Configure layers

The visualization of your data is perhaps the most important tool you have to get your message across to your audience. The Configure Layer pane is where you can change the appearance of your layers in the scene to focus your story by performing actions, such as changing symbols or adjusting transparency.

To open the Configure Layer pane, do the following:

1. Verify you are signed in to the portal and open the scene viewer.
2. Click the Modify scene button in the upper left of your screen to open the Scene designer.
3. Open the Configure Layer pane by clicking the layer name; or hover over the layer, click the drop-down menu, and select Configure Layer.

Configure layer options

The layer type determines which options are available in Configure Layer. For example, with feature and scene layers, you can change symbols and enable pop-ups. On the other hand, raster and tile layers have limited options available. Depending on your layer type, the possible options you can modify in Configure Layer are Symbol, Elevation Mode, Transparency, Labels, Pop-Ups, and Legend.

Change symbols

You can create compelling and meaningful representation of your data by changing the symbols of your layers. In Configure Layer, you have the option to change symbols if your data is created in a feature or scene layer. In addition, with point data, you can use the attributes of your data to drive the symbology, such as with color, size, and rotation when you change symbols with styles. If you have a line or polygon feature layer, or a 3D object scene layer, you can still change your symbols but without the ability to apply styles. This is because styles are not available for these geometry types in the current release of Portal for ArcGIS. In future releases, you will be able to apply styles to all feature layers, 3D object scene layers, and other layer types as well.

Change symbols with styles

You can apply styles to your layers that emphasize either feature location or thematically visualize the attributes. With styles, you can focus on location and choose to size your data with real-world dimensions either determined by a specific attribute or entering the size manually. You can also focus on attributes and choose a style where you can visualize your data with symbols for color and size driven by an attribute. When you display your layers this way, the viewer can quickly assess the range of values for that thematic attribute.

Change symbols with styles by location

If you want to show your data with either uniform symbology or base the real-world size of the symbols from an attribute, choose a style based on location. For example, if you have data where the priority is to see where the features are geographically, a location style would work best. Additionally, if you had an attribute such as height or width in your data, you could show the features 3D objects with their size based on the attribute's real-world dimension values.

Open Configure Layer to start styling your layer.

1. Under Choose main attribute to visualize, select none from the drop-down menu.
2. Under Choose a drawing style, select from the following drawing styles suggested by the Scene Viewer:
   • 2D Marker
   • 3D Object
3. Click Select to apply the style to the layer in the scene.
4. Click Options to configure the style.

   Note:

   In many cases, the Scene Viewer will select one of the drawing styles by default based on the nature of the data in the layer, and the style will automatically be applied in the scene.

2D Marker

Use the 2D Marker drawing style when your point data covers a large area and the location of the features takes priority. Retail store locations across the country or hospital locations in a city would be suitable for this style. For example, if you have point data of hospital locations across your city, and you zoom out to a regional view, the symbols will stay the same size on the screen and the viewer can readily identify the hospital locations in your city.

1. In Symbol, choose from a gallery of 2D shapes and icons for your symbol.
2. In Color, click the color picker to see Fill, Outline, Transparency and Line width options.
   • Click Fill to adjust the fill color and transparency.
   • Click Outline to adjust the outline color, line width, and transparency.
3. Under Size, change the size of the symbol by manually entering the size in pixels.

3D Object

Use the 3D Object drawing style when you want to symbolize the real-world size based on attributes. A good example of this would be displaying trees in a city park. The trees have real-world heights, and you could show each tree feature with different heights depending on the height attribute value for each feature.

Note:

This functionality added at 10.5.1.

1. In Symbol, choose from an extensive gallery of 3D objects in the categories of Basic, Realistic, or Thematic. Basic has simple geometry such as cylinders and cones; Realistic contains detailed symbols such as park benches, pine trees, and traffic cones; and Thematic shows simplified representations of symbols such as street furniture, trees, or transportation.
2. In Color, choose a color and Transparency.
3. Under Size, click the drop-down menu to change the size of the features based on an attribute with real-world dimensions, such as building height or tree widths. You can choose the unit for the size from the drop-down menu. Also, you can enter the size manually by choosing Fixed value. As you zoom in and out, you can click the Fit symbol size to view button to adjust the symbols to be appropriately sized in the current view.

Optionally, you can click the Rotation drop-down menu to rotate your symbols based on an attribute.

• Rotate your symbols by either the Arithmetic (Clockwise from 12) or Geographic (Counterclockwise from 3) method. If you don't want to rotate your symbols, choose <no rotation> from the drop-down menu.

For other configure layer options such as elevation mode and pop-ups, see additional configure layer options.

Change symbols with styles by attribute

In the Scene Viewer, you can use the numeric attributes in your data to change the symbol's color, size, and rotation.

Open Configure Layer to start styling your layer.

1. Under Choose main attribute to visualize, select an attribute from the drop-down menu to create the proportional symbols.
2. Under Choose a drawing style, select from the following drawing styles suggested by the Scene Viewer:
   • Counts & Amounts 2D
   • Counts & Amounts 3D
3. Click Select to apply the style to the layer in the scene.
4. Click Options to configure the style.

   Note:

   In many cases, the Scene Viewer will select one of the drawing styles by default based on the nature of the data in the layer, and the style will automatically be applied in the scene.

Counts & Amounts 2D

Use the Counts & Amounts 2D style when you want to show your data at any zoom level. If you have demographic data or data that covers a large area, you probably want to visualize your data with 2D markers. For example, you could use proportional symbols for wind speed. With proportional symbols, features with low wind speed would have light colored and small sized symbols, and features with a high wind speed would have dark colored and large sized symbols. There is a selection of color ramps and solid colors from which you can choose to best fit your scene.

1. Move the upper and lower slider handles to adjust the visualization of the proportional symbols based on the attribute you selected in the previous pane. The slider allows you to change both color and size.
   • Values between the bounding handles are drawn with a proportional sequence of sizes and colors. You can modify the proportional symbol distribution by dragging the upper and lower handles of the slider. Values below the lower handle are displayed with the same smallest size and color. All values above the upper handle are drawn with the same largest size and color.
   • Using the wind speed example, you may want to symbolize features with wind speeds of 60 mph or greater with the same color and size 2D marker. To do this, you would drop the upper handle down to the 60 mph value. This would make all features with wind speeds of 60 mph or greater look the same and allow the viewer to quickly understand wind storm patterns based on geography. Experiment with the position of the handles and how they affect the visualization of your data.
   • The Scene Viewer provides a histogram to the right of the slider that gives you statistics about your data, such as the count of features with the same value or the average value. Use the histogram to see the distribution of the data to fine-tune the message of the scene.
2. In Symbol, choose from a gallery of 2D shapes and icons for your symbol.
3. In Color, click the color picker to see the Fill, Outline, Transparency and Line width options. Choose from a gallery of color ramps and solid colors to modify the fill color.
   • Click Fill to adjust the fill color by choosing from a wide selection of color ramps and solid colors. With a solid color, you can adjust the Transparency.
   • Click Outline to adjust the outline color, line width, and transparency.
4. Under Size, choose how you want to size your symbols.
   • Range shows a range of pixel sizes for your features that increase proportionately based on the attribute you choose for this style. The Scene Viewer will automatically provide a default range of pixel sizes. The Min and Max fields determine the minimum and maximum size for your range of symbols in pixels.

     When Range is selected and you have a color ramp chosen, you have the option to change both the color and size of your features with the slider. If you check Solid color and choose a color, the slider will switch to just size and allow you to change only the size.

   • When Value is selected, you can manually enter the feature's size in pixels so the features display uniformly. Once you’ve selected Value, the slider changes from size and color to just color. When you move the slider now, only the color range for the features adjusts, not the pixel size.

   Note:

   If you want to make the size and color constant for 2D markers simultaneously, choose the 2D Marker style.

For the other configure layer options such as elevation mode and pop-ups, see additional configure layer options.

Counts & Amounts 3D

Use the Counts & Amounts 3D style to show how your symbols interact with the terrain in 3D in the Scene Viewer. For example, if you have data of city assets such as fire hydrants, you can visualize the hydrants based on water capacity. Consequently, the hydrants with a larger capacity would have a darker color and larger size than those with lower capacity. Styles with proportions use an intuitive logic where larger symbols and darker colors equate to larger values.

1. Move the upper and lower slider handles to adjust the visualization of the proportional symbols based on the attribute you selected in the previous pane. The slider allows you to change both color and size.
   • Values between the bounding handles are drawn with a proportional sequence of sizes and colors. You can modify the proportional symbol distribution by dragging the upper and lower handles of the slider. Values below the lower handle are displayed with the same smallest size and color. All values above the upper handle are drawn with the same largest size and color.
   • For example, if you have a layer with city population as an attribute, you may want to symbolize all cities with a population of two million and over with the same color and size 3D object. To do this, you would drop the upper handle down to the two million value. Now all features with a population of two million and over will look the same and the viewer can understand and assess which cities meet that criteria. Experiment with the position of the handles and how they affect the visualization of your data.
   • The Scene Viewer provides a histogram on the right that gives you statistics about your data, such as the count of features in a specific range or the average value. Use the histogram to see the distribution of the data to fine-tune the message of the scene.
2. In Symbol, choose from an extensive gallery of 3D objects in the categories of Basic, Realistic, or Thematic. Basic has simple geometry such as cylinders and cones; Realistic contains detailed symbols such as park benches, pine trees, and traffic cones; and Thematic shows simplified representations of symbols such as street furniture, trees, or transportation.
   • If Range is selected under the Size option, you can change the size of the tall types of cylinders, cones, or cubes with height emphasized and width and depth staying constant. This can be useful when displaying dense data and minimizes the overlapping.

     Note:

     If you have chosen other symbols besides the tall type or if Value is selected under Size, the symbols will size proportionately along both axes.

3. In Color, choose from a selection of color ramps or solid colors. With solid colors, you can adjust the Transparency.
4. Under Size, choose the option of how you want to size your symbols.
   • Range shows a range of sizes for your features based on the attribute you choose for this style. The Scene Viewer will automatically provide a default range of real-world sizes for the 3D object symbol based on the current extent. As you zoom in and out, you can click the Fit symbol size to view button to adjust the symbols to be appropriately sized in the current view. The Min and Max fields determine the minimum and maximum real-world sizes of your 3D object symbols.
     • For example, if you have a scene of a park with trees, you may need to change the size of the tree symbols as you zoom in and out. To do this, first click the Fit symbol size to view button to scale the tree symbols to your current view, then fine tune the tree sizes by changing the Min and Max values.
     • When Range is selected and you have a color ramp chosen, you have the option to change both the color and size of your features with the slider. If you check Solid color and choose a color, the slider will switch to just size and allow you to change only the size.
   • Value displays the real-world size of your features based on an attribute, such as building height or tree width, where you can choose the unit for the size from the drop-down menu; or it displays the feature’s size uniformly when entering the fixed size manually. Once you’ve selected Value, the slider switches from size and color to only color. When you move the slider now, only the color will change for the features, not the real-world size.

   Note:

   If you want to make the size and color constant for 3D objects simultaneously, choose the 3D object style.

Optionally, you can click the Rotation drop-down menu to rotate your symbols based on an attribute.

• Rotate your symbols by either the Arithmetic (Clockwise from 12) or Geographic (Counterclockwise from 3) method. If you don't want to rotate your symbols, choose <no rotation> from the drop-down menu.

For other Configure layer options such as elevation mode and pop-ups, see additional configure layer options.

Change symbols without styles

If you have a line or polygon feature layer, or a 3D object scene layer, you can change your symbols, but you cannot apply styles. With feature layers, you can change the shape, color, and size of your symbols; with 3D object scene layers, you can change the color and transparency.

When Configure Layer opens, you will see the Symbols option to change your symbols below the other Configure Layer options. Original Symbols is selected by default. This will display the symbology of the layer when the scene was last saved. If it is a new scene, you will see the symbology of the layer when it was originally added to the scene. Once you've changed your symbols, explore the other Configure layer options to adjust how your layers appear in your scene.

Change 2D line symbols

1. Click the Symbols drop-down arrow and choose Change symbols so that Type displays 2D Line.
2. In the Size (px) option, enter the line size and choose a color.
3. Set the Transparency of the color by entering a percentage value in the color picker.
4. Click Done.

Change 3D path symbols

1. Click the Symbols drop-down arrow and choose Change symbols so that Type displays 3D Path .
2. In the Size (meters) option, enter the diameter size and choose a color.
3. Set the Transparency of the color by entering a percentage value in the color picker.
4. Click Done.

Change 2D polygon symbols

1. Click the Symbols drop-down arrow and choose Change symbols so that Type displays 2D Polygon.
2. In the Fill Color option, change the fill color.
3. Set the Transparency of the color by entering a percentage value in the color picker.
4. In the Outline Size (px) option, enter the outline size and choose the outline color of the polygon.
5. Set the Transparency of the color by entering a percentage value in the color picker.
6. Click Done.

Change 3D extrusion symbols

Modify the appearance of your polygon by extruding up or down based on a value you give it in meters.

1. Click the Symbols drop-down arrow and choose Change symbols so that Type displays 3D Extrusion.
2. In the Fill Color option, change the fill color.
3. Set the Transparency of the color by entering a percentage value in the color picker.
4. In the Extrusion (meters) option, enter a positive value in meters if you want the extrusion to go up vertically or a negative value if you want it to go down.
5. Click Done.

Change 3D object scene layer symbols

1. Click the Symbols drop-down arrow and choose Change symbols.
2. In Color, click the color picker to choose a building color.
3. Set the Transparency of the color by entering a percentage value in the color picker.
4. Click Done.

Additional configure layer options

Besides changing symbols in Configure Layer, you can also change the Elevation Mode, Transparency, Labels, Pop-ups, and Legend.

Change elevation mode

1. Click the Elevation Mode drop-down arrow . Options appear that determine the vertical positioning of the layer and its data.
   • On the ground—Drapes the layer onto the ground.

     Note:

     The Elevation offset (meters) option, entered as a positive or negative integer, appears only when Relative to ground or Absolute height is selected as the Elevation Mode option.

   • Relative to ground—Positions the data aligned to the ground elevation. If an offset is applied, the layer is aligned to the ground and is vertically offset from the ground based on a height value entered in meters.
   • Absolute height—Positions the data vertically based on the feature’s geometry z-value position with the following conditions:
     • If the geometry doesn’t contain z-values, the default elevation is sea level.
     • When you apply an offset, you will see your layer displayed at {offset} meters from the z-value position or the sea level position.

Adjust transparency

You can adjust the transparency of your layers by sliding the Transparency slider to increase or decrease the transparency. The percentage is indicated above the slider.

Apply labels

If labels are available with the layer, you will see a Labels switch. By showing labels in your scene, you can immediately convey information about the scene based on an attribute associated in the layer.

1. Click the Labels switch to turn labels on and off in your layer.
2. If you have a layer with styling available, you can configure the labels in the style options. Do any of the following:
   • For Text, click the drop-down menu to choose the attribute for labeling the symbols.
   • For Position, select the positioning of the labels around the symbol.
   • Choose small, medium, or large for the label size under Text size.
   • For Color theme, you can make your text either light or dark.
   • Click Done or Cancel to go back to the previous Configure layer pane.

Display pop-ups

With pop-ups, you can present in-depth information about your layer and scene with one click of the mouse by clicking a feature. Click the Pop-ups switch to turn pop-ups on and off in your layer.

Note:

Pop-ups are on by default for feature layers.

View the legend

A legend displays the meaning of the symbols used to represent features in your scene. Legends consist of 2D and 3D symbols in your scene with explanatory text. You can modify the legend by changing the visibility of layers, symbology, and the naming of the layers.

1. Click the Legend switch to show or hide the layer in the Layers/Legend tool .
2. To view the legend, click the Layers/Legend tool and click Legend.

   Note:

   Legend will hide layers that are not in the current extent.

Configure layer considerations

Style slider

When you open a style with attributes, the style slider appears. The style slider is composed of three components: slider, histogram, and minimum and maximum values. Based on the distribution of your data for the main attribute chosen, the scene viewer automatically positions the slider handles, generates a histogram, and determines the maximum and minimum values. Furthermore, the Legend reflects the style slider colors, sizes, and values. The following image shows the three components of the style slider and their relationship with the Legend:

1. Maximum value	5. Count of values in an interval
2. Upper value handle	6. Average value
3. Lower value handle	7. Legend upper value
4. Minimum value	8. Legend lower value

Slider

The slider contains upper and lower handles. There is a size, color, and value associated with each handle. When you adjust the handles, you affect the visualization of the data in the scene. Also, as you move the handles, the changes are reflected in the Legend. In the following image, if you drag the upper handle to 132 and the lower handle to 70, this changes the sizing and coloring of the symbols in the scene and in the Legend.

Histogram

The histogram displays the distribution of data for the main attribute chosen, and is the average value for that attribute. For each bar, you can hover over the interval and a Count will display the number of features with values in that interval. For example, in the first image there are four features with wind speeds between 94 and 104 KTS, and the average speed is 73.

Minimum and maximum values

The minimum and maximum values determine the minimum and maximum bounds of the data distribution. When you change these values, you affect the appearance of the slider and the size of the intervals in the histogram. However, it does not change the data distribution, and the scene visualization and Legend stays the same also. Adjusting the minimum and maximum values can be useful when data is at one end of the slider and you want smaller increments of change in the symbols when adjusting the handles.

Note:

When you move the handles or adjust the minimum and maximum values, data is not hidden or filtered in any way, but it does change the visualizations.