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ArcView GIS 3D Analyst Version 1.0 - Demo Edition

Note: If you have previously edited your ArcView GIS Version 3.0a arcview.cnt file: The 3D Analyst Setup program installs a new arcview.cnt file for ArcView GIS Version 3.0a installations.The existing arcview.cnt file will be saved as av_3d.cnt. If you previously made any edits to your

arcview.cnt file, those edits will need to be added to the new arcview.cnt file.

Contents

This document contains important late-breaking information on the following topics:

1.0 Compatibility Issues Between 3D Analyst and Spatial Analyst 2.0 Platform Requirements and Recommendations 3.0 3D Analyst Help 4.0 After Running Setup 5.0 To Add 3D Analyst Components 6.0 To Uninstall the ArcView 3D Analyst Extension 7.0 Improving Graphics Performance 8 .0 Design Limitations 9.0 Known Problems

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1.0 Compatibility Issues Between 3D Analyst and Spatial Analyst

Compatible versions of 3D Analyst and Spatial Analyst are required when they're being used in thesame ArcView installation. These are 3D Analyst Version 1.0 and Spatial Analyst Version 1.1. Donot attempt to install an earlier version of Spatial Analyst when 3D Analyst is present.

Spatial Analyst Version 1.1 is a free update to licensed users of Spatial Analyst 1.0/1.0a and canbe obtained by contacting ESRI Customer Service at 909-793-2853 extension 1670.

2.0 Platform Requirements and Recommendations

Platform requirements:- Pentium 90 MHz processor - 24 Meg RAM- PCI bus based hi-color (4096 or more colors) graphics card- ArcView 3.0a or higher

Platform recommendations:- Windows NT 4.0- Pentium Pro or Pentium II processor

- 32-64 Meg RAM- OpenGL accelerated graphics card with geometry co-processor and 8 Meg or more graphics/texture memory

3.0 3D Analyst Help

Online procedural help is available from the Help Topics dialog. From the dialog look under the helpContents tab in the Extensions\3D Analyst section. Answers to commonly asked questions can befound in the Troubleshooting book found at this location. Class help is available via the help Index

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tab. The core ArcView GIS help files must be installed in order to access online help for the 3D Analyst.

3D shape classes, introduced to ArcView 3.0a by this extension, include PointZ, MultiPointZ,LineZ, PolyLineZ, PolygonZ, RectZ, Vector, and MultiPatch. These shapes are supported in base

ArcView starting at version 3.1. A listing of classes unique to 3D Analyst can be found in the online

help under the help Contents tab in the Extensions\3D Analyst\Customizing the 3D Analyst With Avenue section.

4.0 After Running Setup

Setup creates the following program item for 3D Analyst under the ArcView GIS program group.

- Readme 3D Analyst - a link to this Microsoft Write program file that provides important, last-minute information about 3D Analyst.

The logfile, AVSETUP.LOG, is updated after installing the 3D Analyst under the ArcView installationdirectory. This file contains helpful information about your 3D Analyst installation, includinginstallation options selected, location of the installation, and so on.

5.0 To Add 3D Analyst Components

Once you have installed the ArcView 3D Analyst, you can run the ArcView 3D Analyst setupprogram again at any time to add components. You can also restore the previous installation (if thefiles are accidentally corrupted or deleted).

To add a component1. Start the ArcView 3D Analyst setup program just as you did when you first installed the ArcView3D Analyst.

2. Using the Custom installation option, select the desired additional installation components andfollow the setup instructions on the screen.

6.0 To Uninstall the ArcView 3D Analyst Extension

The 3D Analyst software components can be easily uninstalled if necessary. This will remove the ArcView 3D Analyst extension and all of its components.

From the Start button, click Settings and then click Control Panel. Double-click the Add/RemovePrograms icon. On the Install/Uninstall tab, select the ArcView 3D Analyst extension program fromthe programs list, then click the Add/Remove button.

7.0 Improving Graphics Performance

Rendering performance in 3D scenes can be improved dramatically through the use of an OpenGLgraphics card. OpenGL is an industry standard, cross platform, 3D graphics ApplicationProgramming Interface (API). Cards supporting this API offload compute intensive tasks from theCPU and perform the operations in specialized hardware. A proper graphics card and graphics driver

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configuration is all that's necessary for 3D graphics performance to be improved in the 3D Analyst.No special setting in ArcView or the 3D Analyst is required.

A variety of OpenGL cards are available. Their capabilities and prices vary. Here are some issues tobe aware of when making purchasing decisions:

- Level of support for OpenGL: some cards support only a partial implementation of the OpenGL API, handling few tasks in hardware. Some 3D cards made for games and the Direct3D API do nothave a good OpenGL implementation (if one at all). Look for cards, and their drivers, that aredesigned and optimized for OpenGL to achieve the best performance.

- Geometry setup: reduces load on CPU and graphics pipeline by accepting semi-processedgeometry data and arranging it in a format optimized for 3D rendering.

- Texture mapping: handles imagery in hardware. Images, such as those from satellites,orthophotos, and scanned maps, can be rendered in real time when texture mapping is supported inhardware on the card. Texture memory controls the total amount of imagery that can be used at onetime. Maximum texture block size controls how large an individual image can be.

- Z buffer resolution: controls how accurately the card can perform hidden surface removal. Theminimum to be considered is 16-bit, with the highest and most accurate resolution being 32-bit. The3D Analyst requests a 24-bit z buffer but will work with values both higher and lower.

- Output resolution, colors, and refresh rate: these control the size and quality of the resultingdisplay on your monitor. The higher the better. Be aware that configuring a card to maximize one of its capabilities may diminish its capabilities in other areas. For example, just because a cardsupports a 24-bit color mode and 1280x1024 output resolution doesn't mean you can have themsimultaneously. Also, depending on the card, increasing one of these parameters may impactmemory available for other things such as textures.

- Display driver: communicates display information from the application to the graphics hardware.Some display drivers for 3D cards have limited OpenGL support or none at all. Make sure anoptimized OpenGL driver is available for the card that's designed to fully exploit the capabilities of the hardware. Compatibility issues can exist between driver, card, graphics bus, and operatingsystem version. Check with the graphics card vender for verification. In addition, look to the graphicscard vendor for updates to drivers that ship with a card. These can enhance performance and resolvebugs.

The primary factor influencing the capabilities and performance of a card is its chipset. Cards fromdifferent vendors that use the same chipset more than likely have similar capabilities andperformance. Manufacturers of chipsets optimized for OpenGL include, but are not limited to, 3DLabs, Mitsubishi, Dynamic Pictures, and Intergraph.

Here is a listing of graphics cards by manufacturer (with chipset in parenthesis) that ESRI has used

successfully* to improve rendering performance with the 3D Analyst:

AccelGraphics AccelECLIPSE (Mitsubishi 3DPro/2mp, Evans & Sutherland REALimagetechnology, driver version 1.3.09, 4.0.0)

AccelGraphics AccelPRO MX (3D Labs GLINT MX and GLINT Delta, driver version 4.4.01)

Diamond Multimedia FireGL 1000 and FireGL 1000 Pro (3D Labs Permedia and GLINT Delta, driver version 2.70, 4.0.27, driver version 0997 for Pro)

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Diamond Multimedia FireGL 3000 (3D Labs Glint 500TX and GLINT Delta, driver version 2.9.3, 4.0.0)

Diamond Multimedia FireGL 4000 (Mitsubishi 3DPro/2mp, Evans & Sutherland REALimagetechnology, driver version 1, 2, 27, 7, 4.0.0)

Dynamic Pictures Oxygen 202 (Dual Dynamic Pictures Oxygen, driver version 2.94)

Elsa GLoria-L (3D Labs GLINT 500TX and GLINT Delta, driver version 5.25.00.174, 4.0.52)

Elsa GLoria-XL (3D Labs GLINT MX and GLINT Delta, driver version 5.25.00.174, 4.0.52)

Elsa GLoria-L/MX (3D Labs GLINT MX and GLINT Delta, driver version 5.25.00.174, 4.0.52)

Fujitsu Microelectronics Sapphire 2SX (3D Labs GLINT 300SX, driver version 2R2, 3.50)

Intergraph Intense 3D Pro 2200 (driver version 04.03.01.24, 4.0.0)

OmniComp Graphics 3Demon MX (3D Labs GLINT MX and GLINT Delta, driver version 2.9-0030B,4.0.0)

Symmetric GLyder MAX (3D Labs Permedia and GLINT Delta, driver version 4.0, 4.0.27)

*Related to performance only, not rendering quality. Some cards improved performance more thanothers. In general, those with geometry setup and texture mapping support performed better. Thesecards have various restrictions that include operating system version and PCI bus version. Checkcard requirements and your system configuration before purchasing.

8.0 Design Limitations

Compatible versions of 3D Analyst and Spatial Analyst are required when they're being used in thesame ArcView installation. These are 3D Analyst version 1.0 and Spatial Analyst version 1.1.Combining versions other than these is not supported.

Color flashing and ArcView/OpenGL display mis-matches can occur on 256 and lower color graphics display devices. Use a hi-color card and display mode.

3D display is slow when using non-PCI bus graphics. Use PCI bus based graphics.

You can only paste 3D graphics from a view into a scene. 2D graphics will be ignored.

Only simple symbols can be used for point, line, and polygon features in 3D scenes. Color and sizeare the only properties used for points. Color and width are the only properties used for lines. Color

is the only property used for polygons. All other properties will be ignored.

In ArcView 3.0a, CAD based FThemes do not use z coordinates from the source data file in a 3Dscene document. ArcView 3.1 will support z coordinates of CAD based FThemes.

Only FThemes, GThemes, IThemes, and SThemes are supported in a 3D scene. Other themetypes, such as DBThemes and StreetMap themes cannot be used. They must first be converted toone of the supported types.

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The extension dialog will not let you unload the Dialog Designer if the 3D Analyst is also loaded.Unload the 3D Analyst first, then you can unload the Dialog Designer.

The JPEG (JFIF) Image Support extension will be loaded automatically upon loading the 3D Analystextension. It will be unloaded automatically when the 3D Analyst is unloaded unless it was loadedmanually before the 3D Analyst. The JPEG extension cannot be unloaded while the 3D Analyst is

loaded.

You cannot use a VAT item from an integer grid to provide the base height for a grid theme.

9.0 Known Problems

You may not be able to see any features if themes with very different, non-overlapping, extents areloaded and turned on simultaneously in a 3D scene. This holds true even when zooming to theextent of one of them. Turn on only one at a time and zoom to it.

When unextruded points are displayed in a 3D scene, other objects like shaded TINs and polygonscan either become transparent or obscure the points. This is an issue only with certain OpenGLaccelerated graphics cards. A graphics driver or firmware update may resolve the problem. As analternative, extrude the points a small degree (so they still look like points) or set the point size,found on the Marker Palette panel of the Symbol Window to 1.0.

There is a limit of 10-16 different TINs which can be open at the same time in one ArcView session.The number varies depending on whether the TIN directory contains TMSK, TNVAL, and TTVALfiles. Do not try to open more than 10 different TINs in the same project. You can have more than10-16 TIN object variables if some of them reference the same TIN source that's stored on disk.

In ArcView 3.0a, the Make Default button on the Customize dialog will cause duplicate 3D Analystmenu and tool entries in the View document when ArcView is restarted. If you'd like the 3D Analystto be loaded by default upon startup use the Make Default button on the Extensions dialog.

When switching from a view or layout to a 3D scene and back again, the view or layout's active toolis lost. You must select the desired tool to make it active.

Problems can occur when attempting to use viewer tools other than the Navigate tool when a viewer is placed in rotate mode. The same is true when attempting to resize a viewer when in rotate mode.Press the Stop button at the bottom of the ArcView application window or the ESC key to haltrotation before attempting to use a tool other than Navigate.