One of the most powerful tools in KeyCreator's extraordinary face manipulation menu, Offset Solid instantly modifies an existing solid or creates a copy of an existing solid that is either larger or smaller by a defined offset distance. You can think of it as a magic tool that quickly plates every surface on a body to increase the volume or conversely etches every surface to decrease the volume. The resulting solid is a perfect model that can be used for any purpose, including driving NC machining operations.
Some of the typical uses for this function are:
Tooling Design
Creating nests with clearance for mechanical parts 
You can quickly make a copy of a complex mechanical part that is slightly oversized. You then use the Boolean Difference Function to subtract the oversized part from a tooling block.
This produces a perfect nest that has clearance so that the part will not bind when inserted or removed!
This approach can also be used to quickly add a heavy plating layer to a cast part design. Save both models to show mass properties and dimensions before and after plating!
Interference Checking
You can quickly check for interference in assemblies and fixtures by creating “gauge parts” that represent the upper tolerance limit of manufacture.
In this illustration, the blue gauge part was created using offset body to represent the upper tolerance limit of the part. Using the Boolean Intersect Function instantly shows you all interference locations and the exact amount of interference!
Resizing Containers
Container designers use the Offset Body Function to quickly resize
models to adjust volumetric capacity.
Combined with the powerful Cutting Plane Function and the Prune Function, the new cross-section is instantly visible and the adjusted volume can be calculated with the Mass Properties Function.
Spotlighting KeyCreator's Productivity
The freedom to quickly modify both native and imported models provides a KeyCreator user with the power to get the job done quickly, without interrupting important creative flow. Using the Offset Solid function in KeyCreator is just one of the many productivity enhancing tools provided in the world's best 3D Direct CAD system.
