Create cross-sections of underground point array in ArcGIS Pro scene
I’m new to working in 3D. For part of a 4-hour structural geology lab session introducing undergraduates to GIS on February 21, the professor has asked me to create an exercise in ArcGIS Pro in which (a) parallel planes, oriented NE to SW, slice downward through an array of 8300 underground earthquake points and (b) points within x distance of the plane are projected onto the plane, essentially creating cross-sections of the point array at regular intervals. (He has been able to do this for his research, using non-GIS techniques.)
I’ve accomplished step (a) and used Select by Location to isolate the points within x distance of each plane.
Question #1: Is there a straightforward way for GIS novices to project the selected points onto the planes? As far as I can tell, snapping isn’t workable because there are no edges or vertices in the interior of the plane (polygon). And I don’t see a tool for horizontally extruding a line from each point to intersect the plane perpendicularly.
I have been able to create cross-sections by recalculating the longitude of points to consistent longitudes at regular intervals. (see image; view is from SW) However, planes that are oriented NE to SW (perpendicular to the trend of the point array) would better match what the professor has asked for.
Question #2: Is there a 3D Analyst tool that can create the cross section? If so, would we need to convert the earthquake data CSV to a LAS file? (I’ve been trying to read up on 3D Analyst, but haven’t come across a tool that seems to fit this challenge.)
Because the 4-hour lab will also involve creating animations in 2D and 3D, methods for creating angled cross-sections need to be relatively quick (30 minutes maximum) and not too complicated.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you may have!
