When it comes to modeling in SOLIDWORKS speed is key. Actually, that could be said about most anything. When people are asked, “What is one resource you wish you could have more off?” Most actually answer time and not money. We all want more time. One way you can get more time is to model quicker in SOLIDWORKS. To do that, it helps to know all the tips and tricks for faster modeling. One of those is the subject of this week’s Video Tech Tip, offset entities

Offset entities takes a copy of your existing geometry and copies it at an offset. Instead of recreating geometry, you can use this to quickly sketch based on model geometry. Offset entities is a great tool for enlarging or shrinking your sketch geometry. Although most will use the tool with closed contour geometry, in this Video Tech Tip we use it for open contour lines.

The Offset entities tool is as simple as clicking the geometry after initiating the command. If you want to tweak your offset, let’s take a look at the property manager for the tool. Depending on what options you turn on, some will become unavailable. For example, if you check the bi-directional box, the reverse option is no longer available since the offset is occurring both directions.

Offset entities is a great time saver used by all SOLIDWORKS power users. We’d love to hear your feedback using this option. Comment in the box below and lest us know if this has been a useful tip for you.

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