i've always found the behavior strange but in the past, i sort of just worked around it because i thought that's 'how it is'.. (and it wasn't really until that thread started that i realized it wasn't one of those things that everyone just automatically realized..(of course everyone knows it's segments.. but i now don't think too many people realize the errors created when they think they're doing an offset on something which sketchup is calling an arc) anyway..

thing is, i'm on mac.. we didn't realistically start getting nurbs until the past few years.. i started sketchup around 8-9 years ago so i had lots of time with the app and figured out ways to get accurate arc info out of sketchup.. even with them being segmented like that.. it's just that it's an often convoluted process to get things/vertices in their proper position..
then i started using nurbs apps and messing around with arcs is child's play.. i tried some things in rhino when i first started using it which were difficult to do in sketchup and i felt like the app laughed at me as if saying "are you serious? is that all you have?! :) )

so now, when i want to do something basic in sketchup and i can't, i guess i get frustrated with it.. (and i'm talking real basic.. there's no compass in sketchup. but you do see hints of one in certain behaviors such as the ability to draw an arc tangent to a line via a tangent snap).. but if the devs don't want to smarten it up, that's totally fine.. and as far as i can tell, it's not going to change in this area so...

anyway.. @the_offset

after thinking about it some more, i actually use the round corners in most situations.. your latest example finally made something click in me to where i think "oh. right.. i know how i would want that to be handled.."

it would be this way:












you'll see a very similar situation in the top-right of this:












out of curiosity (i.e.- sketchup's offset & follow me tools work exactly the same), i tried sweeping it..

moi gives:






rhino spits this out :)




(and i realize i shouldn't be trying to draw it like this anyway.. just curious though)


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but yeah, i never actually realized before that there isn't one way to offset (i mean, i think there's only one way to offset individual curves.. it's these various intersections that are open to interpretation.. and i don't think there are solid enough grounds for anyone to claim "no.. this is the right way"


(well, i guess you've already said that stuff.. i'm just repeating to myself so it will stick ;)



(**ps_ i'm on the beta right now.. it's nice man.. the navigation/inferencing is tops.. i might be hooked this time around :)