topic Re: How can I make an exisitng 2d polyline layer Z aware? in 3D Questions

How can I make an exisitng 2d polyline layer Z aware?

DavidMedeiros — Wed, 13 May 2015 18:44:50 GMT

Many (all?) 3d tools only work with Z aware feature layers. Is there a way to take an existing point, line, or polygon data layer that has no Z values and make it a Z aware layer without having to re import the points or digitize the the lines or polygons into a new layer?

Re: How can I make an exisitng 2d polyline layer Z aware?

JayantaPoddar — Wed, 13 May 2015 19:07:33 GMT

You could drape the vector layers over a DEM in ArcScene (also add some offset, so that the vector layers are visible above the DEM.

Re: How can I make an exisitng 2d polyline layer Z aware?

DavidMedeiros — Wed, 13 May 2015 19:17:23 GMT

To help clarify the question. I'm not looking for ways to visualize or represent the data in 3d, but to make the properties of the data change from not having Z values to having Z values. If you check the properties of any GIS data layer you will see an indication of the presence or absence of Z values for that data.

For point data for instance I know that you can make them Z aware while creating them from a table of XY coordinates. But for existent GIS data, is there a way to make them Z aware after the fact?

Re: How can I make an exisitng 2d polyline layer Z aware?

ChrisDonohue__GISP — Wed, 13 May 2015 19:58:16 GMT

Here's an ESRI Support article which may point the way. The article is for older versions of the software, but I suspect the process is still the same.

36633 - Create a Z-aware shapefile or feature class from a table

Chris Donohue, GISP

Re: How can I make an exisitng 2d polyline layer Z aware?

DarrenWiens2 — Wed, 13 May 2015 20:05:26 GMT

As you've seen, there are many ways to add Z-awareness to your data by creating a new layer (in fact, you can do this with essentially any geoprocessing tool by changing the Z-flag environment to Enabled), but I don't believe it's possible to add Z-awareness to a feature class, in place.

Re: How can I make an exisitng 2d polyline layer Z aware?

DavidMedeiros — Wed, 13 May 2015 21:56:03 GMT

That's what I'm finding. Enabling Z values in the environment doesn't seem to effect the out put of a Data > Export Data flow that won't help quickly create a Z aware copy of the data. Maybe I can hunt down a tool that will use that environment setting.

Like I described above, it's easy enough to re import points from a table and add the Z awareness then, but what would a user do who receives an existing 2d line for say trails in a park and then ants to use some of the 3d tools that require a Z aware line layer. Would they have extract the nodes, export an xy table, re import with Z values, the re connect the nodes into lines? Seems absurd.

Re: How can I make an exisitng 2d polyline layer Z aware?

OwenEarley — Wed, 13 May 2015 23:00:58 GMT

If you enable Z values in the geoprocessing environment and then run a tool such as Feature Class to Feature Class the output will be Z aware. You will still need to apply Z values to the feature vertices after doing this.