Offset a line

  1. Open a job in the Manage Earthwork Estimates screen.
  2. Select the Takeoff tab, if it is not already active.
  3. In the Active Layer field on the toolbar, click to select the layer you want to view.
  4. Click Select on the speedbar.
  5. Select the line you want to offset.
  6. Click Estimating > Earthwork > Takeoff > Offset Line in the All Tasks pane.
  7. In the Name field, enter a unique name for the offset line you are creating.
  8. To offset the line to the left, select the Left option. To offset to the right, select the Right option.
  9. In the Offset field, enter the amount of the offset.
  10. In the drop-down to the right of the Offset field, click to select whether the offset is in inches or feet.
  11. Select the Smooth checkbox to enable the smoothing function, which enhances accuracy when offsetting over large distances.
  12. If you want to change the elevation of the offset line, select the appropriate option:

    • Replace – Replaces the current elevation of the line you offset with the value you enter in the Elevation field. For example, if the current elevation is 135 feet, and you select the Replace option and enter 138 in the Elevation field, the new elevation of the line will be 138 feet.

    Note: Using the Replace option can result in the loss of slope of your new line. To avoid this, select either the Add or Subtract option, and then specify the amount by which the new line should be raised or lowered in the Elevation field.

    If you want the new line to keep its original elevation and slope properties, type 0 in the Elevation field and select either the Add or Subtract option button (in this particular case, it doesn’t matter which one).

    • Add – Adds the value you enter in the Elevation field to the current elevation of the line. For example, if the current elevation is 135 feet, and you select the Add option and enter 3 in the Elevation field, the new elevation of the line will be 138.

    • Subtract – Subtracts the value you enter in the Elevation field from the elevation of the line. For example, if the current elevation is 135 feet, and you enter 3 in the Elevation field and select the Subtract option, the new elevation of the line is 132.

  13. Click OK.