Create a route from line features

The Make Route tool copies the geometry of a selected line feature to an m-aware feature layer and applies route measures using methods and settings you configure in the tool pane. This tool is available in the Modify Features pane.

When you use this tool, consider the following:

• This tool requires an m-aware feature layer and associated feature template to exist in the map.
• You can define the start point of the route by snapping to an endpoint of the selected feature or allow the tool to determine the endpoint closest to a selected coordinate priority.
• When you uncheck the Ignore spatial gaps check box and create noncontinuous measures, the gap distance is calculated using the units of the target layer coordinate system. This can create unexpected measure values, for example, if the target layer coordinate system is in meters, and you are using a field that stores mileage values to accumulate the measure

Dive-in:

Routes are used by linear referencing systems to model linear distances and related events. They are created as PolylineZM centerline features with m-values at each vertex that store a measure value independent of the line geometry.

To create a route from line features, complete the following steps:

1. Add your data and configure settings for editing.

   Confirm the feature layer you are editing is editable, the coordinate system assigned to the active map is suitable for the type of edits you're performing, and snapping is configured to help you work efficiently and accurately.

   Note:

   If the target m-aware feature layer doesn’t exist, create a new feature class. A feature template is automatically generated with default settings when feature data is added to a map.

2. On the ribbon Edit tab, click Modify in the Features group.

   The Modify Features pane appears.

3. Click the Make Route tool in the Modify Features pane.

   To find the tool, expand the Route category, or type Route in the Search text box.
4. To preview the route on the map before you create it, check the Show Preview check box.

   

5. Click Select , and select the line features with geometry you want to copy and make the route.

   To add more features to the selection, press the Shift key and click the features.

   The selected features appear highlighted.

6. Click the Template drop-down arrow and choose a target m-aware feature template.
7. Click Specify the start point in the Starting Point section of the tool pane, click the Start point tool, and click the endpoint of the selected line feature from which you want the route to start and m-values to be calculated.

   Alternatively, click Use coordinate priority and choose lower left, lower right, upper left, or upper right to allow the tool to determine the endpoint closest to the selected coordinate priority.

8. To calculate measure values from the length of the selected features in the target layer's coordinate system, click Geometric Length and configure the following settings in the Values section of the pane:

   Note:

   This method determines the length of each selected feature in the units of the target layer coordinate system, not the feature's native coordinate system. This is because feature layers in a map with different coordinate systems can be projected on the fly.

   Setting	Description
   Start Measure	Click the text box and type a start measure value other than 0.
   Multiply Measures by	To scale measures before the selected lines are merged to create a route, click the box and type a multiplication factor. Note: Multiplying measures is commonly used to convert measure units stored with a feature class, for example, from feet to miles. The measure multiplication factor is applied before the selected lines are merged.
   Ignore spatial gaps	To ignore spatial gaps and create continuous measures for disjointed routes, check this check box to enable this setting.

9. To accumulate measure values from the input layer's field value, click Measure Field and configure the following settings in the Values section of the pane:

   Setting	Description
   Start Measure	Click the text box and type a start measure value other than 0.
   Measure Field	Click the drop-down arrow and choose the field in the input feature layer from which the measure values for the new route are to be obtained.
   Multiply Measures by	To scale measures before the selected lines are merged to create a route, click the box and type a multiplication factor. Note: Multiplying measures is commonly used to convert measure units stored with a feature class, for example, from feet to miles. The measure multiplication factor is applied before the selected lines are merged.
   Ignore spatial gaps	To ignore spatial gaps and create continuous measures for disjointed routes, check this check box to enable this setting.

10. To interpolate measure values between the start and end measure values, click From/To and configure the following settings in the Values section of the pane:

    Setting	Description
    From Measure	Click the text box and type the start measure value of the new route.
    To Measure	Click the text box and type the end measure value of the new route.
    Ignore spatial gaps	To ignore spatial gaps and create continuous measures for disjointed routes, check this check box to enable this setting.

11. Click Make Route.

    The route is created and is the current selection.