topic Re: Shapefile index of tif in 3D Mapping Questions

Shapefile index of tif

jm8 — Sun, 18 Oct 2015 00:27:24 GMT

Hello, esri people. I'm new. And lost. I'll probably use words that aren't quite right.

I have .tif files that someone else had prepared for me. I'm using them in Civil 3D. They don't come in right and there's a whole bunch of problems with that, but I've got that mess all sorted. The problem I'm having is in replicating what I'm seeing with another .tif.

The tiff is lidar data and it is big. So big I can't get it into CAD without making tiles of it. I did this with the Split Raster tool. (Rather proud of myself, actually, for figuring that part out.) Now I've got hundreds of these tiff file tiles sitting in a folder and I can import them into CAD. But I have no index. With the other tiff data that was prepared for me, I have these .shp files that I can import into CAD and use as a guide for the associated tiff files. But I don't know how to make these shape files. I've tried many things.

I've tried downloading something called Create Raster Index for ArcGIS. I got it from here: Create Raster Index Shapefile That sounded promising. But it maybe was for a different version(?) I'm using 10.2 and could not follow the install instructions to get the tool into the program.

I also found a couple tools already in the program ("the program" being ArcMap 10.2) that looked like they might've worked. But I get a message "Unable to execute tool. You do not have the necessary license to execute the selected tool...yadayada...[3D Analyst]. Which, I take it, means I don't have access to a suite of tools known as 3D Analyst. Fine. But I know that what I already have was prepared for me using the software I'm using now, so there must be a way to create shapefile outlines of these tiled tiffs that I have.

Does anyone know how to do this? You'd make my day. Just speak-a-da-English, okay? I don't know this software's vernacular.

Re: Shapefile index of tif

DanPatterson_Retired — Sun, 18 Oct 2015 01:50:31 GMT

Customize menu, Extensions ... if available... toggle on 3D then look at the available tools...

An overview of the 3D Analyst toolbox—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

If not available, other cool stuff

Imagery: Data management patterns and recommendations—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

What is a mosaic dataset?—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

Creating raster catalogs in a geodatabase—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

Re: Shapefile index of tif

jm8 — Sun, 18 Oct 2015 04:48:49 GMT

Well, thanks, but 3D Analyst in the Extensions menu says "(Not authorized)" Not particularly surprising since I figured I must not have that suite of commands in the original post. I read the help files you indicated, I think. I also tried to download ArcGIS for desktop twice but I've received no email as yet.

I seem to keep getting back to tools that are in the 3D Analyst realm. I don't have that. But again: I have shape files of tiles that were created on this computer without that extension.

All I want to do is make shape files that have a field linking the rasters (tiffs).

Is making shapefiles out of raster tiles impossible without 3D Analyst? If someone could confirm that it is, at least I'll know to stop looking. Is there maybe a way to do this with Grass GIS or MSYS or QGIS or SAGA GIS? I have all those programs for some reason.