Tools menu: Offset Face tool

What is the Offset Face tool?

You can use the Offset Face tool to modify an existing 3D body by moving one or more faces inward or outward. This lets you adjust dimensions, change thickness, or resize features such as holes without rebuilding the geometry.

When you offset a face, tangent faces are automatically included in the operation.

Offset Face is useful for:

• Adding or removing material to adjust wall thickness
• Expanding or contracting holes and other existing features
• Making precise changes to individual features within patterned designs

How to use the Offset Face tool

Using the Offset Face tool

To offset faces in your design:

1. Go to Tools > Offset Face.
   For other ways to open this tool, see Accessing tools.
2. Select the face or faces you want to offset.
3. Drag the arrow to set the offset distance, or enter a value in the dimension field.
4. Optional: To review or modify the available settings, select Offset Face again from the menu to open the parameter card.
5. To finish and exit the tool, click anywhere in an empty area of the modeling space.

Offset Face distance types

Distance Type determines how an Offset Face adjustment is measured. The available options depend on the selected geometry:

• Offset – Moves the selected face by a specified distance relative to its original position. When multiple faces are selected, Offset is the available distance type.
• Total – Sets the overall thickness between the selected face and its opposite face, when an opposite face is available.
• Radius/Diameter – Adjusts circular geometry by its radius or diameter. For a full circular face, the diameter changes symmetrically around its center; for a partial circular face, the radius changes.

Parameter Card and History Settings

Shapr3D records the tools you use as steps in History, allowing you to revisit and modify them later. Each History step stores its parameters, which you can access through the parameter card.

You can adjust these parameters while using the tool or reopen the parameter card from History after completing the step.

Adjust Offset Face parameters

While using Offset Face, you can open the parameter card to review or modify your selection and offset distance. To open the parameter card, select Offset Face again from the menu.

The following parameters are shown in the current parameter card:

• Face – Review or modify the faces selected for the offset operation. Changing the selection changes which faces are adjusted.
• Offset Distance – Enter the distance to move the selected faces inward or outward relative to their original positions.

These additional settings are available for applicable single-face operations:

• Distance Type – Choose whether the adjustment is measured as an Offset, Total, or Radius/Diameter, when supported by the selected geometry.
• Total Distance – Enter the overall thickness for the Total distance type.
• Opposite Face – Review or change the opposite face used to calculate the total thickness.
• Radius/Diameter – Enter the radius or diameter for circular geometry.

Note: When switching from Radius/Diameter to Offset, the radius or diameter value is applied as the offset distance. Check the resulting geometry when changing distance types.

To learn more about using and customizing the parameter card, visit Parameter Cards.

Edit Offset Face in History

To modify an existing Offset Face step:

1. Open the History sidebar.
2. Select the Offset Face step you want to edit to reopen its parameter card.
3. Review or modify the available parameters, such as the selected faces or offset distance.
4. To finish editing, click anywhere in the modeling space.

To learn more about managing and editing steps, visit History.

When to use the Offset Face tool

Common Offset Face use cases

Use Offset Face when you need to adjust existing geometry without creating a new sketch or rebuilding a feature.

• Adjust wall thickness – Move a wall face inward or outward to change the thickness of a hollow part.
• Resize holes – Expand or contract a hole by offsetting its face.
• Customize patterned features – Modify individual instances within a pattern without changing the others.
• Refine prototypes – Make dimensional adjustments to an existing body during design iterations.

Offset Face vs. Extrude

Offset Face and Extrude can produce similar-looking changes, but they serve different purposes:

• Offset Face – Modifies an existing body by moving selected planar or non-planar faces and adjusting adjacent geometry.
• Extrude – Creates or modifies geometry by extending a sketch profile or planar face along a direction.

Offset Face	Extrude

Best practices and troubleshooting

Best practices

• Select the intended faces – Review your selection before adjusting the distance, especially when working with multiple faces.
• Check tangent faces – Remember that tangent faces are automatically included in the offset operation.
• Choose the appropriate distance type – When available, use Offset for a relative movement, Total for overall thickness, or Radius/Diameter for circular geometry.
• Refine the operation in History – Reopen the Offset Face step to adjust its stored parameters instead of repeating the operation.

Troubleshooting common issues