Create profile graphs from 3D lines

A profile graph is one of the charts available in ArcGIS Pro. Profile graphs show change in elevation of a surface along one or more lines. Profile graphs can help you assess the difficulty of a trail or evaluate the feasibility of placing a rail line along a given route. You can create profile graphs in ArcGIS Pro from 3D line feature classes or from 3D line features digitized from a surface on a map.

Note:

A profile graph can be viewed without a 3D Analyst license, but the creation of a profile graph requires a 3D Analyst extension license.

Create a profile graph from 3D lines in a feature class

You can create profile graphs in ArcGIS Pro from 3D line feature classes.

1. On the Map tab, click the Add Data button .
2. Browse to the location of the 3D lines feature class on the Add Data dialog box and click OK to add it to the map.
3. Select the 3D lines layer in the Contents pane.
4. On the layer's contextual Data tab, in the Visualize group, click the Create Chart button . Alternatively, right-click the layer in the Contents pane and point to Create Chart .
5. Click Profile Graph .



A list of available charts is shown.

After you choose the type of chart, the following occur:

• A chart window appears. This remains blank until you define the chart's variables.
• The Chart Properties pane appears where you can define the chart variables, properties, and title text.
• A new chart is added to the Charts section under the source layer in the Contents pane.

Create a profile graph with digitized 3D lines on a surface

You can create a profile graph by interactively digitizing line features from a surface in ArcGIS Pro using map notes in a map. Map notes are graphical notations that can be added to a map or scene. When you add map notes, they become individual spatial features in a map, so they remain positioned relative to other map data. Using map notes and a surface, you can add new 3D lines that adhere to a surface.

Note:

This workflow only works in a map.

1. Add a surface from which to digitize 3D lines. You can add any surface, such as a raster, TIN, terrain dataset, or LAS dataset (as a TIN). Alternatively, you can use a surface from ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.
   1. On the Map tab, click the Add Data drop-down arrow and click Elevation Source.
   2. On the Add Elevation Source dialog box, select Living Atlas from the list of available portals.
   3. Click Terrain.
   4. Click OK to add the surface.
2. On the Insert tab, in the Layer Templates group, click Line Map Notes.
A new Line Notes layer is added to the Contents pane. The Line Notes layer behaves as any other layer in ArcGIS Pro. For example, you can change the symbology as you would with any other layer.
3. Click the Edit tab.
4. Click the Mode drop-down arrow and click the Surface button .
The elevation used to generate the new features is taken from the surface.
5. Click the Create Features button to open the Create Features pane.
6. Set the automatic densification to use when the 3D lines are created so they follow the surface. By default, the surface is sampled only where you digitize vertices, which doesn't capture surface detail between vertices. Therefore, it is important to turn on densification at a certain interval.
   1. Right-click the Line tool .
   2. Click Properties.
   3. On the Template Properties dialog box, click Tools.
   4. Check the Densify Lines check box.
   5. Set a Sample Distance value to use to densify the new lines.
   6. Click OK.
7. Create 3D lines. The Line tool creates a continuous line feature with multiple vertices.
   1. Click the Line tool .
   2. Interactively digitize lines on the surface that you want to use in a profile graph.
For more information on creating line features, see Create polyline features.
8. Click Save to save the new line features.
9. Create a profile graph.
   1. Select the new 3D lines using a selection tool .
   2. Click the layer in the Contents pane.
   3. On the Data tab, in the Visualize group, click the Create Chart button . Alternatively, right-click the layer in the Contents pane and click Create Chart .
10. Click Profile Graph in the list of charts.

A profile graph is drawn based on the selected lines in the newly created layer.