Rotate Feature or Find Rotating Envelope Polygon

Question

Couldn't find anything posted on this, if I overlooked, please redirect, otherwise:

Ultimate Goal:  Create a series of polygons (each polygon in it's own separate shapefile) whose width is the same as the width of an input feature, but at different angles from 0 - 360 degrees.  See attached image where the red lines would represent the extent of the feature at different angles of rotation.

Method:  I'm looking to find the min and max x value of a single polygon feature, which can easily be done when the feature is sitting in it's normal angle of 0 degrees rotation by using the properties or the create envelope polygon tool.  To build the other polygons that show the width of the feature at different angles, I would think that it's easier to rotate the input feature one degree, recalculate the extent rectangle as if it's sitting at zero degrees rotation, and then rotate the extent rectangle back the same degree of rotation that the input feature was rotated.

Question:  How can I use Python to rotate a feature in ArcGIS 9.3?

Thanks!

Dwight

RotateExample.JPG

Clip_284.jpg

ArthurSmith2_0-1786374649765.png

DwightLanier · Answer

Jake,

Thanks for the reply; I think this will work for what I need.  I'll have to look at the effects of rasterizing the boundary of the input feature, but as long as I do each angle of rotation from the original input feature it should be controllable.

Also this is a lot less of a headache than trying to implement some sort of rotating calipers function with a convex hull.  My friend Rick suggested an ArcObjects approach, but I would really like to think that there is an accessible solution to rotating objects with python?  That and I don't have the time it would take to dust off my VBA or .NET skills.

Anyway, thanks again,

Dwight

JakeSkinner · Answer

Here is some sample code if interested:list = []

# Specify feature class whose features you want to rotate
# Append to list to find the Max OBJECTID/FID
lstFCs = arcpy.ListFeatureClasses("Parcels")
for fc in lstFCs:
    rows = arcpy.SearchCursor(fc)
    for row in rows:
        list.append(row.OBJECTID)

del row, rows

maxOID = list[-1]

x = 1
y = 1

# Loop through each feature, convert to a feature layer, then to raster, rotate raster, convert back to polygon feature class
while y <= maxOID:
    for fc in lstFCs:
        feat_lay = arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management(fc, fc + str(x), "OBJECTID = " + str(x))
        ras_lay = arcpy.PolygonToRaster_conversion(feat_lay, "OBJECTID", fc + str(x) + "_ras") # Can improve processing time by specifying a larger cell size
        feat_lay2 = arcpy.Rotate_management(ras_lay, "ras_rotate" + str(x), 45)
        arcpy.RasterToPolygon_conversion(feat_lay2, fc + "_rotate_" + str(x))
        y = y + 1
        x = x + 1

# Print extent of rotated feature classes
lstFCs2 = arcpy.ListFeatureClasses("*rotate*")
for fc2 in lstFCs2:
    rows2 = arcpy.SearchCursor(fc2)
    for row2 in rows2:
        geom = row2.Shape
        Extent = geom.extent
        print Extent

del row2, rows2

# Deleted rasters
lstRasters = arcpy.ListRasters("*ras*")
for raster in lstRasters:
    arcpy.Delete_management(raster)

JakeSkinner · Answer

There is a Rotate GP tool, but this is only for raster datasets.  You could create a script to convert the features to a raster dataset (Polygon to Raster), rotate the raster datasets (Rotate), then convert the rasters back to a feature class (Raster to Polygon).  You will then be able to retrieve the new extent of the rotated feature.