How to create a polygon buffer with flat corners ?

[JidaWang]

I realize this question has been asked by others before, but no final solutions seem available so far.
http://forums.arcgis.com/threads/48279-Polygon-Buffer-How-to-set-FLAT-corner-paramater

So I am raising up this question aagain. Thanks.

How can we possibly create a buffer around a polygon with flat (not round) corners?  This could be practically useful for many applications. Any ideas?  Any method (including script) will be appreciated. Thanks

[LucasDanzinger · Accepted solution]

Maybe you can just use Feature Envelope to Polygon tool after you create the buffers?

[JidaWang]

Thanks, Lucas.

However, the envlope tool only created bounding boxes (based on the coordinate X/Y directions) which do not necessarily follow the sophisticated geometric outlines/shapes of polygons. This does not work for my cases.

Ideally, I want the output to be similar to a round buffer with simply with flat corners... Thanks

Maybe you can just use Feature Envelope to Polygon tool after you create the buffers?

[KarlSchiller]

I'm not sure if this will help; I haven't tested it out.  But at gis.stackexchange they were working on this problem:

http://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/29337/creating-a-square-buffer-around-a-point-feature-in-arcm...

Hope this will get you closer to your solution.

[Anonymous User]

Have you tried using the "Point to Raster" tool?  For example if you want 100 ft square buffers around the points, you could use point to raster with a cell size of 100 x 100 ft.  After doing this, just convert the raster to polygons and you should have your square buffers.

EDIT:  I should mention that this would only be effective if the buffers will not be overlapping.

[Anonymous User]

For polygons, a solution is to start editing on the feature after buffering.  From the edit session, click on the feature in the Create Features window and from the Editor Toolbar, select the Intersection tool (if you mouse over the icons, the Intersection option is accessed from the drop-down arrow next to Trace).

In your map view, you will see a straight line segment appear as you mouse over a side of the buffer.  Line up one side, click, and then do the same for a corresponding side.  This will create a point where the two sides would intersect.  Repeat this around your shape and right-click to Finish.  You will have two polygons (one rounded from the original buffer, and your new straight edges version).

Buffer is rounded originally to maintain consistent distance as a radius.

[SergeyTolstov]

ArcGIS Pro provides Graphic buffer tool that allows for different types of corners https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/tool-reference/analysis/graphic-buffer.htm

[KeithAddison1]

A dissolve option, like the Buffer tool has, would make this tool more useful.

[SergeyTolstov]

@KeithAddison1Are you are talking about the Graphic Buffer tool? Use Pairwise Dissolve to dissolve the result.

[KeithAddison1]

Yes.  That works, its more of a time saver idea than a can it be done question, I'm going to put an idea up for that one.