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

[DavidMedeiros]

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?

[JayantaPoddar]

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.

[DavidMedeiros]

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?

[ChrisDonohue__GISP]

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

[DarrenWiens2]

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.

[DavidMedeiros]

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.

[OwenEarley · Accepted solution]

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.