Skip to main content

Display and drawing options

Display and drawing options in ArcGIS Drone2Map help control how data looks as well as behaves in 2D and 3D maps. Options are provided within projects for how data is visually ordered, rendered, labeled, and symbolized within maps. Additionally, graphics adapter resources can be optimized per machine to provide the smoothest usability experience. For advanced users, SQL expressions can be written to customize underlying data fields.

Available display and drawing options in Drone2Map

Drone2Map offers both application-level display settings and project- and data-level drawing properties. Depending on machine hardware, advanced graphical options can be configured, such as the following:

  • Type of rendering engine

  • Antialiasing

  • Caching

Drawing properties can also be configured when working with feature or raster data in map views providing functions, such as the following:

  • Symbology

  • Labeling

  • Raster rendering

Find display and drawing options

There are multiple locations where display and drawing options can be adjusted. The following are some common options and where they are located:

  • Application settings—On the Project tab, under Settings, click Display to adjust the settings.

  • Feature layers—In the Contents pane, under Properties, click Display to configure feature layers. Alternatively, on the Feature Layer tab, click Symbology.

  • Raster layers—In the Contents pane, under Properties, click Display to adjust the visibility, effects, comparison, rendering, and enhancement. Alternatively, click the Raster Layer tab.

  • 3D layers—In the Contents pane, under Symbology, click Depth Priority.

    Alternatively, on the Gaussian Splat Layer tab, the Point Cloud Layer tab, or the Integrated Mesh Layer tab, you can adjust appearance settings for each type of layer.

Use cases for display and drawing options

One example is a GIS department that is creating a video of a virtual fly through of a historic property. After processing it in Drone2Map, they create a 3D mesh. The department decides that they want to improve the lighting of the scene before creating and exporting the video. Using the lighting tools on the 3D mesh layer, they alter the shadows of the 3D objects in the layer to appear more realistic. This helps to create an accurate representation of the property.

For another example, a roof inspection company is assessing roof damage for several buildings in an area after a major hurricane. The inspector adds all the flights to a new project in Drone2Map and creates an inspection. Within the inspection schema, buildings are classified with a field that denotes the severity of the roof damage. Inspection features are created for hundreds of houses within the project area, all with different levels of damage. The inspector wants to only view the features that are classified as severe. Using an SQL query, they can filter all of the buildings labeled severe to appear, and they can review the damages assessed.

For a final example, electrical infrastructure must be regularly inspected and maintained to keep components in working condition and reduce any downtime. Thermal imagery is one tool that can be used to find temperature abnormalities with electrical equipment. Thermal images can be processed in Drone2Map as a Thermal True Ortho and can be inspected for any potential issues. Symbology can be adjusted and classified to highlight specific temperature ranges. Using this workflow, issues can be identified and flagged before equipment failure or damage occurs, mitigating expensive emergency repairs and maintaining consumer sentiment.