How to perform 3D visual analysis

1. Create a scene

To perform a 3D visual analysis, you need to create a sceneA scene is a collection of layers that are displayed in 3D. It is typically composed of a basemap layer, data layers, and 3D data.Learn more. A scene provides the geographic context for the analysis and a way to display the results. You can perform analyses on the scene's terrain (represented by an elevation layer) or you can add additional 3D layers with features such as buildings. When the analysis is complete, you use the scene and the scene viewA scene view is a user interface that displays scene layers and graphics in 3D. It uses a camera to control the visible area of the scene and supports user interactions such as pan, zoom, tilt, and rotate.Learn more to display the results.

2. Select an operation

There are several different types of 3D visual analysis operations that you can perform. The operation you use depends on the type of problem you would like to solve. Use the table of categories below to help select the correct operation. For more details about each, go to the links below.

Category	Description	Operations	Results	Example
Viewshed	Calculates and displays the visibility of surroundings from an observer's perspective in a scene. Only available with the ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps.	LocationViewshed(Point), LocationViewshed(Camera), GeoElementViewshed	A viewshed overlay representing what can and cannot be seen by an observer.
Line of sight	Calculates if a target location is visible from an observer location in a scene.	LocationLineOfSight, GeoElementLineOfSight	A line indicating visibility, divided into segments based on what can be seen and what is obstructed.
Distance Measurement	Calculates and displays the distance between two points in a scene.	LocationDistanceMeasurement, DirectLineMeasurementAnalysis	An overlay containing a line feature and its corresponding distance measurement.
Area Measurement	Calculates and displays the area of a polygon in a scene.	AreaMeasurementAnalysis	An overlay containing a polygon feature and its corresponding area measurement.

3. Perform the analysis

3D visual analysis operations can be performed programmatically using ArcGIS Maps SDKsArcGIS Maps SDKs are developer products for building mapping and spatial analysis applications for web browsers, native devices, and game engines.Learn more or interactively using toolsTools, also known as developer tools, are ArcGIS software applications such as portal and ArcGIS Pro that developers can use to prepare content and data for custom applications they are building.Learn more. Regardless of the mechanism you use, the process for performing the analysis is similar.

All 3D visual analyses require you to define parameters for the operation. All analyses require one or more locationsA location is a position or region (point, line, or polygon) on the earth's surface.Learn more. For example, line of sight analysis requires an observer location as well as target locations to determine if the targets are visible from the observer.

Some 3D visual operations require additional parameters. For example, a viewshed analysis requires several properties that define an observer's perspective and field of view, while area measurement requires a polygon feature that represents the measurement extent.

Follow the steps below to use Data management tools or ArcGIS APIs:

4. Display the results

You can display the results of a 3D visual analysis with a scene viewA scene view is a user interface that displays scene layers and graphics in 3D. It uses a camera to control the visible area of the scene and supports user interactions such as pan, zoom, tilt, and rotate.Learn more.

If you are using Scene ViewerScene Viewer(™) is a browser-based mapping tool that can view, create, and save web scenes.Learn more, analysis results automatically display on the scene through a graphics layer. You can mange the visibility of line of sight results in the Layers tab.

If you are using the ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript, you add analysis results to a scene view's analyses to display them as an analysis view.

If you are using a Native Maps SDKArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps, previously known as ArcGIS Runtime SDKs, are developer products for building mapping and spatial analysis applications for native devices.Learn more, you add the results to an AnalysisOverlay to display them in the scene. To display analysis results, add the AnalysisOverlay to the scene view.

This example displays the results of a line of sight analysis. To learn more go to Line of sight.

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      viewModel.observer = new Point({
        latitude: 37.7462,
        longitude: -119.5743,
        z: 1300,
      });

      viewModel.targets = [
        createTarget(37.7339, -119.6377, 2300), // El capitan
        createTarget(37.7459, -119.5332, 2700), // Half dome
        createTarget(37.713, -119.6046, 2300), // Taft point
        createTarget(37.7566, -119.5969, 2250), // Yosemite falls
        createTarget(37.7569, -119.5599, 2300), // North dome
        createTarget(37.7677, -119.4894, 2800), // Clouds rest
        createTarget(37.723, -119.5843, 2450), // Sentinel Dome
        createTarget(37.7248, -119.5333, 1800), // Nevada falls
      ];

      function createTarget(lat, lon, z) {
        return {
          location: new Point({
            latitude: lat,
            longitude: lon,
            z: z || 0,
          }),
        };
      }