3d profile - Unexpected behavior when trails loop

Question

Hello,

I am trying to create a map of a mountain bike trail route and wanted to add a profile graph.  If the route is a simple, non-overlapping loop, the profile works fine.

However, if the route overlaps or, in this example, in the middle of the route, it follows trail X out one direction, does a loop elsewhere and then takes Trail X in the opposite direction.  This results in a profile not behaving correctly.  I just used the Interpolate 3D line.

Yellow highlight is where the doubling back on the trail  occurs.  The red X marks the point at which the the lines starts to double back on trail X.  The straight line is connecting the beginning of the route and the end of the route.  Not sure what's up with that either.

Thanks,

Carmen

XanderBakker · Answer

Most importantly is that you solved your problem. Looking at the graph it seems the order of the distance (horizontal axis) is what is causing the strange behavior)...

ctalleygreenville · Answer

Thanks for your reply.  I was using a continuous line.  But what you said told me that it would work but that I had to determine what I was doing wrong.

Turns out that it works best in Data View.

I was in the Layout View but working with the Data Frame in "Focused Data Frame" mode (which works for most things).  When working in Layout View with a focused data frame, I would see the oddities.

Once I switched to Data view, it worked fine.

Thanks for your reply, it answered my question but not in the way you thought!

Carmen

XanderBakker · Answer

If you use a continuous line that follows the trail from start to end it should work. The problem is that the distance from start is repeating in your specific case. Drawing and XY graph from that creates the loops.