Author and share a local scene

Scenes in ArcGIS Pro are 3D maps that can be either local (typically for small areas) or global (typically for large areas). You can share them as web scenes to your ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise portal.

Overview

Author and share a local scene video

In this tutorial, you'll create and share a local scene covering a small area in Wellington, New Zealand. The scene will include buildings, trees, and an elevation surface layer.

• Video length: 10:00
• This video was created with ArcGIS Pro 3.1.
• Estimated time: 30 minutes, 40 minutes with optional section
• Software requirements:
  • ArcGIS Pro
  • An ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise account with sharing privileges

Note:

The quick-start tutorials are updated at each software release. For the best experience, use an online help version that matches your software version.

Download the data

You'll download the tutorial data from ArcGIS Online.

1. Open a web browser to the item details page of Author and share a local scene v310.
2. Click Download.
3. In the Downloads folder on your computer, right-click Author_and_share_a_local_scene_v310.zip and extract it to a convenient location, such as C:\Temp.

Create a project

You'll create a project from the Local Scene template on the ArcGIS Pro start page.

1. Start ArcGIS Pro and sign in if necessary.
2. On the start page, under New Project, click Local Scene .

   Note:

   If you already have a project open, click the Project tab on the ribbon. In the list of side tabs, click New. Under New Project, click Local Scene.

3. On the Create a New Project dialog box, name the project Wellington Buildings and Trees.

   

   By default, projects are created in your <User Documents>\ArcGIS\Projects folder. You can change this location in the General options. Alternatively, you can click Browse and browse to a different folder.

4. Click OK.

   

   The project opens with a local scene view. The basemap and geographic extent you see are determined by administrative settings in your ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise portal. (Yours may be different.) The scene also includes a default elevation surface layer.

5. On the ribbon, click the View tab. In the Windows group, click Reset Panes and click Reset Panes for Mapping (Default).

   This ensures that the Contents and Catalog panes are open and that other panes are closed.

6. In the Catalog pane, on the Project tab, right-click Folders and click Add Folder Connection .
7. On the browse dialog box, browse to the folder where you extracted the tutorial data. Click the Author_and_share_a_local_scene_v310 folder to select it. Click OK.

   The folder connection to data allows you to access the folder contents from the Folders container in the Catalog pane or a catalog view.

8. In the Catalog pane, expand Folders . Expand the Author_and_share_a_local_scene_v310 folder connection.

   

   The folder contains a file geodatabase and a raster dataset of elevation (Local_DEM.tif).

9. In the Catalog pane, right-click Victoria_University.gdb and click Add To Project .

   This creates a direct connection to the geodatabase—making it even easier to access.

10. Expand the Databases container .

    You can now access the Victoria_University geodatabase from the Databases container as well as from the folder connection.

11. Under Databases, right-click Victoria_University.gdb and click Make Default .

    Geoprocessing outputs, such as new feature classes or tables, are saved to the default geodatabase unless otherwise specified.

Add and extrude a layer of buildings

You'll add a layer of buildings for the area around Victoria University in Wellington. You'll also extrude the buildings to their heights.

1. In the Catalog pane, expand the Victoria_University geodatabase. Right-click the Buildings feature class and click Add To Current Map .

   The scene zooms to the location of Victoria University of Wellington. A layer of buildings appears on the map and in the Contents pane.

   

   Your symbol color for the buildings may be different.

2. On the ribbon, click the Map tab. In the Navigate group, click the Explore tool if necessary.
3. Use the on-screen navigator to explore the scene or use the following mouse movements:

   Zoom	Scroll the mouse wheel (or press the right mouse button and drag).
   Tilt	Press the scroll wheel and move the mouse up and down.
   Rotate	Press the scroll wheel and move the mouse from side to side.

   Tip:

   If you get lost and don't see your data, right-click the Buildings layer in the Contents pane and click Zoom To Layer .

   The topography displays in 3D using the values in the WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D elevation layer. However, the buildings lie flat on the surface. You'll check the layer attribute table for a height attribute you can use to extrude the buildings.

4. In the Contents pane, right-click the Buildings layer and click Attribute Table .

   

   The Height field stores the height of each building in meters.

5. Close the table.
6. In the Contents pane, confirm that the Buildings layer is selected. On the ribbon, click the Feature Layer tab.
7. In the Extrusion group, click Type and click Max Height .
8. Click the Field drop-down arrow next to the extrusion type and click Height. Confirm that the Unit setting is Meters.

   

   In the scene, the buildings display at the heights stored in the attribute table. Because extrusion is a 3D property, the layer moves from the 2D Layers group to the 3D Layers group in the Contents pane.

9. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click Save to save the project.

Symbolize buildings

You'll try different symbology settings for the buildings.

1. In the Contents pane, click the symbol for the Buildings layer.

   The Symbology pane appears and displays formatting options for the polygon symbol.

2. At the top of the Symbology pane, click the Gallery tab if necessary.
3. In the search box, type building and press the Enter key. Expand the Procedural Symbols style if necessary.
4. Click the International Building symbol.

   On the map, the building features are updated with realistic symbols.

5. At the top of the Symbology pane, click the Properties tab. Under it, click the Layers tab .

   There are settings for the building type, the height of ground and top floors, and the total height. You can change these settings manually or with attribute values.

6. Next to TotalHeight, click No attribute mapping defined .
7. On the Set Attribute Mapping dialog box, click the drop-down arrow and click Height. Click OK.
8. At the bottom of the Symbology pane, click Apply.

   On the map, the buildings redraw at the heights stored in the attribute table.

9. Navigate the scene and take a closer look at some of the buildings.

   

   The building symbols are detailed and realistic and represent the building heights correctly. (However, they don't reflect the actual appearance of the buildings around Victoria University.) Procedural symbols are supported in web scenes, but slow down the sharing time. For this tutorial, you'll use a simple symbol instead.

10. In the Symbology pane, click the Gallery tab. Expand the ArcGIS 2D style and click the dark gray Building Footprint symbol.

    The symbol is updated in the scene and in the Contents pane.

11. In the Contents pane, right-click the Buildings layer and click Zoom To Layer .

    

12. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click Save to save the project.

Convert buildings to multipatch features

The extruded buildings display well in ArcGIS Pro; however, web scenes don't support most feature extrusion types, including the Max Height type you used. In other words, when the scene is shared, the buildings will be flattened. To solve this problem, you'll convert the buildings from polygons to multipatch features. Multipatch features have three-dimensional geometry, which means they don't need to be extruded.

1. On the ribbon, click the Analysis tab. In the Geoprocessing group, click Tools .

   The Geoprocessing pane appears.

2. In the Geoprocessing pane, in the search box, type Layer 3D To Feature Class. In the list of search results, click Layer 3D To Feature Class to open the tool.
3. On the Parameters tab, click the Input Feature Layer drop-down arrow and click Buildings.
4. In the Output Feature Class box, replace the default name with Buildings_3D.

   Tip:

   You can delete the entire path to the output feature class—it will be restored automatically.

   

5. Click Run .

   The tool runs and the Buildings_3D layer is added to the scene. On the map, it looks the same as the Buildings layer.

6. In the Contents pane, right-click the Buildings_3D layer and click Attribute Table .

   In the Shape field, notice that the geometry is MultiPatch. The other attributes are the same as in the Buildings layer.

7. Close the attribute table.
8. In the Contents pane, right-click the Buildings layer and click Remove .
9. In the Catalog pane, on the Project tab, expand Databases and expand the Victoria_University geodatabase.

   

   The Buildings_3D feature class is stored in the default Victoria_University geodatabase.

10. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click Save to save the project.

Add OpenStreetMap trees

OpenStreetMap 3D scene layers allow you to add worldwide data representing buildings and trees to your scenes. You'll add a layer of trees to complement the buildings.

Note:

If your active portal is set to ArcGIS Enterprise, you won't be able to add OpenStreetMap layers. Continue with the next section.

1. In the Catalog pane, click the Portal tab and click Living Atlas .
2. In the search box, type OpenStreetMap 3D trees and press the Enter key.
3. In the list of search results, right-click OpenStreetMap 3D Trees (Thematic) and click Add To Current Map .
4. Navigate the scene to view it from different perspectives.

   

   You see a sprinkling of trees throughout the area.

Compare elevation source layers

The default ground elevation in a scene comes from the WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D layer. This layer provides elevation coverage for the entire world at varying levels of detail.

If you have your own high-resolution elevation data for a study area, you can use it together with the WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D layer to create a composite elevation surface layer. ArcGIS Pro will use your local elevation data where it is available; elsewhere it will use the WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D layer.

You'll find out the resolution of the WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D layer for the study area. Then you'll add a local DEM and compare its resolution.

1. In the Catalog pane, on the Portal tab, confirm that Living Atlas is still selected. Delete the existing search term, type Elevation Coverage Map, and press the Enter key.
2. In the list of search results, right-click Elevation Coverage Map, point to Add To New , and click Map .

   A map view opens and displays the elevation coverage map layer. This layer provides information about the resolution and data sources of the WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D layer.

3. In the Contents pane, expand the Elevation Coverage Map group layer. Expand ElevationDatasetResolutions and expand some of the values.

   

   The symbol classes indicate the resolution of the elevation data. A resolution of 1m means that the data stores one elevation value per square meter of ground. The map shows where high resolution data is available.

4. On the ribbon, click the Map tab. In the Inquiry group, click Locate .
5. In the Locate pane, in the Search box, type Wellington NZL and press the Enter key.

   The map zooms in to Wellington. You can see that high resolution data is available for this area.

6. Click anywhere in the Wellington area.

   

   The pop-up shows multiple elevation sources for the location. The highest resolution is the one meter data provided by Land Information New Zealand.

7. Close the pop-up, close the Locate pane, and close the map view. Confirm that the local scene is active.

   Now you'll compare a digital elevation model (DEM) included in the tutorial data.

8. In the Contents pane, under Elevation Surfaces, right-click Ground and click Add Elevation Source Layer .
9. On the browse dialog box, under Project, click Folders to show your folder connections. Double-click Author_and_share_a_local_scene_v310. Click Local_DEM.tif to select it.

   

10. Click OK.

    

    The Local_DEM.tif layer appears above the WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D layer. This means that its values will define the ground elevation for the area they cover. You can add as many elevation source layers to the ground as you want, and drag them up and down to order them. Layers are used in their top to bottom order.

    Note:

    The Local_DEM.tif layer covers an area of about 1.5 square kilometers. To see its extent, you can drag the layer to the 2D Layers category above the World Topographic Map layer. Afterward, drag it back to the Ground category above the WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D layer.

11. In the Contents pane, right-click Local_DEM.tif and click Properties . On the Layer Properties dialog box, click the Source tab.
12. Expand Spatial Reference and notice that the Linear Unit is Meters (1.0).
13. Expand Raster Information and notice Cell Size X and Cell Size Y are both larger than 1.00.

    The resolution of the DEM is about 1.35 meters. That's good, but not as good as the resolution of the WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D layer for the same area. In this case, there's nothing to be gained by adding the DEM to the elevation surface layer.

14. Click OK to close the Layer Properties dialog box.
15. In the Contents pane, right-click Local_DEM.tif and click Remove .
16. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click Save to save the project.

Set scene properties

Before sharing the scene, you’ll set a number of scene properties, including the coordinate system.

1. In the Contents pane, double-click the scene name to open its properties.
2. On the Map Properties dialog box, click the General tab. In the Name box, replace the default name with Victoria University.
3. Check the Allow assignment of unique numeric IDs for sharing web layers check box.

   Checking the box assigns a layer ID to each layer in the scene based on drawing order. For example, the Buildings_3D layer now has an ID of 0. The ID of each layer appears on the General tab of its Layer Properties dialog box. Layer IDs keep track of layers once they are shared to the web and maintain the integrity of web maps, web scenes, and web apps when they are modified and overwritten.

4. Click the Metadata tab and fill in the following fields as shown below. Use commas to separate tags.

   • Title—Victoria University
   • Tags—buildings, trees, Wellington, New Zealand
   • Summary—Buildings and trees near Victoria University.
   • Description—3D view of buildings and trees near Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand.
   • Credits—Wellington City Council

   When you share the scene, this metadata appears on the web scene's item details page.

   You'll set a date and time for the scene and display realistic shadows.

5. Click the Illumination tab. Under Shadow, check the Display shadows in 3D check box.
6. Under Illumination defined by, click the Date and time option.
   1. Click the calendar button . Set a date and a daylight time that you want.
   2. Click the time zone drop-down arrow and click (UTC +12:00) Auckland, Wellington.
   3. If appropriate for the date, check the Adjust for Daylight Saving check box.

      Daylight saving in New Zealand starts on the last Sunday in September and ends on the first Sunday in April.

7. Click the Coordinate Systems tab.

   The scene's current XY coordinate system is NZGD 2000 New Zealand Transverse Mercator.

8. Expand Layers and expand each of the three layer headings.

   The layers are in different coordinate systems.

   • The Buildings_3D layer is in the NZGD 2000 New Zealand Transverse Mercator coordinate system. The scene adopted this coordinate system because the Buildings layer was the first operational layer added to the map.
   • The OpenStreetMap Thematic Trees layer is in the WGS 1984 geographic coordinate system.
   • The basemap and elevation surface layers are in the WGS 1984 Web Mercator coordinate system.

   These different coordinate systems are reconciled through on-the-fly projection so that the data aligns properly. However, when you share a local scene to the web, its coordinate system must match the coordinate system of the basemap and elevation surface layers.

   At this point, the scene's current XY coordinate system has been reset to WGS 1984 Web Mercator, assuming this system is selected under Layers.

   

9. Confirm that the current XY coordinate system is WGS 1984 Web Mercator (auxiliary sphere). Click OK.

   

   The scene redraws in the new coordinate system with the illumination properties you set. Optionally, experiment with different illumination settings.

10. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click Save to save the project.

Share the web scene

You're ready to share the scene to the web. You must be signed in to an ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise portal with an account that has the privilege to publish hosted web layers.

1. On the ArcGIS Pro title bar, confirm that you are signed in to a portal.

   

2. On the ribbon, click the Share tab. In the Share As group, click Web Scene .

   The Share As Web Scene pane appears. On the Scene tab, under Item Details, the name, summary, and tags you added to the scene metadata are displayed.

3. Optionally, under Location, click the drop-down arrow and choose a folder in My Content in which to store the web scene.

   You can also create a folder by typing a name in the input box. If you don't specify a folder, the web scene is saved at the root level of your content.

4. Optionally, under Share with, check the appropriate boxes if you want to share the scene with everyone, with members of your ArcGIS organization, or with any groups to which you belong.
5. At the top of the pane, click the Content tab.

   On the New Content tab , you see the portal content that will be created when you share the scene.

   

   The content consists of the Victoria University web scene and the Victoria University_WSL1 scene layer. The scene layer is shared as a 3D object scene layer with an associated feature layer that supports editing and other capabilities.

6. Next to the New Content tab, click the Existing Content tab .

   On this tab, you see existing web layers that will be included in the scene: the elevation layer, the OpenStreetMap layer, and the basemap layers.

7. At the bottom of the pane, under Finish Sharing, click Analyze to check for warnings or errors.

   There shouldn't be any warnings or errors.

8. Click Share.
9. Optionally, click Jobs to monitor the sharing status in the Job Status pane.

   When the web scene is successfully shared, a blue message appears at the bottom of the Share As Web Scene pane. At this point, you can open the web scene in Scene Viewer; however, the scene layer is still being published and may not draw. When the scene layer finishes caching, the blue message is replaced by a green message to show that the process is complete.

   

10. When the green success message appears, click the Manage the web scene link in the message.

    A browser tab or window opens.

11. If prompted, sign into your portal to open the web scene's item details page.

    

    The metadata you added in ArcGIS Pro appears on the page. You can edit this information on the item details page if necessary.

12. Click Open in Scene Viewer.
13. Use the Scene Viewer navigation tools that appear when you hover over the scene to view the scene from different perspectives.

    Tip:

    The default mouse button actions in Scene Viewer are different from ArcGIS Pro. On the Settings (light) toolbar, click Settings to see the default actions. Optionally, click the ArcGIS Pro option to change the mouse behavior.

14. Click a few buildings and trees to see their pop-ups.

    

15. On the Designer (dark) toolbar, click Save . On the Save scene pane, click Save.

    On the toolbar, the Save button has a blue dot on it when there are unsaved changes in the scene.

16. At the top of the page, next to the scene name, click the Home drop-down arrow and click Content.

    

    You see the content that was created when you shared the scene: a web scene, a scene layer with its associated feature layer, and a service definition, which contains publishing specifications for the scene layer. You can add the scene layer to other web scenes.

Add OpenStreetMap 3D buildings to the web scene (optional)

The web scene displays about 400 buildings, but there are many other buildings in the area that were not part of your original dataset. You'll add a layer of OpenStreetMap 3D buildings to provide more context for the scene.

Note:

If your active portal is set to ArcGIS Enterprise, you won't be able to add OpenStreetMap layers.

1. Click the back button on your browser to return to the web scene. Alternatively, in the content list, click Victoria University to open the web scene's item details page, and click Open in Scene Viewer.
2. On the Designer (dark) toolbar, click Add layers . On the pop-up menu, click Browse layers.
3. In the Browse layers pane, click the My Content drop-down arrow and click Living Atlas. In the search box, type OpenStreetMap 3D Buildings and press the Enter key.

   

4. On the OpenStreetMap 3D Buildings search result, click Add .
5. At the bottom of the pane, click Done. On the Designer (dark) toolbar, click Layers to close the Layers pane.

   The OpenStreetMap 3D Buildings layer is added to the scene. It contains buildings for the surrounding area (and the whole world). It also includes buildings that occupy the same locations as the features in the Buildings_3D layer. The two layers interfere with each other, creating a visual sandwich effect.

   You'll create a spatial filter to exclude the OpenStreetMap buildings from the area of conflict.

   

6. In the Layers window, uncheck the box next to OpenStreetMap 3D Buildings to turn off the layer.

   

   Tip:

   If the window isn't displayed, click Layers on the Settings (light) toolbar.

7. Tilt the scene to view the Buildings_3D layer from directly above. Zoom and pan as needed so that all the features in the Buildings_3D layer are visible.
8. On the Navigation toolbar, click Reset map orientation to orient the scene to the north.

   

   Tip:

   If you're using the ArcGIS Pro navigation settings, you can use navigation keyboard shortcuts. Press P to view the scene from above and N to orient it to the north.

9. On the Designer (dark) toolbar, click Layers .
10. In the Layers pane, next to OpenStreetMap 3D Buildings, click the options button and click Layer properties.
11. At the bottom of the pane, click Configure spatial filters.
12. Next to Mode, confirm that exclude is selected.
13. In the scene, draw a polygon that encloses the Buildings_3D features. Click to start drawing, click to change direction, and double-click to complete the polygon.

    

14. Click Done. Click Done again.
15. If necessary, on the Settings (light) toolbar, click Layers to show the Layers window. Check the box next to OpenStreetMap 3D Buildings to turn the layer on.
16. Navigate the scene.

    

    Features from the OpenStreetMap 3D Buildings layer don't draw in the area excluded by the spatial filter. There should be no conflicts between building features.

17. On the Designer (dark) toolbar, click Layers to hide the Layers pane.
18. On the Designer (dark) toolbar, click Save . On the Save scene pane, click Save.

In this tutorial, you created a local scene. You converted a layer of buildings to a multipatch feature class for 3D web display and added OpenStreetMap thematic trees. You set the time and date of the scene and added shadows. After authoring the scene, you shared it to your portal and displayed it in Scene Viewer. Optionally, you also added the OpenStreetMap 3D Buildings layer.