An offset is two bends that step a run sideways around something and then put it back on its original line.
It is the most common shape you will bend, and the one where guessing shows. An offset that is close but not right leaves the run fighting its supports for the rest of its length.
Look at what the two bends do as a pair. The first takes the run off its line by some angle. The second brings it back parallel to where it started, just displaced. That is why an offset is symmetrical: the second bend undoes the direction change of the first while keeping the position change. How far it steps over depends on the angle you bend and how far apart you put the two bends -- change either one and the displacement changes.
Check yourself: The same offset layout is used on a deeper obstruction. Will it clear?
Answer: No. A deeper obstruction requires a different layout, not guesswork.
The displacement comes from the angle and the spacing between the bends. A deeper obstruction needs more displacement, so at least one of those two has to change -- the old layout produces the old step-over regardless of what it is going around.
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