Summary
Adds one or more pyramid levels to an existing terrain dataset.
Usage
Each pyramid level is entered as a space-delimited pair of the pyramid level resolution and reference scale (for example, "20 24000" for a window size of 20 and reference scale of 1:24000, or "1.5 10000" for a z-tolerance of 1.5 and reference scale of 1:10000).
The pyramid level resolution refers to the z-tolerance or window size value that will be used for the pyramid.
- The z-tolerance specifies the maximum deviation that can occur from the elevation of the terrain at full resolution.
- The window size defines the tile area used in thinning elevation points by selecting one or two points from the area based on the window size method specified at the creation of the terrain.
The reference scale represents the largest map scale in which the pyramid level will be displayed.
Adding a new pyramid level to a terrain invalidates it because the terrain needs to populate the pyramid with elevation points sampled from its preceding pyramid level. Use Build Terrain after adding a pyramid level.
When used in an SDE database, the input terrain cannot be registered as versioned.
Syntax
AddTerrainPyramidLevel_3d (in_terrain, {pyramid_type}, pyramid_level_definition)| Parameter | Explanation | Data Type |
in_terrain | The terrain dataset to process. | Terrain Layer |
pyramid_type (Optional) | The pyramid type used by the terrain dataset. This parameter is not used in ArcGIS 9.3 and beyond, as its purpose is to ensure backward-compatibility with scripts and models written using ArcGIS 9.2. | String |
pyramid_level_definition ["<pyramid_level_resolution> <reference_scale>",...] | The z-tolerance or window size and its associated reference scale for each pyramid level being added to the terrain. Each pyramid level is entered as a space-delimited pair of the pyramid level resolution and reference scale (for example, "20 24000" for a window size of 20 and reference scale of 1:24000, or "1.5 10000" for a z-tolerance of 1.5 and reference scale of 1:10000). The pyramid level resolution can be provided as a floating-point value, while the reference scale must be entered as a whole number. The z-tolerance value represents the maximum deviation that can occur from the elevation of the terrain at full resolution, whereas the window size value defines the area of the terrain tile used in thinning elevation points by selecting one or two points from the area based on the window size method defined during the creation of the terrain. The reference scale represents the largest map scale at which the pyramid level is enforced. When the terrain is displayed at a scale larger than this value, the next highest pyramid level is displayed. | String |
Code sample
AddTerrainPyramidLevel example 1 (Python window)
The following sample demonstrates the use of this tool in the Python window.
import arcpy
from arcpy import env
arcpy.CheckOutExtension('3D')
env.workspace = 'C:/data'
arcpy.AddTerrainPyramidLevel_3d('test.gdb/featuredataset/terrain', 'WINDOWSIZE',
'2.5 10000; 5 25000; 10 50000')
AddTerrainPyramidLevel example 2 (stand-alone script)
The following sample demonstrates the use of this tool in a stand-alone Python script.
"""****************************************************************************
Name: Create Terrain from TIN
Description: This script demonstrates how to create a terrain dataset using
features extracted from a TIN. It is particularly useful in
situations where the source data used in the TIN is not available,
and the amount of data stored in the TIN proves to be too large
for the TIN. The terrain's scalability will allow improved
display performance and faster analysis. The script is designed
to work as a script tool with 5 input arguments.
****************************************************************************"""
# Import system modules
import arcpy
import exceptions, sys, traceback
from arcpy import env
# Set local variables
tin = arcpy.GetParameterAsText(0) # TIN used to create terrain
gdbLocation = arcpy.GetParameterAsText(1) # Folder that will store terran GDB
gdbName = arcpy.GetParameterAsText(2) # Name of terrain GDB
fdName = arcpy.GetParameterAsText(3) # Name of feature dataset
terrainName = arcpy.GetParameterAsText(4) # Name of terrain
try:
arcpy.CheckOutExtension("3D")
# Create the file gdb that will store the feature dataset
arcpy.management.CreateFileGDB(gdbLocation, gdbName)
gdb = '{0}/{1}'.format(gdbLocation, gdbName)
# Obtain spatial reference from TIN
SR = arcpy.Describe(tin).spatialReference
# Create the feature dataset that will store the terrain
arcpy.management.CreateFeatureDataset(gdb, fdName, SR)
fd = '{0}/{1}'.format(gdb, fdName)
# Export TIN elements to feature classes for terrain
arcpy.AddMessage("Exporting TIN footprint to define terrain boundary...")
boundary = "{0}/boundary".format(fd)
# Execute TinDomain
arcpy.ddd.TinDomain(tin, tinDomain, 'POLYGON')
arcpy.AddMessage("Exporting TIN breaklines...")
breaklines = "{0}/breaklines".format(fd)
# Execute TinLine
arcpy.ddd.TinLine(tin, breaklines, "Code")
arcpy.AddMessage("Exporting TIN nodes...")
masspoints = "{0}/masspoints".format(fd)
# Execute TinNode
arcpy.ddd.TinNode(sourceTIN, TIN_nodes)
arcpy.AddMessage("Creating terrain dataset...")
terrain = "terrain_from_tin"
# Execute CreateTerrain
arcpy.ddd.CreateTerrain(fd, terrainName, 10, 50000, "",
"WINDOWSIZE", "ZMEAN", "NONE", 1)
arcpy.AddMessage("Adding terrain pyramid levels...")
terrain = "{0}/{1}".format(fd, terrainName)
pyramids = ["20 5000", "25 10000", "35 25000", "50 50000"]
# Execute AddTerrainPyramidLevel
arcpy.ddd.AddTerrainPyramidLevel(terrain, "", pyramids)
arcpy.AddMessage("Adding features to terrain...")
inFeatures = "{0} Shape softclip 1 0 10 true false boundary_embed <None> "\
"false; {1} Shape masspoints 1 0 50 true false points_embed "\
"<None> false; {2} Shape softline 1 0 25 false false lines_embed "\
"<None> false".format(boundary, masspoints, breaklines)
# Execute AddFeatureClassToTerrain
arcpy.ddd.AddFeatureClassToTerrain(terrain, inFeatures)
arcpy.AddMessage("Building terrain...")
# Execute BuildTerrain
arcpy.ddd.BuildTerrain(terrain, "NO_UPDATE_EXTENT")
arcpy.GetMessages()
except arcpy.ExecuteError:
print arcpy.GetMessages()
except:
# Get the traceback object
tb = sys.exc_info()[2]
tbinfo = traceback.format_tb(tb)[0]
# Concatenate error information into message string
pymsg = "PYTHON ERRORS:\nTraceback info:\n{0}\nError Info:\n{1}"\
.format(tbinfo, str(sys.exc_info()[1]))
msgs = "ArcPy ERRORS:\n {0}\n".format(arcpy.GetMessages(2))
# Return python error messages for script tool or Python Window
arcpy.AddError(pymsg)
arcpy.AddError(msgs)
finally:
arcpy.CheckInExtension("3D")
Environments
Licensing information
- ArcGIS for Desktop Basic: Requires 3D Analyst
- ArcGIS for Desktop Standard: Requires 3D Analyst
- ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced: Requires 3D Analyst