Learn the intricacies of AutoCAD through this comprehensive tutorial demonstrating the usage of Offset and Explode commands to construct a complete floor plan.
This exercise is excerpted from Noble Desktop’s past AutoCAD training materials and is compatible with Photoshop updates through 2020. To learn current skills in AutoCAD, check out AutoCAD Bootcamp and AutoCAD classes in NYC and live online.
Note: These materials are provided to give prospective students a sense of how we structure our class exercises and supplementary materials. During the course, you will get access to the accompanying class files, live instructor demonstrations, and hands-on instruction.
Topics covered in this AutoCAD tutorial:
Offset Command, Explode Command
Exercise Preview
Exercise Overview
In this exercise, you will learn to use the Offset Command to make copies of lines at specific distances offset from the originals to complete the walls of a floor plan. You can start Offset by typing O Enter or clicking on the Offset button in the Modify panel or toolbar.
Offset (O) & Explode (X)
Open the file Offset-Ranch.dwg. This version of the outline you worked with in the previous exercise with lines added so that you can complete all of the walls in the floor plan with the Offset Command.
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Press O Enter to start the Offset Command. You will be prompted to specify an Offset Distance. You cannot proceed with the Offset command until you have entered a distance. This is so you can easily change the Offset Distance by pressing Enter or Spacebar twice to stop and restart the Offset command, thereby prompting you to enter a new distance. Enter 6” for the Offset Distance. When prompted to select objects to offset, click on the outer polyline edge of the floor plan. You will now be prompted to Specify point on side to offset, click anywhere inside the polyline. Stay in the Offset command for the next step.
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Offset the outlines of the inner rooms. When asked to Specify point on side to offset, click on the inside of each room as shown below. Don’t worry about overlapping lines, you will correct them later with the Trim Command.
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Press Enter twice to end and restart the Offset command and enter a new distance of 10’. Click on the inner left edge of the enclosed area in the upper right corner of the floor plan as shown in the diagram below. Click to the right of the line to Specify point on side to offset to create a bedroom. Double tap on the Enter key or Spacebar again to end and restart the Offset Command and change the distance back to 6”. Click to the right to offset the next line and complete the wall. Double tap the Enter key again and enter a new distance of 4’, then click to the right to make another line 4 feet away. Double tap Enter once more to change the offset distance back to 6”, and click to the right again to finish the wall. Press Enter or Esc to end the Offset command.
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The 3’ space between the walls you just created is for closets. Use the Trim tool to trim away the segments inside the walls to either side of the inner top edge of the closet space in order to isolate the line segment so it can be offset as shown below. Select the upper inner edge of the closet space as the object to offset and offset downward to create two 3’6” closets with 6” walls as shown below, double tapping on the Enter key to end and restart the Offset Command to change the distances as needed. Press Enter or Esc to end the Offset Command.
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Now you will use Trim and Explode to isolate line segments so they can be properly offset. The Explode command takes polylines, blocks, arrays, and other grouped objects to break them down to their individual components and segments. Some grouped objects are made up of smaller groups and polylines, so you may need to use Explode more than once on the same objects. The command alias for Explode is X, (not EX, which is Extend) or click the Explode button
in the Modify panel or toolbar.Zoom in on the long rectangular area on the right side of the plan. This will be divided into the bathroom, master bathroom, and closet. Use Trim on the inner upper edge of the area to delete the part of the line that intersects with the wall as shown below.
If you hover the cursor on the upper inner edge, you will see that it is connected to the right edge because they are part of the same polyline. You will need to explode it. Type X Enter to start the Explode Command. Select the inner edge and press Enter to explode the polyline so you can offset the upper edge in the next step.
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Now that you’ve exploded the polyline, you can offset the upper inner edge as one object. Offset the line to make the walls for the bathrooms in the same way you did for the bedrooms and closets in the previous steps, changing distances accordingly using the measurements shown in the diagram below. Stay in the Offset Command for the next step.
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Offset the pool 4” on the outside. Change the Offset Distance to 1’ and offset the arc in the left end on the outside of the pool to create 3 steps as shown below. The steps will not properly intersect with the oddly shaped pool. End the Offset Command and use Trim and Extend to make the steps match up to the outline of the pool.
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You’ll see small lines dividing the wall at various points. Each line is a side of a doorway that you can offset to create the other side so you can Trim out the doorways afterward. If there are multiple doorways next to each other on the same wall, you can keep double tapping the Enter key to change the offset distance as needed. Refer to the dimensioned floor plan below for the edges to offset and the distances.
TIP: Use Offset to layout the edges of the doorways using the distances specified below.
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If time permits, use the Trim Command to create an opening for all of the doorways as shown below.
Close and save the file.