Create TIN (3D Analyst)

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Summary

Creates a triangulated irregular network (TIN) dataset.

Usage

  • Avoid creating a TIN using a geographic coordinate system, as the Delaunay triangulation rule cannot be effectively enforced when the XY units are expressed in spherical coordinates.

  • The surface feature type defines how the input features will contribute to the definition of the triangulated surface.

    • Point features can be specified as mass points, which provide data nodes with z-values that are used in the triangulation of the surface.
    • Line features can be specified as mass points and breaklines, which represent locations along a surface with linear discontinuities in slope, such as ridge lines, shore lines, pavement edges, building footprints, and so on.
    • Polygon features can also be specified as mass points and breaklines, along with clip features that define the data area, replace features that define regions with constant z-values (for example, water bodies), and erase features that indicate interior areas where data does not exist.
  • The maximum number of nodes supported by a TIN depends primarily on the free, contiguous memory resources available on the computer. Consider limiting the total number of nodes to less than 6 million to maintain responsive display performance and overall usability. Larger triangulated surfaces are best managed using a multiresolution terrain dataset.

  • Set the Default TIN Storage Version environment setting to PRE_10.0 if the TIN being created will be used in versions of ArcGIS Desktop earlier than 10.0.

Parameters

LabelExplanationData Type
Output TIN

The TIN dataset that will be generated.

TIN
Coordinate System
(Optional)

The spatial reference of the output TIN should be set to a projected coordinate system. Geographic coordinate systems are not recommended because Delaunay triangulation cannot be guaranteed when the XY coordinates are expressed in angular units, which could have an adverse impact on the accuracy of distance-based calculations, such as slope, volume, and line of sight.

Coordinate System
Input Feature Class
(Optional)

The input features and their related properties that will contribute to the definition of the TIN.

  • Input Features—The feature with the geometry that will be imported to the TIN.
  • Height Field— The source of elevation for the input features. Any numeric field from the input feature's attribute table can be used, along with Shape.Z for the Z values of 3D features, and Shape.M for the M values stored in the geometry. Choosing the <None> keyword will result in the feature's elevation being interpolated from the surrounding surface.
  • Type—The feature's role in shaping the TIN surface will be defined. See the tool's usage tips for more information about surface feature types.
  • Tag Field—A numeric attribute will be assigned to the TIN's data elements using values obtained from an integer field in the input feature's attribute table.
Value Table
Constrained Delaunay
(Optional)

Specifies the triangulation technique that will be used along the breaklines of the TIN.

  • Unchecked—The TIN will use Delaunay conforming triangulation, which may densify each segment of the breaklines to produce multiple triangle edges. This is the default.
  • Checked—The TIN will use constrained Delaunay triangulation, which will add each segment as a single edge. Delaunay triangulation rules are honored everywhere except along breaklines, which will not be densified.
Boolean

Licensing information

  • Basic: Requires 3D Analyst
  • Standard: Requires 3D Analyst
  • Advanced: Requires 3D Analyst

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