Latest Contributions by DuncanSmith

Hi, I'm a long term user of ArcGIS, and exporting basic extruded 3D models of buildings has always been problematic with this software but it was possible. In my current version (10.3) it seems that it no longer is. One method is to export to VRML from ArcScene. I have used this feature successfully for several projects the past, but with 10.3 this function crashes with no explanation. This method always struggled with large numbers of polygons, but now it crashes even using a single polygon. My colleague has tried this using a different computer setup with the same result, so I don't believe it's my hardware. Another approach is to use the 3D analyst tools. I was optimistic that the multipatch to collada tool would be able to export 3D data, but again this tool crashes with no error messages or explanation. There is an existing discussion on this, concluding that the tool only works for 2D polygons- Multipatch to Collada Crash The whole purpose of multipatches is that they are three dimensional, so if the collada tool only works with 2D polygon data then its pointless. There's no problem exporting 2D polygon data (e.g. CAD export), the problem is exporting 3D polygons. There's also a "Feature Class Z to ASCII" tool, but it doesn't work for extruded data either. ESRI can you fix one or more of these tools please? I know CityEngine can do this task, but it should not be necessary to buy this software to perform the most basic of export features ... View more

Often when doing a spatial join, you want to set many fields to have the same merge rule, e.g. select multiple numeric fields to have a SUM rule. It would be a nice time saver if the dialogue box allowed multiple fields to be selected and the merge rule set for all of them with a single click. Currently you need to set the merge rule for each field individually. ... View more

Exporting 3D geometry from ArcScene to 3d rendering software (e.g. 3ds max, Rhino, Sketchup... ) is very useful option to have. This has always been hindered by 1) very limited support for 3D file formats in ArcScene and 2) a number of errors in exported geometry from the VRML option available. When you export simple vector shapes like an extruded grid or an extruded zone map in ArcScene to VRML, then the majority of faces are the wrong way round, which spoils the rendering in standard 3D software. Reversing the faces to fix this problem is tedious process. Please fix this! Reverse faces problems can also affect 3d surface exports, although this issue is generally much easier to fix. It would also be great for ArcScene to support some more 3d formats like 3ds as VRML support is increasingly limited. ... View more