This week, I completed four Esri courses on visibility analysis. The four courses I took were:
1. Introduction to 3D Visualization
2. Performing Line of Sight Analysis
3. Performing Viewshed Analysis in ArcGIS Pro
4. Sharing 3D Content Using Scene Layer Packages
Each course provided me with tools and tips that helped me to understand 3D visualization in ArcGIS Pro and how they can be applied to real-world projects. One of the features that I learned was setting a vertical coordinate system for a scene by accessing the map's properties and finding the Current Z box that sets the vertical coordinate system. I also learned how to bring 2D vector features into a 3D scene and interact with them just like you do in a 2D map. I learned to extrude 2D polygons based on attributes and use multipatch models to create realistic-looking buildings. I investigated Triangulated Irregular Networks (TIN) by symbolizing edges uses the "Edges" symbology option. I could visually distinguish hard edges, meaning there were sharp slope changes, from soft edges, which represented gradual changes.
Some helpful tips I learned for navigating a scene were:
- Hold V and click drag the mouse left and right if you don't have a mouse wheel
- Hold B to rotate the view without changing the location of the camera
- Hold Q to fly the camera upward and forward as you drag the mouse up
- The scene always zooms in the center of the pointer location
Some Geoprocessing tools that I used for the first time for the practices exercises within the courses were Construct Sight Lines (3D Analyst Tools) tool which create line features that represent sight lines between one or more observer points and features in a target class. I used Line of Sight (3D Analyst Tools) tool to determine the visibility along sight lines given terrain inputs. I then used Add Z Information (3D Analyst Tools) tool to calculate the 3D view distance. It calculates properties of 3D shapes and adds the result to the attribute table of the input feature class. From there, I could calculate the length of each line of sight. I selected by attributes the lines that are obstructed or the lines that are too far for visibility, which can be necessary depending on the type of visibility analysis you are doing. Then, I used the Delete Features tool to remove the selected lines from the layer. Another important thing to consider beyond visibility distance is atmospheric conditions like rain, fog, and smog, so you might want to cut the maximum visibility shorter. To cut it shorter, the course walked through a ModelBuilder to automate the tasks of cutting the line visibility depending on the conditions. I also used the Viewshed tool from the 3D Analyst Toolbox to determine visible areas across a surface using a DEM raster input and observer feature class.
The last course covered various aspects of authoring a 3D scene for the purpose of publishing and sharing it using scene layer packages. I learned how to create a custom extent within the properties of a scene and choosing a layer for the boundary extent. I also learned that editing the Metadata within the property will help share all the information when you go to share the scene. Another new technique was adding a custom elevation surface by right clicking 'Ground' in the Contents pane. For sharing a 3D scene, I used multiple tools for the first time including: Add Surface Information tool, Layer 3D To Feature Class Tool, Create 3D Object Scene Layer Content tool to create a new scene layer package. Finally, I learned to use Create A Hosted Scene Layer option on ArcGIS Online to publish the scene!
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