How to create bubble polygons - maybe buffer?

Question

Hello all,

How can I create the callout bubble polygons like in CAD and PDF mark-up software? Does anyone have some work arounds? I'm thinking about trying to use the buffer tool. I won't have the bubble effect but at least I'll have a circle around the lines.

I get asked to produce maps like this from time to time and it really sucks there's no bubble tool in ArcMap.

Thanks for ideas,

A

bubble.JPG

DarrenWiens2 · Answer

Haha - Step 1.) have someone else do it.

Anonymous User · Answer

Thanks for the ideas guys.

What I ended up doing: 1) export a data layer to CAD so they can find the area that needs to be bubbled. 2) make the CAD guy draw the bubble in CAD! 3) Add CAD drawing back into ArcMap, it reads the bubble as a polyline 4) export the polyline to a line feature class and done!

Sometimes the easiest solution isn't the first one I think of.

DarrenWiens2 · Answer

Maybe this will get you some of the way there (as usual, I cut some corners, but you get the idea): >>> fc = 'myline_Buffer' # line already buffered ... pt_spacing = 10000 ... buff_outline = [i[0].boundary() for i in arcpy.da.SearchCursor(fc,'SHAPE@')][0] ... outline_pts = [] ... outline_buffers = [] ... for i in range(0,int(buff_outline.length),pt_spacing): ... cur_pt = buff_outline.positionAlongLine(i) # make points along buffer ... outline_pts.append(cur_pt) ... outline_buffers.append(cur_pt.buffer(pt_spacing/1.5)) # buffer and append to list ... int_lines = [] ... for i in range(len(outline_buffers)): ... if i == 0: ... int_lines.append(outline_buffers[i].difference(outline_buffers[len(outline_buffers)-1]).boundary()) # take difference of first and last buffers ... else: ... int_lines.append(outline_buffers[i].difference(outline_buffers[i-1]).boundary()) # take difference of current buffer and previous buffer ... arcpy.CopyFeatures_management(outline_pts,r'in_memory\outline_pts') ... arcpy.CopyFeatures_management(outline_buffers,r'in_memory\outline_buffers') ... arcpy.CopyFeatures_management(int_lines,r'in_memory\int_lines')‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ Finally, you would erase the original buffer from the lines. Here's the output of my script above: