3D Analyst and ArcGlobe

Available with 3D Analyst license.

ArcGlobe is a 3D visualization application that allows you to view large amounts of GIS data on a globe surface.

ArcGlobe provides a new and unique way to view and analyze your GIS data. Spatially referenced data is placed on a 3D globe surface, displayed in its true geodetic location. You can manipulate the globe, then investigate and analyze its data while viewing the globe as a whole or regions within it. You can view data covering a global extent and seamlessly zoom in to highly detailed, localized data. ArcGlobe gives you the power to tame voluminous data while fully employing all information the data can give you. ArcGlobe allows efficient display and query of raster data, and it is integrated to function with the ArcGIS geodatabase while providing support for analysis in the geoprocessing environment.

ArcGlobe ships with a comprehensive set of imagery on DVD, including elevation data for the entire earth. To help you get started and to provide a backdrop for the layers you'll add, ArcGlobe will open with a set of default layers. Then, depending on how you want to use ArcGlobe, the default layers can be changed, replaced with others, or completely removed.

Much of the functionality of ArcGlobe is shared with the ArcScene 3D display environment, though there are several key differences between the two 3D environments.

Common tasks performed in ArcGlobe include

Functional differences between ArcGlobe and ArcScene

Common task	Where to go for more information
Creating an ArcGlobe document	About creating 3D views Creating a 3D document Setting the role of a 3D document
Saving an ArcGlobe document	Saving a 3D document
Printing an ArcGlobe document	Printing a 3D document
Exporting an ArcGlobe document	Exporting a 3D document How to export a 2D image of a 3D view
Generating 3D data	Creating 3D feature data Converting 2D features to 3D features About geoprocessing with 3D Analyst
Using 2D data in ArcGlobe	Displaying features in ArcGlobe
Navigating in 3D	About 3D navigation About 3D navigation tools Using the 3D Navigate tool in ArcGlobe
Creating a 3D animation	Creating 3D animations An overview of animation
Optimizing ArcGlobe	Optimizing ArcGlobe
Optimizing ArcGlobe layers	Optimizing raster and surface layers Optimizing 3D multipatch layers Using cache consolidation in ArcGlobe
Managing the ArcGlobe cache	Caching in ArcGlobe Cache management in ArcGlobe

Visualizing 3D data

The ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension allows you to drape images or vector data over surfaces and extrude vector features from a surface to create lines, walls, and solids. You can use 3D symbols to add realism to the display of your GIS data and create high-quality animations to distribute the results.

You can view a scene from multiple viewpoints using different viewers or change the properties of 3D layers to use shading or transparency.

You can change the properties of a 3D globe to set the following:

• The vertical exaggeration of terrain
• The background sky color
• The sun position above the globe

Analyzing 3D data

All the 3D Analyst geoprocessing tools are available to you in ArcGlobe. The tools can be run from the Catalog or Search windows. Here are a few examples:

• Hillshade
• Viewshed
• Raster to TIN
• Interpolate Shape

You can develop advanced geoprocessing models in the ModelBuilder window and then run them directly from ArcGlobe.