Add Z & M coordinate values to geodatabase files

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07-26-2012 08:51 AM
JoshuaDamron
Occasional Contributor III
Greetings all,
  I have a dozen utility shapfiles which I imported into a geodatabase.  I now need to add linear referencing & elevations to the feature classes.  Is there a method to adding M & Z coordinate capability to the feature classes when you aren't creating the feature classes from scratch? 

Attached is an image of ArcCatalog which shows that the M & Z value check boxes are greyed out in the existing/imported feature class.

Thanks in advance!
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2 Replies
VinceAngelo
Esri Esteemed Contributor
You can't add dimensionality after the fact, it has to be present at the time of layer creation.
You *can* create an empty new layer, and copy updated features into it on the fly.

- V
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JoshuaDamron
Occasional Contributor III
I found that the calibrate route tool (http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#/Calibrate_Routes/003m00000004000000/) creates M values for existing feature class geometry.  When I used it I carried over the FacilityID field from the utility feature and then used that to join the two feature classes and export for establishing M value capability in my original (now new) utility feature class.

The only issue is that for some reason the calibrate route tool seems to scrambled/flipped my flow directions.  This is where batch selecting and using the flip line tool (http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#//001v00000005000000) came in handy.
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