Purpose
Returns a copy of the input object offset by the specified distance and angle. You can call this function from the MapBasic window in MapInfo Pro.
Syntax
Offset( object, angle, distance, units )object is the object being offset.
angle is the angle to offset the object.
distance is a number representing the distance to offset the object.
units is a string representing the unit in which to measure distance.
Return Value
Object
Description
Offset() produces a new object that is a copy of the input object offset by distance along angle (in degrees with horizontal in the positive X-axis being 0 and positive being counterclockwise). The units string, similar to that used for the ObjectLen() function or Perimeter() function, is the unit for the distance value. The distance type used is Spherical unless the Coordinate System is NonEarth. For NonEarth, Cartesian distance type is automatically used. The coordinate system used is the coordinate system of the input object.
There are some considerations for Spherical measurements that do not hold for Cartesian measurements. If you move an object that is in Lat/Long, the shape of the object remains the same, but the area of the object will change. This is because you are picking one offset delta in degrees, and the actual measured distance for a degree is different at different locations.
For the Offset functions, the actual offset delta is calculated at some fixed point on the object (for example, the center of the bounding box), and then that value is converted from the input units into the coordinate system's units. If the coordinate system is Lat/Long, the conversion to degrees uses the fixed point. The actual converted distance measurement could vary at different locations on the object. The distance from the input object and the new offset object is only guaranteed to be exact at the single fixed point used.