Display a scene

Learn how to create and display a scene with a basemap layer and an elevation layer. Set properties of the scene's camera to control the 3D perspective.

Like a map, a scene contains layers of geographic data. It contains a basemap layer and, optionally, one or more data layers. To provide a realistic view of the terrain, you can also add elevation layers to define the height of the surface across the scene. The 3D perspective of the scene is controlled by the scene's camera, which defines the position of the scene observer in 3D space.

In this tutorial, you create and display a scene using the imagery basemap layer. The surface of the scene is defined with an elevation layer and the camera is positioned to display an area of the Santa Monica Mountains in the scene view.

The scene and code will be used as the starting point for other 3D tutorials.

Prerequisites

Steps

Create a new Visual Studio Project

ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET supports apps for Windows Presentation Framework (WPF), Universal Windows Platform (UWP), Windows UI Library (WinUI), and .NET MAUI. The instructions for this tutorial are specific to creating a WPF .NET project using Visual Studio for Windows.

1. Start Visual Studio and create a new project.

   • In the Visual Studio start screen, click Create a new project.
   • Choose the WPF App (.NET) template for C#, then click Next.
   • Provide required values in the Configure your new project panel:
     • Project name: DisplayAScene
     • Location: choose a folder
   • Click Create to create the project.

Add a reference to the API

1. Add a reference to the API by installing a NuGet package.

   • In Solution Explorer, right-click Dependencies and choose Manage NuGet Packages.
   • In the NuGet Package Manager window, ensure the selected Package source is nuget.org (upper-right).
   • Select the Browse tab and search for ArcGIS Maps SDK.
   • In the search results, select the appropriate package for your platform. For this tutorial project, choose the Esri.ArcGISRuntime.WPF NuGet package.
   • Confirm the Latest stable version of the package is selected in the Version dropdown.
   • Click Install.
   • The Preview Changes dialog confirms any package(s) dependencies or conflicts. Review the changes and click OK to continue installing the packages.
   • Review the license information on the License Acceptance dialog and click I Accept to add the package(s) to your project.
   • In the Visual Studio Output window, ensure the packages were successfully installed. If you see an error about the target Windows version, you will fix that in the next step.
   • Close the NuGet Package Manager window.

2. You may see an error like this in the Visual Studio Error List: The 'Esri.ArcGISRuntime.WPF' nuget package cannot be used to target 'net8.0-windows'. Target 'net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0' or later instead.. If so, follow these steps to address it.

   • In Solution Explorer, right-click the DisplayAMap project entry in the tree view and choose Edit Project File.
   • Update the <TargetFramework> element with net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0 (or higher).
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   <PropertyGroup>
     <OutputType>WinExe</OutputType>
     <TargetFramework>net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0</TargetFramework>
     <UseWPF>true</UseWPF>
   </PropertyGroup>
   • Save the project file (DisplayAMap) and close it.

Get an access token

You need an access token to use the location services used in this tutorial.

1. Go to the Create an API key tutorial to obtain an access token.

2. Ensure that the following privilege is enabled: Location services > Basemaps > Basemap styles service.

3. Copy the access token as it will be used in the next step.

To learn more about other ways to get an access token, go to Types of authentication.

Set your API key

1. In the Solution Explorer, expand the node for App.xaml, and double-click App.xaml.cs to open it.

2. In the App class, add an override for the OnStartup() function to set the ApiKey property on ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.

   App.xaml.cs

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       public partial class App : Application
       {
   
           protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e)
           {
               base.OnStartup(e);
               Esri.ArcGISRuntime.ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.ApiKey = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";
           }
   
       }
   }

3. Save and close the App.xaml.cs file.

Create a view model to store app logic

Since this app builds the foundation to be used in several following tutorials, it's good to build it with a solid design.

1. Add a new class that defines a view model for the project.

   • Click Project > Add Class ....
   • Name the new class SceneViewModel.cs.
   • Click Add to create the new class and add it to the project.
   • The new class will open in Visual Studio.

2. Add required using statements to the view model.

   SceneViewModel.cs

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   using System;
   using System.Collections.Generic;
   using System.Text;
   
   using Esri.ArcGISRuntime.Geometry;
   using Esri.ArcGISRuntime.Mapping;
   using System.ComponentModel;
   using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
   

3. Implement the INotifyPropertyChanged interface in the SceneViewModel class.

   More info

   This interface defines a PropertyChanged event that is used to notify clients (views) that a property of the view model has changed.

   SceneViewModel.cs

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   namespace DisplayAScene
   {
   
       class SceneViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
       {
   

4. Inside the SceneViewModel class, add code to implement the PropertyChanged event.

   More info

   When a property of the view model changes, a call to OnPropertyChanged will raise this event.

   SceneViewModel.cs

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       class SceneViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
       {
   
           public event PropertyChangedEventHandler? PropertyChanged;
           protected void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = "")
           {
               PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
           }
   
       }
   

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5. Define a new property on the view model called Scene that exposes an Scene object. When the property is set, call OnPropertyChanged.

   SceneViewModel.cs

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       class SceneViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
       {
   
           public event PropertyChangedEventHandler? PropertyChanged;
           protected void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = "")
           {
               PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
           }
   
           private Scene? _scene;
           public Scene? Scene
           {
               get { return _scene; }
               set
               {
                   _scene = value;
                   OnPropertyChanged();
               }
           }
   
       }
   

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6. Add a function to the SceneViewModel class called SetupScene. Start the function by creating a new Scene using the ArcGISImageryStandard field of the BasemapStyle enum.

   SceneViewModel.cs

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           private void SetupScene()
           {
   
               // Create a new scene with an imagery basemap.
               Scene scene = new Scene(BasemapStyle.ArcGISImageryStandard);
   
           }
   

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7. Create an ElevationSource to define the base surface for the scene.

   More info

   An elevation source can define a surface with 3D terrain in a scene. Without an elevation source, the default globe surface is used to display the scene.

   SceneViewModel.cs

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               // Create a new scene with an imagery basemap.
               Scene scene = new Scene(BasemapStyle.ArcGISImageryStandard);
   
               // Create an elevation source to show relief in the scene.
               string elevationServiceUrl = "http://elevation3d.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D/ImageServer";
               ArcGISTiledElevationSource elevationSource = new ArcGISTiledElevationSource(new Uri(elevationServiceUrl));
   
               // Create a Surface with the elevation data.
               Surface elevationSurface = new Surface();
               elevationSurface.ElevationSources.Add(elevationSource);
   
               // Add an exaggeration factor to increase the 3D effect of the elevation.
               elevationSurface.ElevationExaggeration = 2.5;
   
               // Apply the surface to the scene.
               scene.BaseSurface = elevationSurface;
   

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8. Define the initial viewpoint for the scene using a Camera and a point in the scene.

   More info

   The position you view the scene from is defined by a Camera. The following properties of the camera are used to define an observation point in the scene:

   • 3D location: Latitude, longitude, and altitude
   • Heading: Azimuth of the camera's direction
   • Pitch: Up and down angle
   • Roll: Side-to-side angle
   SceneViewModel.cs

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               // Apply the surface to the scene.
               scene.BaseSurface = elevationSurface;
   
               // Create a point that defines the observer's (camera) initial location in the scene.
               // The point defines a longitude, latitude, and altitude of the initial camera location.
               MapPoint cameraLocation = new MapPoint(-118.804, 33.909, 5330.0, SpatialReferences.Wgs84);
   
               // Create a Camera using the point, the direction the camera should face (heading), and its pitch and roll (rotation and tilt).
               Camera sceneCamera = new Camera(locationPoint: cameraLocation,
                                     heading: 355.0,
                                     pitch: 72.0,
                                     roll: 0.0);
   
               // Create the initial point to center the camera on (the Santa Monica mountains in Southern California).
               // Longitude=118.805 degrees West, Latitude=34.027 degrees North
               MapPoint sceneCenterPoint = new MapPoint(-118.805, 34.027, SpatialReferences.Wgs84);
   
               // Set an initial viewpoint for the scene using the camera and observation point.
               Viewpoint initialViewpoint = new Viewpoint(sceneCenterPoint, sceneCamera);
               scene.InitialViewpoint = initialViewpoint;
   

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9. Set the SceneViewModel.Scene property with the scene you've created.

   SceneViewModel.cs

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               // Set an initial viewpoint for the scene using the camera and observation point.
               Viewpoint initialViewpoint = new Viewpoint(sceneCenterPoint, sceneCamera);
               scene.InitialViewpoint = initialViewpoint;
   
               // Set the view model "Scene" property.
               this.Scene = scene;
   

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10. Add a constructor to the class that calls SetupScene when a new SceneViewModel is created.

    More info

    When code like SceneViewModel newSceneVM = new SceneViewModel(); runs, the class constructor also runs. This is a good place to add code that needs to run whenever the class is initialized.

    SceneViewModel.cs

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    namespace DisplayAScene
    {
    
        class SceneViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
        {
    
            public SceneViewModel()
            {
                SetupScene();
            }
    

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Your SceneViewModel is complete!

An advantage to using the MVVM design pattern is that you can reuse code from a view model. Because this API has a nearly-standard API surface across platforms, a view model written for one app typically works on all supported .NET platforms.

Next, set up a view in your project to consume the view model.

Add a scene view

A SceneView control is used to display a Scene. You will add a scene view to your project UI and wire it up to consume the scene that is defined on SceneViewModel.

1. Add required XML namespace and resource declarations.

   More info

   • Open MainWindow.xaml and switch to the XAML view
   • Inside the existing namespace declarations, add an esri XML namespace for the ArcGIS controls
   • Add XAML that defines a SceneViewModel instance as a static resource
   MainWindow.xaml

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   <Window x:Class="DisplayAScene.MainWindow"
           xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
           xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
           xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
           xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
           xmlns:local="clr-namespace:DisplayAScene"
           xmlns:esri="http://schemas.esri.com/arcgis/runtime/2013"
           mc:Ignorable="d"
           Title="MainWindow" Height="450" Width="800">
   
       <Window.Resources>
           <local:SceneViewModel x:Key="SceneViewModel" />
       </Window.Resources>
   

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2. Add a SceneView control to MainWindow.xaml and bind it to the SceneViewModel.

   More info

   • Add XAML that defines a SceneView control named MainSceneView
   • Use data binding to set the Scene property of the control using the SceneViewModel resource
   MainWindow.xaml

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       <Grid>
   
           <esri:SceneView x:Name="MainSceneView"
                           Scene="{Binding Scene, Source={StaticResource SceneViewModel}}" />
   
       </Grid>
   

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Run the app

Click Debug > Start Debugging (or press <F5> on the keyboard) to run the app.

You should see a scene with the topographic basemap layer centered on the Santa Monica Mountains in California. Double-click, drag, and scroll the mouse wheel over the scene view to explore the scene.

What's next?

Learn how to use additional API features, ArcGIS location services, and ArcGIS tools in these tutorials:

• Display a map
• Add a feature layer