How do I select a line start/end point that is a known distance from an osnap point?

I'm trying to draw a plan of my house in Autocad 2009 but I seem to be endlessly using trim and extend because I can't easily select the points that I want with osnap. Eg. imagine I have a box, and I want to start drawing another box inside it that has each side as 10 units smaller than the corresponding side on the outer box.

Step 1 - I draw a small line from the top left corner of the big box using the endpoint snap, typing in "5" for the length.

Step 2 - I then do the same at right angles to the first line to get me to the starting point of the inner box. This always leaves me with 2 small lines to remember to delete.

Step 3 - Then in order to draw the top line of the inner box I end up drawing to a random length because I can't say "draw until 5 units away from the right hand side of the big box", then I end up trimming it later once I've repeated steps 1,2 and 3 for the next side of the inner box.

This can't be the best way of doing it surely??? I know in my example above I could have scaled the box down or something but that's not what I'm getting at. I really want a way of selecting line start and end points that are a known position away from an existing point.

I then do the same at right angles to the first line to get me to the starting point of the inner box. This always leaves me with 2 small lines to remember to delete.

Just type 5 at the command prompt and you will draw a line of length 5 units in the direction of the cursor/osnap in use.

A better/easier method though would be to use the offset command to offset your rectangle.

Use the off set command. Select the off set icon, specify how far you want to off set the line. move the curse in the direction to move the line. Use the trim command to trim the corners.

That's not what I mean, it's not the easiest thing to explain. I can draw a line of a specified length no problem, but I can't seem to position the start point where I want. I'm pretty sure it can be done as I used to do it years ago when I was doing autocad all the time. It is something like: select the starting point of the line based on an osnap eg intersection of the box corner, then type "5,5" to offset the start point from where you selected, then you select the endpoint. Just can't seem to figure out how to do it any more.

Sorry, my previous reply was to Dink87522

Offset is exactly what I want, but can't see how to do it? What is the icon like? Where is it?

Type 'offset' or just 'o' and it will start the command for Offset. Not sure where the button is on LT2000 however....

HTH

Cheers

Ollie

If this is what you mean then this isn't what I'm looking for either I'm afraid as this is a separate command that you do after drawing something to move / copy it.

http://www.ncsu.edu/project/graphicscourse/gc/acadtut/acadtut2000/offset1.html

I need something that you can do whilst in the line command.

Think I've found it. It's a command modifier called FROM

http://exchange.autodesk.com/autocadarchitecture/enu/online-help/browse#WS1a9193826455f5ffa23ce210c4a30acaf-5128.htm

Will give it a go when I get home.

Yeah, I think it's the FROM command to offset the points a certain distance from the selected Osnap point. I use it all the time even though Osnap tracking does the same thing with a less work.

Start the LINE Command, then type FROM (or select it from the Osnap toolbar) then pick the point you want to use as a reference, then type (5,5 or @5,5 since I can't remember how things worked in 2000)

Great thanks.

PS, I use 2009, not 2000. Have updated my details.