Z enabled features don't sit on ground in 3-d scenes (non z-enabled feature DO!)

[Hemlock_Grove]

Hi,

I am exploring the world of 3-d scenes, and have found an odd behavior. Line features that are z-enabled don't show up properly on the ground. They are "close" to the ground, but they go in and out so that parts become invisible.

Non z-enabled features, ironically, sit perfectly well on the round, as if they're painted on. You can tell the z-enabled features are "trying" to sit on the ground, but it's almost as if they're referencing different data, or maybe only vertices snap to ground and in-between get's literally buried. In the line feature, properties > elevation, they are set to "on the ground."

Any idea how to get these z-enabled features to sit properly on the ground? I've attached a file. In it you can see contours, hydro lines, and a few other things (all non-z) showing up like paint. The black lines that look like a malfunctioning render is the z-enabled line feature. 

[CameronRex1 · Accepted solution]

Two things to check:

1. Make sure the line feature is added under 2d Layers and not 3d Layers.
2. Check that the features elevation properties is set to "On the ground". Go to Layer Properties > Elevation > change "Features are:" to "On the ground".

I would recommend that if it isn't z-enabled then keep it in the 2d Layers, and it "should" display like your other lines.

[Hemlock_Grove]

Excellent, thank you!

Moving it from 3D layers to 2D layers solved it. What's the purpose of the 3D layers anyways? Do some things function well from there?

Just to clarify, this line feature IS z-enabled. Would I need to run a geoprocessing tool on it to get the z-points properly aligned with the scene elevation data? 

[CameronRex1]

Even though it is Z-enabled, only its vertices have Z values.

This is probably why you partially see the line in places. If the Z value is on or above the ground it would be shown, but from one vertice to the next, if the topography changes, then the line could be above or below the ground. 

If you wanted to use it as a 3D layer, you could densify the vertices and calculate the Z value for each vertice based on a DEM, but I am not sure this would provide your desired result.

For 3d layers, lets say you had a z-enabled line of a fence line, and you wanted to display that fence in your 3d scene, if the line is in 3d layers, you could do so.

Here is an example image from a project where z-enabled polylines were used within a scene and represented in 3d (see blue and magenta lines), the ties and rail were also z-enabled polyline features.