converting shapefiles to 3d

[ChrisBerryman1]

I am trying to convert 2d shapefiles to 3d, in other words im trying to associate z values from a DEM to the shapefiles so they line up correctly in arcscene.  I found in the helpfiles that you can do this in arc 9.3 (http://support.esri.com/en/knowledgebase/techarticles/detail/31629), but I am running Arc10.  Can anyone help me?

[Robert_LeClair]

Hi Chris -

There's an Interpolate Shape tool located in the 3D Analyst Tools -> Functional Surface toolset that may do the trick.  It's output is a geodatabase feature class but you can export it to a PolygonZ shapefile if you like.

Regards,

Robert LeClair
Esri-Denver

[JeffreySwain]

To follow up with what Robert said, the interpolate shape tool will create the output you desire.  To make it a shapefile, simply select an output location in a folder rather than a geodatabase.  The default location will be located in your default geodatabase at 10, but if you specify the location in a folder a shapefile will be created.

[ChrisBerryman1]

thanks for your reply, I did what you both said and my shapefiles moved to underneath my basemap/DEM and I had to set a negative baseheight to get my DEM to be underneath the shapefiles.  I am trying to model a 3d campus and there are hills on my DEM and where there is a hill, the shapefiles go through the hill and do not change with the elevation. any suggestions?

[EricRice]

Greetings,

Did you by chance check the option to Interpolate Vertices Only?  The tool normally densifies the output line to that of the raster cellsize or a TIN's natural densification.  Did you specify your own sampling distance? 

You could try further densifying the line in areas where this happens and then rerun the tool. Only vertices store 3d information. Segments between vertices are not actually 3d aware.

Can you send a screenshot of what you have so far?

Regards,
Eric

[ChrisBerryman1]

I didn't check that box, but i did get it to work so thanks.  My next problem is that I am trying to edit in a line segment as stairwells between two different floors in a 3d building, and when I go to snap to vertex/endpoint the vertex I insert is no where near where I clicked on the map.