After a we received quite a few inquiries as to how cross sections are created for visualization in ArcGIS Explorer desktop, and we’ll go through the steps here. The screen capture above is displaying seismic and geologic profiles (along with wells and well traces) as cross sections in 3D space. In the steps below we will use a photo of Mount St.
Helens from it’s May 18th, 1980, eruption and visualize it as a 3D cross section in ArcGIS Explorer as a layer package. The techniques are the same for subsurface and above the surface visualization. Below is a screenshot of what our end result will look like: In short, what we want to do is use a raster file or photo (the cross-section we want to display) as a point symbol, and scale and rotate it as needed. To start we need a point feature to use for the location of the image. You can use an existing point feature or create a new one.
One easy way to do this is to create a point note for Mount St. Helens in ArcGIS Explorer and share it as a layer package. Just right click the note on your map, choose share, then save as a layer package. Open the layer package in ArcGlobe. We want to use an image as point symbol. This image will represent the cross section (Mount St. Helens in this example, and the seismic and geologic sections in the earlier example).
This video shows you how to extract a topo profile using the 3D analyst extension. Using ArcGIS you can then make a 'blank' cross section (with a grid and the profile) and export it as a pdf. I need to create a 2-D cross section with contour. Anybody know how to do that? I have 3-D Analyst.
To use an image as a symbol for the point we need to specifiy and adjust several properties. In the ArcGlobe table of contents right-click on the layer and choose properties.
Click the Globe Display tab, and do the following:. Check “Scale 3D symbols with distance”. Uncheck “Rasterize feature layer” Then click OK and dismiss the dialog. Even though there are more properties to set it is important to click OK when you have modified properties on a tab. ArcGlobe has properties that are only available in certain combinations. If you set properties on one tab and then switch to another tab, a property that you want to set may not be available until the properties from the previous tab are applied. Sometimes this is the case on the same tab.
For example, on the Globe Display tab “Scale 3D symbols with distance” is disabled until “Rasterize feature layer” is unchecked and applied. So remember to Apply or OK your changes as you make them. Next, on the Elevation tab specify “Floating without a surface” and click OK. On the layer properties Symbology tab we will specify the type of symbol and the image (ultimately our cross-section) to display as the point symbol. Choose “Single symbol” and click the symbol button. Next, click “Edit Symbol” And choose “3D Markersymbol” Now browse to or copy/paste a URL to the image you want to use as the symbol.
For this example I will use this photo from the USGS website: Click Open and the image loads in for use as a point symbol. From here, the values you set will depend on the image you have chosen and how it scales in real world space, and some experimentation is necessary. Increase the Size (Z) of the symbol to 30.
Also uncheck “Keep aspect ratio.” After doing this it is important that you do not modify the Size (Z) setting again. If you do, you will have to start over and reload the image.
Also set the Width (X) and Depth (Y) to equal amounts. We will use 10,000 as our starting point, but will modify those to achieve the desired scaling for this particular photo. Click 1:1 to see the entire image in the 3D Preview as shown below: Next click the 3D placement tab and uncheck Display Face Front and set the Rotation angles X value to 90, as shown below: Click Apply and see what it looks like in your map. It is pretty close to where we want it to be but still needs some adjustment. The image looks a little bit bigger than the 3D mountain, so let’s fix that first.
(Note that the size of the symbol in the table of contents is controlled by the Size (Z) that we originally set before un-checking Keep Aspect Ratio.) Back at the size settings, I’ll size it to 9000 and see how that looks. The scale of the image looks a little better now. Next I will slide the image down so the rim of the volcano in the image matches the 3D terrain. To do this, use layer properties and the Elevation tab and set the Layer offset to a lower value. In this case I will use -800. After that adjustment the volcano rims are lining up better. But the horizontal alignment still looks to be a bit off.
To correct that I’ll adjust the X offset. Here I have set it higher than it need be to -90 so we can get a better Idea for what this property does: With a little more experimentation we find that a value of -18 looks pretty good. We’re satisfied with how things scale and align now, but one more thing we can do to make the image look better is turn off the layer lighting property. We’re finished, and now ready to create a layer package that we can open in ArcGIS Explorer desktop.
The layer package created above can be and you can also view a couple of videos on the Esri Facebook site that show what the layer package looks like in use:.
Note: Documentation about tools provided with ArcMap is available separately; see for ArcGIS Desktop. What's in the tool reference? The ArcGIS Pro tool reference is organized into and sections. These sections are both browsable and searchable. In addition, there are appendices that include a list of as well as the topics that are available when using search.
Tools section In ArcGIS Pro, tools are grouped into toolsets, which are then collected into toolboxes. As you browse the Tools section of the ArcGIS Pro tool reference, you will see this pattern reflected in its organization. Click to expand the Tools heading and you'll see information about the and a list of toolboxes available in ArcGIS Pro. Expand a specific toolbox and you'll find the following:.
An overview that describes the purpose of the toolbox and gives a summary of each toolset the toolbox contains. When applicable, the summary also includes links to related topics. A licensing topic that summarizes the licensing requirements for every tool in the toolbox. Nodes for each toolset in the toolbox. Expand a specific toolset and you'll find the following:. An overview page that describes the organizing principle of the toolset and gives a summary of each tool in the toolset. A reference page for each tool in the toolset.
See the page for details on what you will find on each of these pages. When applicable, there will also be a Concepts node. This contains more detailed information about specific tools in the toolset. Environments section Environment settings can be applied to tools and will affect their results.
For example, you can use the Current Workspace and Scratch Workspace environments to set default locations for tool inputs and outputs. Click to expand the Environments heading and you'll see the topic followed by reference pages for each of the settings organized by subject. Each environment reference page includes a summary, usage notes, and the syntax for the setting. Errors and warnings reference pages Geoprocessing errors and warnings are delivered as a six-digit code and a text message.
Click the error code link to access its reference page in the ArcGIS Pro tool reference. You can also conduct a search for the error to access the same page. Click to expand the Appendices node and you'll see the topic about. Due to the number of error reference pages, they are not provided in a browsable format. Instead, enter a search query to find a particular error reference page. Use a tool If working with tools in ArcGIS Pro is entirely new to you, or you want to understand how the tools fit within the context of the geoprocessing framework, start with the topic.
If you're already familiar with tools, here's a refresher on how to run the tools via the,. You can run the tools via the following: Run a tool in the Geoprocessing pane. On the Analysis tab, click Tools. The Geoprocessing pane opens. Select a tool to open it in the pane.
Set input and output parameters. Required parameters must be filled in for the tool to execute and are indicated by a red asterisk.
Optional parameters can be left blank or unmodified to use a default behavior. Environments settings are optional. If set here, they will only be applied to this specific execution of the tool. For more details, see. Run a tool in ModelBuilder. On the Analysis tab, click ModelBuilder. A blank canvas opens for your new model.
Drag a tool onto your model from the Geoprocessing or Catalog pane. You can also drag additional elements onto your model, such as data, map layers, or more tools.
Connect your data and tools by setting the input and output parameters for the tool. Required parameters must be filled in for the tool to execute and are indicated by a red asterisk. Optional parameters can be left blank or unmodified to use a default behavior.
Environments settings are optional. If set here, they will only be applied to this specific execution of the tool. Validate your model by clicking Validate in the Run group. In the Run group, click Run. For more details, see,.
Run a tool in the Python window. On the Analysis tab, click Python. Type arcpy at the Python prompt in the window.
Type the name of the tool and a set of matching tools appears. Click on the tool and it is added to the code in the Python prompt. Enter valid parameter values. The syntax for parameters appears when you click in the Python prompt. The Python prompt will contain something similar to the following: arcpy.Bufferanalysis('c:/data/Portland.gdb/streets', 'c:/data/Portland.gdb/steetsbuffer', '500 METERS'). Press Enter to run the tool. For more details, see.