Scenes (3D) | ArcGIS Maps SDK for Swift

MapsA map is a collection of layers that are displayed in 2D. It is typically composed of a basemap layer and data layers.Learn more and scenesA 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 provide interactive displays of geographic data that enable you to visualize and explore patterns, answer questions, and share insight. While the programming patterns are similar and many of the classes you work with are the same, maps are designed for working with geographic data in two dimensions (2D) and scenes in three dimensions (3D).

With scenes, you can use a global or local scene to display your data, such as airline flight patterns, campus facilities, or underground utilities. Global scenes are spatially referenced using a geographic coordinate system and are used to display and work with world scale data. Local scenes, by contrast, are spatially referenced using a projected coordinate system and are used to display localized data drawn on a flat plane.

Use one of the following scene viewsA 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 visualize and interact with 3D data in your app:

SceneView for a global scene.
LocalSceneView for a local scene.

How a scene works

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 works together with SceneView (global scene) or LocalSceneView (local scene) to display geographic content in three dimensions. A scene contains a collection of layersA layer is a reference to a collection of geographic data that is used to access and display data. The data for layers are typically provided by the basemap layer service and data services.Learn more including multiple data layersA data layer is a layer that references geographic data from a file or a service and is used to visualize the data in a map or scene.Learn more from online or local sources, a basemap layerA basemap layer is the layer in a map or scene that displays basemap data. The data source for a basemap layer is typically a basemap service.Learn more that gives geographic context, and a base surface containing elevation dataAn elevation layer is a layer that defines the ground height or the surface for a scene.Learn more. A scene can also contain datasets that enable searches for addresses or place names, networks for solving routesA route is a polyline that defines the best path between two or more points in a street network.Learn more, and non-spatial tables.

For offlineAn offline application, also known as offline app, is an application that runs on a phone, tablet, laptop or desktop device with limited or no network connection. Offline applications are built with ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps.Learn more workflows (when you don't have network connectivity), you can open a scene stored in a mobile scene packageA mobile scene package (MSPK) is a standalone file that contains one or more scene definitions, including the basemap layers, elevation layers, data layers, layer styles, and pop-up styles for use in offline applications built with ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps.Learn more. You can create mobile scene packages using ArcGIS Pro, share them using your ArcGIS organization, or distribute directly by copying to a device. See Offline maps, scenes, and data for more information about implementing offline workflows in your app.

Scene

A scene contains a collection of layersA layer is a reference to a collection of geographic data that is used to access and display data. The data for layers are typically provided by the basemap layer service and data services.Learn more. Two dimensional layers are displayed in the order in which they are added, while three dimensional layers are displayed using the layer's elevation information. You can use the scene to change the display order of two dimensional layers as well as to control which layers are visible, and expose this functionality with user interface controls such as lists, check boxes, or switches. Scenes extend the concept of a basemap by introducing a base surface that contains a collection of elevation sourcesAn elevation layer is a layer that defines the ground height or the surface for a scene.Learn more. Layers can be draped on top of the surface, positioned relative to the surface or displayed based on their absolute values.

You can instantiate a new Scene by creating a new scene and building it entirely with code. With this approach, you typically first add a basemap layerA basemap layer is the layer in a map or scene that displays basemap data. The data source for a basemap layer is typically a basemap service.Learn more, set a base surface on which layers are draped or relative layers are offset, and then one or more data layersA data layer is a layer that references geographic data from a file or a service and is used to visualize the data in a map or scene.Learn more.

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        // Set your API key during app initialization.
        // ArcGISEnvironment.apiKey = APIKey("<#YOUR-ACCESS-TOKEN#>")
        // Creates a scene with a basemap style.
        let scene = Scene(basemapStyle: .arcGISTopographic)
        // Creates an elevation source with a URL.
        let worldElevationServiceURL = URL(string: "https://elevation3d.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D/ImageServer")!
        // Creates and adds the elevation source to the surface.
        let elevationSource = ArcGISTiledElevationSource(url: worldElevationServiceURL)
        let surface = Surface()
        surface.addElevationSource(elevationSource)
        // Adds the surface to the scene.
        scene.baseSurface = surface

You can also instantiate a Scene that's stored in a portalArcGIS portal, also known as a portal, is a website with applications and tools that can be used to create, manage, access, and share geospatial content and data. It supports security and authentication, developer credentials, content and data service management, user and group management, and site administration. A portal can be hosted in Esri's infrastructure or your own infrastructure.Learn more (such as ArcGIS Online) using its item ID or URL.

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        let portalID = PortalItem.ID("579f97b2f3b94d4a8e48a5f140a6639b")!
        let portalItem = PortalItem(portal: .arcGISOnline(connection: .anonymous), id: portalID)
        let scene = Scene(item: portalItem)

The portal itemAn item, also known as a content item, is a resource stored in a portal such as a web map, hosted layer, style, script tool, file, or notebook.Learn more, in this example, determines the scene's viewing mode as global or local. This distinction is important when it comes time to connect the scene with a view to display the map in an application. See global scene for details working with a global scene or local scene when working with a local scene. For cases when you need to specify the scene viewing mode, use SceneViewingMode to specify an appropriate option.

When the Scene first appears in the SceneView or LocalSceneView, you can focus the initial display at a specified view point by setting GeoModel.initialViewpoint.

Global scene

In a global scene, you can display spatial content on a sphere based on geographic coordinate systems. A global scene is recommended when you want to understand or provide context for phenomena that wrap around the spherical surface of the earth, such as global weather measurements, world population, or shipping lanes. You can also use a global scene to display data at a city-wide level or down to a building site level. Once you have a global Scene, in order to display it in an application, you need to connect it to SceneView. See global scene overview for details about working with global scenes.

Local scene

In a local scene, you can display data that has a spatial reference in a projected coordinate system, and the terrain and layers are shown projected on a planar surface rather than on a sphere. Local scenes are recommended for displaying data at a local or city scale that have a fixed extent in which you work. Local scenes are helpful for urban planning and visualization, such as when viewing campus facilities or building developments. You can also navigate underground and interact with subsurface data, such as utility networks or earthquake data. Once you have a local Scene, in order to display it in an application, you need to connect it to LocalSceneView. See local scene overview for details about working with local scenes.

Scene views

LocalSceneView does not currently support all the capabilities or layer types available in SceneView. This section outlines the main differences between LocalSceneView and SceneView, and describes how we plan to resolve these differences in future releases.

Layer types

Here are some notable differences between the supported layer types in LocalSceneView and SceneView:

LocalSceneView
- Does not yet support FeatureLayer or RasterLayer.
- Supports all I3S scene layersA scene layer is a data layer is used to access and display 3D data from a scene service.Learn more except PointCloudLayer.
- Does not yet support OGC layer types, such as OGC3DTilesLayer, KMLLayer, WMSLayer, and WMTSLayer.
SceneView does not support the new BuildingSceneLayer.

See Layer types for more details.

Capabilities

Similarly, here are some SceneView capabilities that are not yet available in LocalSceneView:

Overlays, including GraphicsOverlay
Camera Controllers
Rasters as an ElevationSource for a scene's Surface
Labeling and labeling APIs

Delivering additional capabilities

The LocalSceneView will be aligned with SceneView over time; expect to see the capabilities and layer types listed above delivered in future releases, starting with: