part I
      • 1.1 - Set the Location
      • 1.2 - Project Set Up with Images and Grid
      • 1.3 - 3D Sketch and Drag Face
      • 1.4 - Add Floors with Levels
      • 1.5 - Group Objects
      • 1.6 - Control Visibility with Layers
      • 1.7 - Paint with Materials
      • 1.8 - Create Columns with Array
      • 1.9 - Adding Details
      • 1.10 - Computational Groups with Dynamo
      • 1.11 - Import Models with Content Library
      • 1.12 - Visual Styles
      • 1.13 - Section Planes
      • 1.14 - Export Image
      • 1.15 - Working With Revit
    • Part II
      • 2.1 - Offset Line Tool
      • 2.2 - Advanced Modeling Tools: Shell and Cover
      • 2.3 Orthographic View Workflow
      • 2.4 - 3D Terrain Workflows
      • 2.5 - Plugins
      • 2.6 - Dynamo FormIt Nodes
      • 2.7 - Diagnostics Tools
      • 2.8 - Advanced Revit Workflows
      • 2.9 - Solar and Insight Energy Analysis
      • 2.10 - Collaboration Sessions
  • Tool Library
    • 3D Text
    • Align Camera With Face
    • Arc
    • Array
    • Array Along Path
    • AutoSave
    • Boolean Cut
    • Boolean Intersect
    • Boolean Join
    • Circle
    • Collaboration
    • Content Library
    • Copy Object
    • Cover, Sweep, Loft
    • Create Panorama
    • Curve + Surface Faceting
    • Delete, Edit, Move
    • Dynamo
    • Energy Analysis with Insight
    • Faces: Extrude, Cut and Offset
    • Faces: Flatten
    • Faces: Tilt and Facet/Smooth
    • Groups Tree
    • Groups
    • Import and Export Data
    • Layers
    • Levels and Area
    • Lines
    • Materials
    • Measure Angle
    • Measure
    • Meshes
    • Mirror
    • Model Statistics
    • Model Tree
    • Modifying Faces, Edges, and Points
    • Non-Uniform Scale
    • Offset Line
    • Orthographic Views
    • Orthographic and Perspective Camera
    • Placing Primitives
    • Place Vertex
    • Plugins
    • Polygon
    • Properties
    • Railing Along Path
    • Rectangle
    • Revit
    • Rotate Object
    • Scale Object
    • Scenes
    • Section Planes
    • Selection
    • Setting Location
    • Sun + Shadows
    • Shell
    • Snaps and Inferences
    • Solar Analysis
    • Spline
    • Storefront/Curtainwall Mullion System
    • Undo Manager
    • Visual Styles
    • Work Planes
    • World Axes
  • Plugins
    • Introduction to Plugins
    • How to Use Plugins
    • How to Develop Plugins
      • Your First Plugin
        • Plugin Playground
        • Launching the Sample Plugin
        • Adding Your Own Features
        • Saving Your Work to GitHub
        • Publishing Your Project
      • Advanced Development
        • Using an IDE
        • Cloning a Sample Plugin
        • Hosting a Plugin on a Local Server
        • Previewing a Plugin in the Plugin Manager
        • Setting Up FormIt for Development
        • Hosting a Plugin on GitHub
        • General Plugin Setup in the Manifest
        • Reloading for Local Changes
        • Client-Side vs Web-Side Engines
        • Debugging
        • Versioning
      • Additional Development Options
        • Creating an HTML Panel Plugin
        • Creating a Combined HTML Panel and Toolbar Plugin
        • Creating a Toolbar-Based Plugin
        • Testing a Combined HTML Panel and Toolbar Plugin
        • Creating an Add-In
        • Invoking Plugins and API from Dynamo
    • FormIt APIs
    • Examples
      • Generate String Lights
      • Manage Cameras Plugin
      • Properties Plus Plugin
      • 3D Context Creator
      • FormIt Plugin Community
  • Appendix
    • Keyboard Shortcuts
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  1. Tool Library

Offset Line

PreviousNon-Uniform ScaleNextOrthographic Views

Last updated 3 years ago

Draw parallel, or offset, lines using the Offset Line tool. This is useful to create 2D shapes that can later be extruded to look like 3D walls.

The Offset Line tool works like the tool:

  • Click to set the first point and then move your cursor and place the subsequent points, snapping to existing geometry or to inference axes.

  • A preview of the resulting shape is shown. The second and third points determine the plane for the rest of the points to follow, so the result is planar.

  • Continue adding points, and Escape or double click to finish the tool.

  • Any self-intersections will be cleaned up and merged, leaving you with one extrudable face.

The input line is drawn in red, and by default is placed in the center of the offset lines.

You can change the alignment of the offset lines and their thickness by hitting the Tab key. This will invoke the Tool Options dialog:

Change the Alignment to Left and the Thickness to 6", for example, and the offset lines will be drawn to the left of the input lines, 6 inches apart.

Useful Tips

You can draw a closed shape by snapping to the first point placed. The resulting corner will be cleaned up automatically:

You can freely draw the input lines on top of each other. When the tool is finished the resulting intersections are cleaned up.

Inherently, the Offset Line tool must generate geometry on a plane, so the first few points determine the plane that the remaining points will follow.

You can also use the Offset Line tool to trace from a plan drawing. Import the plan as an image.

Start drawing on the side of a cube, for example, to use the plane of that face. After three non colinear points are placed the input plane is fixed for the remainder of the input. Note, that when drawing on a face the resulting shape is inserted into the face, splitting it into multiple faces. To prevent the insertion, the face you draw on must be part of a .

Resize the image so that the plan has the proper scale. This is described in more detail .

You can use the to trace in an orthographic .

Group
here
Orthographic Camera
top view
Line
After placing 2 points and dragging the 3rd point
Options for the Offset Line tool
Drawing on a vertical face
After the tool is ended, the lines are inserted and the split faces can be further manipulated