An overview of the To Raster toolset

Raster information can be stored in several different data file formats that can be read by ArcGIS. With the To Raster toolset, you can convert these files into raster datasets. There are also tools that allow you to convert different types of feature information into rasters.

The raster file formats that can be added to your map display but cannot be created as output directly are ASCII Grid, USGS DEM, and floating-point raster files. There is a tool to convert each of these formats into a raster dataset. The toolset also provides a tool that gives you the ability to convert many rasters at once to a specific output raster format of your choosing.

Learn more about the supported raster dataset file formats

Feature data comes in several forms: point, line, polygon, and multipatch. There is a tool that can convert point, line, or polygon feature data into a raster, but there are also tools for each specific feature type that provide greater control over the conversion process. 3D surface models stored as multipatch features can be converted into rasters for further analysis.

Learn more about converting features to raster data

Lidar data in the form of a LAS dataset can also be converted into a raster dataset.

Learn more about LAS data

The tools for converting existing data formats to a raster output are listed in the following table:

Tools in the To Raster conversion toolset

Tool	Description
ASCII to Raster	Converts an ASCII file representing raster data to a raster dataset.
DEM to Raster	Converts a digital elevation model (DEM) in a United States Geological Survey (USGS) format to a raster dataset.
Feature to Raster	Converts features to a raster dataset.
Float to Raster	Converts a file of binary floating-point values representing raster data to a raster dataset.
LAS Dataset to Raster	Creates a raster using elevation, intensity, or RGB values stored in the lidar points referenced by the LAS dataset.
Multipatch to Raster	Converts multipatch features to a raster dataset.
Point to Raster	Converts point features to a raster dataset.
Polygon to Raster	Converts polygon features to a raster dataset.
Polyline to Raster	Converts polyline features to a raster dataset.
Raster To Other Format	Converts one or more raster datasets to a different format.