The various Offset concepts (including Parallelogram) are like Distorted, except that
the distortion is of a very special kind. There is a "shear line" down the middle of
the set, and the distortion consists of a rigid shift along that line.
Because of this restricted characterization of the distortion, Offset concepts
can tolerate a variety of shape-changing calls. The offset is characterized by the
shear-line axis, direction of shear, and amount (percentage) of the shear. The percentage
is the fraction of each subsetup that has been shifted so that it is no longer lined
up with the other subsetup. By far the most common percentage is 50%. For example, in
a normal parallelogram, each subsetup is a 1x4, and 2 of those people (50%) overhang
beyond the other 1x4.
The rule for doing offset shape-changers is that the resulting
sub-setups must be put together with the same shear line, direction,
and percentage. If the resultant offset is not an integral number of
people (e.g. Lockit from parallelogram waves), the call is illegal.
This prohibition is known as the Solomon rule, after King Solomon (I
Kings 3:16-28) who made good use of the common aversion to cutting
people in half. There is another pathological case that is legal,
even though it would seem to suggest a violation of the Solomon
rule — if the result is a 1x8 with the shear line right down the
middle, the people do not shear themselves. In this case we say that
"the offset goes away".
\sxhBBBs{...,g4s,...,b4n,b1s,g3s}
\sxhlines{b1n,g4n,g1s,b4s}
before Parallelogram Peel Off
after
Sometimes specific people may have an offset subset of a normal setup:
\syhlines{b4s,b1s,g4s,g1s}
\syhlines{b4s,b1s,g3e,g2e}
before Girls in your Offset Line Tag the Line
after
\syhlines{b4s,b1s,g4s,g1s}
\sywtees{g3s,g2n,b1s,b4s}
before Girls in your Offset Line Cross Cycle
after
An offset box as part of a 2x4 is called a diagonal box. Don't
bother with the offset percentage — just get into the obvious right place: