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Get started with scenes and 3D data

In this topic

The process of creating, publishing, and managing scenes involves different parts of the ArcGIS platform. This table summarizes these tasks and provides links to help topics with more information. It assumes, though, that you have already installed and configured ArcGIS for Server, ArcGIS Data Store, Portal for ArcGIS, ArcMap, and ArcGIS Pro.

Overview of tasks to create and use scenes

TasksInformation and instructionsTips

Create a scene in ArcGIS Pro.

See Go 3D with ArcGIS Pro in the ArcGIS Pro help.

Configure the scene.

See Author a web scene in the ArcGIS Pro help.

Share a web scene to Portal for ArcGIS.

See Publish scenes in the Portal for ArcGIS user help.

Connect to the portal as a member of a role that has privileges to create content and publish hosted feature and scene layers.

Open the hosted scene layer in the scene viewer and modify the scene.

See Make your first scene in the Portal for ArcGIS user help.

Use a web browser that supports WebGL.

Create and publish an elevation service.

The scene viewer in Portal for ArcGIS contains a default World Elevation Service from ArcGIS Online. However, if you have higher resolution data you want to use, you can publish an elevation image service and add it to your portal. See Publish an elevation image service in the ArcGIS for Server help.

If your portal is not connected to the Internet and you need to publish and set your own default elevation service for the scene viewer, see Configure default elevation surface in the Portal for ArcGIS administrator guide for instructions.

Manage backups.

See Manage data store backups in the ArcGIS Data Store help or Portal for ArcGIS administrator guide.

ArcGIS Data Store backups grow large quickly when you publish hosted scene layers. Be sure the ArcGIS Data Store backup location is large enough to accommodate the volume of data.