Customizing Marker Symbols

[CarmaGrime]

Hello All:
I am trying to customize some transportation symbols but to no avail. "Help" doesn't seem to cover my needs. I just want to revise the text on a sign symbol or create a custom sign. Went to Style Manager, then Symbol Property Editor, but can't figure out how to customize the text layer.

Thanks,
cdgrime

[JeffBarrette]

I was able to change the symbol properties via the layer properties "Labels" tab (not the symbology tab).

In the Labels tab:
- Turn on "Label features in this layer"
- Set the symbol to be an interstate symbol
- Set placement properties to be on top of the feature.

One possible thing that you did was you set the feature symbology to be a highway shield (and not the label symbology).

I hope this helps,
Jeff

[TrishRice]

Hello All:
I am trying to customize some transportation symbols but to no avail. "Help" doesn't seem to cover my needs. I just want to revise the text on a sign symbol or create a custom sign. Went to Style Manager, then Symbol Property Editor, but can't figure out how to customize the text layer.

Thanks,
cdgrime

Jeff's answer works great for highway route numbers.  It sounds like you want to make a new kind of sign though?  Many of the pre-existing symbols are stored as fonts so you might have to edit the font file.  Here is a topic on that. http://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2012/03/28/fonts-in-arcgis-symbols/

I didn't want to mess with any of that so I made custom signs using standard symbols from the Transportation and the MUTCD fonts plus text.  Here's a screencap & the style file for your experimentation.  For example I made a "School Speed Limit 20 7-5" sign by combining the standard Speed Limit 20 from the ESRI Transportation & Civic font; the school plaque from the ESRI MUTCD 3 font plus a yellow background; and 7, - , 5 in arial font plus a white background.

Oh yeah, and you can make entirely new pictures to use as picture markers (instead of character markers).  For example in MS Paint I drew a little skateboard and half pipe on a blue background to make a marker for the skate park.

[MarkEllis]

If the problem is not solved by the methods in the first two replies, you can edit fonts.  The symbol you wish to change can include elements from multiple fonts.  Be aware that all fonts would be needed on any pc viewing your files for this to work.

Font Creator is a simple font editing software that I've found is very useful in the ESRI environment.  I've made many custom symbols this way.  You can add symbols to existing fonts as well, should you wish.

[JoshuaDamron]

Font Creator is a simple font editing software that I've found is very useful in the ESRI environment.  I've made many custom symbols this way.  You can add symbols to existing fonts as well, should you wish.

We've used FontCreator with success as well, we had a pretty savvy intern generate a bunch of MUTCD sign symbols with it.  Attached is a how to guide showing his workflows. 

Hope this helps.