Hillshades from vector contours

[IainStuart]

I am sure this must be obvious but I have some contours which are vectors in shapefile format. I want to turn them into a map with hillshades so that the nature of the slope/elevation is easily understood. Is is correct that I have to turn the vector contours into raster and then into a DEM then drape the DEM with the contours to achieve this?

Is there a workflow outlined somewhere that I can follow? Maybe even a video?

Thanks Iain

[GabrielUpchurch1 · Accepted solution]

You will need the Spatial Analyst or 3D Analyst extension.  Here is a simple procedure:

1. Use "Topo to Raster" tool to convert the contours to a DEM.  Help document:  Topo to Raster—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

2. Use the "Hillshade" tool to create a hillshade from the DEM.  Help document:  Hillshade—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

If you have 10.3, this supplemental toolset provides a variety of new terrain mapping tools for you to consider:  Take your terrain mapping to new heights | ArcGIS Blog

[IainStuart]

Well I tried it and it worked much more smoothly than these things usually go for me. Now I'll have to upgrade to 10.3 to get the extra toolsets and of course work on the symbology to get a nice colour scheme.

Thanks - Iain

[GabrielUpchurch1]

Glad it went well.  It may be more than you want to get into but you might also consider raster functions which are available in all 10.x versions:  What are the functions used by a raster or mosaic dataset?—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

The Shaded Relief function may be of interest: Shaded Relief function—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

Or if you want to go more advanced, check out this blog for a really cool approach using a function chain:   Learn a New Method for Displaying Hillshades and Elevation Tints | ArcWatch

Note: The above help documents are from the 10.3 help because I cannot get the 10.1/10.2 URLs to work for some reason.  Just search the document title in 10.1/10.2 to find the relevant resource for your version.