In SketchUp when you offset a set of edges, they are copied.
In consequence, if they stick to any other geometry, the connection is not changed.
In contrary, scale tool simply moves geometry, instead of copying it. So when you scale one face of a box, you get a truncated pyramid.
That’s how I’d see an alternative offset tool - “sticky offset”, which respects connection to neighbour geometry.
It would be very helpful with polygon modeling.
Maybe there’s a plugin for such operation?
I’d suggest you add some images to explain what you want. At the moment it isn’t immediately clear.
Like Box, I’m confused by your phrasing and could use some examples to clarify what you mean. The use case isn’t clear to me.
Offset makes a copy of the selected geometry, offset in the direction you choose and scaled to preserve “shape”. The copy is independent of the original, including independent of any non-selected geometry that touches the original.
Scale acts directly on the selected geometry, without making a copy. As such, it maintains the connections to adjacent geometry because in SketchUp’s representation they share the vertices or edges where they touch.
You mean like this?
Can you give us a use case, how do you envision this being helpful to workflow?
Well, what I mean is not even about copying.
Let’s say I want to inset the selected edes so that they fit the bottom edges of dark prism. With scale tool they won’t. I could, of course, do some workaround using Curviloft or manually moving vertices. But it would make just 2 clicks if I could inset these edges and the verical ones would follow, creating this:
Like this?
Yes, like this.
This is a simple example, easy to do manually, but I once created a very complex outline (I can’t find the file now) and this metod didn’t produce very elegant output.
I’m just trying to get a fully workable ‘feature request’ or extension idea for you. Without a good example and use case it won’t go any further.
Show me a complex one.
I think I prepared a better example now.
Such tool is quite commonly used in programs like Blender or 3DS Max.
offset.skp (526.7 KB)
Joint Push Pull actually has Molding feature which offsets extruded edges right away, but it only allows to type angle. No absolute value, no realtime snapping. So strict offset is not possible there.
How about offset, Split donut, Move on Blue axis(up arrow).
Hmmm, this would actually do.
Thanks a lot 
Often a Feature request is possible with what is available. You need to have a really good case for the developers to get their attention.
Glad that tip helps.
This could be quite useful! Copy could be toggled with Ctrl like in Move, Rotate etc. However it would make a lot of sense to have copy enabled from tool activation so people don’t have to re-learn it. On the other hand that would make it inconsistent to other tools where copy is opt-in, not opt-out.
Edit: I’d label this feature request “Offset existing geometry in place (in addition to offset copy)”, or something similar.
Thank you
You can do something like this with vertex tools but it does not give a regular offset.
It would be the same as scaling natively.
