Set toolbar extent in v10.0?

[ChrisSnyder]

Trying to help a user run the "Interpolate Line" tool in the 3D Anlayst toolbar in v10.0... They are experiencing extreemly long hang times of this tool, and I've traced the issue down to the Interpolate Line tool not honoring the viewframe analysis extent. My question: Via the toolbar Interpolate Line tool, how can I set the analysis extent in v10.0? In v10.1 the tool works as expected (using the viewframe as the extent).... How can I manually set the extent in v10.0?!?!! Toolbox analysis extent doesn't work BTW...

[EricRice · Accepted solution]

Hi Chris,

The change you see in 10.1 is directly associated with the issue you describe for 10.0.  We changed the behavior to work on display extent AND display resolution.  There isn't a way to restrict the extent for the interactive tools in 10.0.  With the advent of mosaic datasets/image services which were often continental or global in size, we had to change the old way of doing things.  The 3d changes weren't implemented until 10.1, but the Spatial Analyst toolbar is updated at 10.0 sp4 to the new behavior.  The environment setting for extent is not designed to be honored by anything other than the geoprocessing environment.

What is the user trying to accomplish with Interpolate Line?

Best,
Eric

[ChrisSnyder]

Okay that's what I thought... bummer. Best thing I came up with is to clip out the viewframe extent and operate on that... the end user fellow loves the toolbar - specifically the profile graph. The intended use is to create a vertical profiles along a line in order to analyze ideal placment of yarding towers and tailholds (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAoyK8UvHP8).

[EricRice]

Hopefully when you're clipping you're using the Image Analysis Window > Clip function so that you're not having to do a data export and actually save that clipped raster to disk.  I think most people draw a graphic to clip to, but I just verified that if all you do is zoom in and hit the clip function it clips to the view extent.  Then I used the function raster (a temporary layer) that is created to make a profile.  Basically I think your user can simply add one more mouse click to his/her workflow (clip function) and keep moving forward.  I also wanted to point out that in 10.1 there is a GP tool called Stack Profile which might be helpful in automating this workflow and maybe even help in getting them to upgrade.  i.e. analyze multiple lines at once.

Best,
Eric

[ChrisSnyder]

Thanks for the advice Eric.

Question for you: How do I activate the Image Analysis Window? I've never even seen that, and I think I must be missing something. Is in an extension? If so I don't think we have that available.

I did see the StackProfile tool in v10.1, which looks nice.... Unfortunatly most of my agency is bound to v10.0 for the near term.