Scene layers

A scene layer is a type of data layer that is optimized for displaying large amounts of 3D data from a scene service or a local scene layer package, as defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium's Indexed 3D Scene Layer (I3S) specification.

Scene layers are automatically reprojected to the spatial reference of the ArcGIS Map when they don't match in both global and local scenes. Therefore, you can use scene layers that are in any geographic and projected coordinate system.

Scene layer types

The plugin currently supports 3D object scene layers, integrated mesh scene layers, and building scene layers from the I3S specification (version 1.7 or higher). To find the scene layers version, open the service JSON and look for "serviceVersion".

3D object scene layers

A 3D object scene layer represents objects such as buildings that are explicitly modeled in 3D. You can visualize a 3D object scene layer with textures embedded into the 3D features. A 3D object scene layer is automatically thinned to improve performance and visibility at different scale ranges.

3D object scene layers support custom materials that apply to the entire layer. You can also change materials by attributes that apply to various parts of the layer. 3d object scene layers also support spatial filtering.

Integrated mesh scene layers

An integrated mesh scene layer is generally created for citywide 3D mapping. It is often captured by drones and structures from motion mapping.

Integrated mesh scene layers support custom materials that apply to the entire layer and mesh modifications that remove areas specified by polygon areas.

Building scene layers

A building scene layer is a 3D representation of a building model, which may be derived from 3D construction content, such as 3D BIM (Building Information Modeling) data. The building scene layer organizes construction data and groups content into standard engineering disciplines. Content in a building scene layer may represent a partial building, an individual building, or multiple buildings on a campus.

A building scene layer could contain both 3D object scene layers and point scene layers as sublayers. However, as point scene layers are not currently supported, they will not be rendered as sublayers. Only 3D object scene layers will be rendered.

With building scene layers, you can control the visibility of sublayers with building filters. If you want to remove areas specified by polygon areas, apply a spatial filter.

Scene services

A scene service is a data service that provides I3S Scene Layer content. It is optimized for streaming large amounts of 3D data to client applications considering the client's 3D view of the data.

You can use the following kinds of URLs for the source to add services to your ArcGIS Map:

Item page URL (recommended). This URL points to the specific item page of a service. It provides details about the item, such as metadata, sharing settings, and access options. You can find it by navigating to the item page on ArcGIS Online or in your portal and copying the URL from the browser address bar.
- Example: https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=9f86716d941c4410b0b406d911754b2c for items accessible via the ArcGIS Online public URL or https://yourorg.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=9f86716d941c4410b0b406d911754b2c for items within your organization.
Services URL. This URL directly points to the REST endpoint of a web service. You can find the service URL by accessing the service item in your portal and copying the URL from the item's details page (usually at the lower right).
- Example: https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/P3ePLMYs2RVChkJx/arcgis/rest/services/Esri_Hydro_Reference_Overlay/MapServer, which is https://yourserver.domain.com/arcgis/rest/services/YourFolder/YourMapService/MapServer

Tip

You can find curated, up-to-date, ready-to-use scene services on ArcGIS Living Atlas.
You can also find scene services that are publicly shared or shared by your own organization on ArcGIS Online. Refer to the ArcGIS Online documentation to learn more about searching in ArcGIS Online.
You can filter ArcGIS Living Atlas and ArcGIS Online search results by using advanced search.
- To filter 3D object scene layers, use the following search condition: type:"Scene Service" AND typekeywords:"3DObject". All 3D object scene layers have this icon .
- To filter integrated mesh scene layers, use the following search condition: type:"Scene Service" AND typekeywords:"IntegratedMesh". All integrated mesh scene layers have this icon .
- To filter building scene layers, use the following search condition: type:"Scene Service" AND typekeywords:"Building". All building scene layers have this icon .
You can share web scene layers in ArcGIS Pro.
You can learn about sharing URLs here.
If your organization has disabled anonymous access, you can still share the organization's public items by sharing them through the public URL (https://www.arcgis.com) instead of your organization's URL (for example, https://yourorg.maps.arcgis.com).

Local scene layer packages

Scene layers can also access data from scene layer packages (.slpk files) stored locally.

The plugin currently supports three types of .slpk files: integrated mesh scene layer package, 3D object scene layer package, and building scene layer package. SLPK files are created by using different tools depending on the original data files.