3D Marker Symbols in Layer Package not displaying at real world size

[TomBedford1]

Good Morning

I'm having an issue with 3D marker symbol sizes in a layer file created in ArcScene 10.1. The symbols are wind turbines created in Sketchup and exported as COLLADA files, ~100m tall and I want to display them at real-world size. They display fine in ArcScene and ArcGlobe, but when opened in ArcGIS Explorer their size changes as I zoom in and out, and when zoomed in reasonably close the perspective is very strange - turbines closer to the viewpoint are small and those further away are large.

I've searched through all the menus I can find to no avail. Exporting the layer file/package from ArcGlobe fixes this, but I have no other need to use ArcGlobe so I'd rather not have to add that extra step to the process (this is something that is potentially going to have to be done reasonably regularly in the near future).

I initially wondered if this might involve ArcGIS Explorer using the size of the models in metres as a point size, but this wouldn't explain the odd perspective issue. I don't get any option to select how the symbol size is interpreted when I open the layer file, unlike when I open it in ArcGlobe.

The most annoying thing about this is that I was idly playing around with Explorer a couple of months back before I'd started the current project and found a solution to this, but for the life of me I can't remember now how I did it.


Any ideas would be much appreciated!

Regards


Tom

[MarkBockenhauer]

Tom,

Something you could try... this is not something I have reproduced and know for sure.  I think if you use the layer file that you saved from ArcGlobe,  back in ArcScene and then just add more turbines to it and save the layer file from ArcScene, it will still retain the globe property (properties?) that ArcGIS Explorer needs to display it as desired.  This would allow you to skip the step of opening it in ArcGlobe.  Again, I am not positive this will work, but it may be worth a try. 

Mark

[TomBedford1]

Cheers Mark

I've tested that approach and what you suggest works - save a layer file from ArcGlobe, make any changes as required in ArcScene and save another layer file and the display properties from ArcGlobe are retained, so the layer displays properly in ArcGIS Explorer.

Interestingly, if I replace the layer file from ArcGlobe with the file from ArcScene, the display properties are lost, but if I save a new file from ArcScene they are retained.

Thanks again


Tom