The align features tool and CAD data

[KeithAddison1]

I'm trying to use the align features tool to align a polygon GIS layer to portions of a CAD dataset.  The geometry is simple, I'm trying to get the polygon to align to a curved portion of the CAD linework, between two endpoints.  It works maybe 10 percent of the time, I do the exact same thing every time: use Snap Line Ends to Path as the method, side as both and end as round.  Is this just a case of CAD data not working well with GIS data?  I've noticed what other techs have done in the past in this situation is to just simulate a curve by adding in a bunch of line vertices and dragging onto the curve, or just using AutoCAD Map3D and skip editing in Arc entirely even though that adds time with re-entering attributes. and now I know why.  Is this tool really so terrible at this use case or am I doing something wrong?

[CiciXiao]

Hi Keith, 

Thanks for the question! What did ArcGIS Pro show you 90% of the time when you try to edit vertices with your polygon feature class?

If you are trying to export the curved portion of the CAD linework to GIS feature, you could consider select that CAD feature you were trying to align with and convert it to GIS features using Geoprocessing Tool: CAD to Geodatabase

Cici 

[KeithAddison1]

I trace the line, right click finish, and hit the align button and nothing happens.  Sometimes it works if I do the trace form the other direction, sometimes switching the method to Fit shapes outside alignment area works, sometimes not.  Breaking the segment to be traced into increasingly smaller sections sometimes helps, sometimes not.  It's almost always a simple align a line to curve operation I'm attempting.

[KeiranBray]

Hey @KeithAddison1 I was having a bit of a play this morning with some CAD data and a polygon feature class, when using the align to shape tool, I left the method setting set to "Fit shapes outside of alignment area" and used the "trace" tool on the construction toolbar, and that seemed to work pretty well when aligning the feature. I did come across a similar outcome though as yourself using the "Snap line ends to path"

The other option you could look at using as well is the Reshape tool and using the trace option on the construction toolbar.

Kind regards

Keiran

[JMutunga]

@KeithAddison1 Thanks for bringing this to our attention. If the tool indicates that it ran successfully but the polygon was not aligned with the curved line feature, then there might be an issue that needs to be investigated. 

Are you in a position to work with our Technical Support team to investigate this further? 

In the meantime, in addition to trying the Reshape tool as suggested by @KeiranBray , the Align Edge tool can accomplish what you are trying to do with fewer clicks. The Align Edge tool requires Map Topology to be turned ON. Remember to turn OFF editability of any layers you do not intend to edit from the Contents pane's List By Editing tab.

[KeithAddison1]

Thanks for the interest but no, sorry.  I typically usually use Map3D for complex editing, sometimes I try to do them in Arc in the name of getting better at it, but I've got too much going on.

[JMutunga]

No problem. Thanks for exploring with the editing tools in ArcGIS Pro and providing your feedback.

I'd like to add that when using the Align Features tool, try to use different Tolerance settings to make sure you are getting the desired result. Sometimes, depending on the Tolerance  settings, the edit may not occur as intended. To illustrate this, notice how in the GIF you get two different results when using Tolerance of 21.3m and 21.4m. If you are not keen, you may not notice any edit occurred when 21.4m tolerance was used. Make sure to always review the results once the edit is completed before trying a different setting. 

It may be better to use the Align Edge tool in such a use case, especially if you want to maintain the original feature geometry. 

I hope this helps.