Style polygon layers

You can create custom visualizations in your scenes by applying smart mapping styles to your data. With polygon feature layers, you can choose styles that use attributes to apply continuous colors or individual colors, or styles that apply a single color to all the polygons.

2D Polygon

Use the 2D Polygon style when you want to apply a single color to the polygons in your scene. You can mark the project areas in a city with a unique fill and outline color to make the projects standout in your scene, for example.

1. Follow the steps in the Change layer style workflow.
2. For Color, click the color picker to see the fill, pattern, outline, and transparency options.
   1. Click Fill to adjust the fill color and transparency.
   2. Click Outline to adjust the outline color, line width, and transparency.
   3. Under Pattern, click a pattern to apply to the polygons in the current color.
3. For Elevation Mode, see Elevation mode.
4. For Labels, see Apply labels.

3D Extrusion

Use the 3D Extrusion style when you want to symbolize polygons with an extrusion in real-world dimensions in a single color. You can build a city from a set of building footprints extruded by a height attribute or manually enter a constant height for all the buildings.

1. Follow the steps in the Change layer style workflow.
2. For Color, choose a color and adjust Transparency.
3. For Height, click the drop-down menu to change the height of the extruded polygons.
   1. Choose an attribute from the drop-down menu to give the polygons height. Select <Fixed value> to manually enter a uniform size.
   2. Choose the measurement unit from the drop-down menu.
   3. As you zoom in and out, click the Fit to view button to adjust the extrusion height to be appropriately sized in the current view.
4. For Elevation Mode, see Elevation mode.
5. For Labels, see Apply labels.
6. For Edges, see Visualize edges.

Water

Use the Water style when you want to symbolize water polygon features, such as lakes, oceans, rivers, or pools. You can display an ocean with realistic wave animation and colors, for example.

1. Follow the steps in the Change layer style workflow.
2. For Type, choose from the following visualizations to add levels of detail to water features:
   • Oceans and seas
   • Lakes and rivers
   • Pools

3. For Color, choose a color and adjust Transparency.
4. For Waves, change the size of the waves by moving the slider from Small to Large.
5. For Direction, choose the direction of the waves in relation to the compass direction.
   • The value is the number of degrees the wave direction is offset going clockwise from the compass direction. You can enter a value or use the arrows to change the value. Leave the field blank for no wave direction.
   • Click the Change direction to next 45° interval button or press Enter or the spacebar to change the direction to the next 45-degree interval.
6. For Elevation Mode, see Elevation mode.
7. For Labels, see Apply labels.

Note:

To display water reflections of terrain and 3D objects, select the Quality option in Settings .

2D Counts and Amounts

You can choose the 2D Counts and Amounts style to apply a color ramp to polygons based on numeric attribute values. You can display zoning areas in a city with continuous colors based on census data such as population or median household income, for example.

1. Follow the steps in the Change layer style workflow.
2. Move the upper and lower slider handles to adjust the coloring based on the chosen attribute.

   See Counts and Amounts slider considerations for more information.

3. For Color, click the color picker to see the fill, pattern, outline, and transparency options
   1. Click Fill to choose from a gallery of color ramps.

      Click Invert color ramp to flip the colors.

   2. Click Outline to adjust the outline color, line width, and transparency.
   3. Under Pattern, click a pattern to apply to the polygons in the current color ramp.
4. For Elevation Mode, see Elevation mode.
5. For Labels, see Apply labels.

3D Counts and Amounts

Use the 3D Counts and Amounts style when you want to apply continuous colors to polygons based on a numeric attribute and extrude them with another attribute or fixed value. For example, you can extrude building footprint polygons based on a height attribute or fixed value while applying a color ramp to the buildings by total energy consumption.

1. Follow the steps in the Change layer style workflow.
2. Move the upper and lower slider handles to adjust the coloring based on the chosen attribute.

   See Counts and Amounts slider considerations for more information.

3. For Color, choose from a selection of color ramps.

   Click Invert color ramp to flip the colors.

4. For Height, choose the height of the polygon extrusion.
   1. Choose an attribute from the drop-down menu to give the polygons height. Select <Fixed value> to manually enter a uniform size.
   2. Choose the measurement unit from the drop-down menu.
   3. As you zoom in and out, click the Fit to view button to adjust the extrusion height to be appropriately sized in the current view.
5. For Elevation Mode, see Elevation mode.
6. For Labels, see Apply labels.
7. For Edges, see Visualize edges.

2D Types

Use the 2D Types style to apply individual colors to polygons based on either text or numeric attributes. For example, you can display the zoning areas in a city by color based on zoning type, such as Commercial, Residential, or Industrial.

1. Follow the steps in the Change layer style workflow.
2. Modify the Attribute value list.

   The 2D Types style lists individual attribute values for the previously chosen attribute displayed next to Mapped Attribute. You can customize the symbology for each value. Across the top of the list are Attribute value, Counts, and Action headings.

   Attribute value	Lists the names of the most common attribute values for the Mapped Attribute. The remaining attribute values are automatically grouped into . Ideally, your layer should show fewer than 10 values; more than 10 are difficult for users to distinguish.
   Counts	Shows the number of features per attribute value. By default, the attribute values are listed in descending order by number of features. You can customize the order in the legend by dragging values up or down the Attribute value list.
   Action	Allows you to move values out of Other into the main Attribute value list by clicking Move value out or Move all values out .
   Other	Allows you to drag any values from the main Attribute value list to Other. Click show or hide to either display or hide the Other features in the scene and in the legend.

   Rename an attribute value by selecting it and clicking the name.

3. Click <select all> at the top of the Attribute value list to modify all values.

   To return to modifying an individual value, click a value or click <select one> at the top of the Attribute value list.

4. For Color,click the color picker to see the fill, pattern, outline, and transparency options
   1. Click Fill to adjust the fill color and transparency.
   2. Click Outline to adjust the outline color, line width, and transparency.
   3. Under Pattern, click a pattern to apply to the polygons in the current color.
   4. Click <select all> in the attribute list to apply a color ramp or pattern to all the values.

      Click the color ramp and do any of the following:

      • Click a pattern.
      • Click a color pallette.
      • Click Invert color ramp to flip the colors.
      • Click Solid color to return to selecting a single color.

5. For Elevation Mode, see Elevation mode.
6. For Labels, see Apply labels.

3D Types

Use the 3D Types style when you want to apply individual colors to polygons based on a text or numeric attribute and extrude them by another attribute or fixed value. For example, you can extrude building footprint polygons based on a height attribute or fixed value while applying individual colors to the buildings by usage type, such as Commercial, Residential, or Industrial.

1. Follow the steps in the Change layer style workflow.
2. Modify the Attribute value list.

   The 3D Types style lists individual attribute values for the previously chosen attribute displayed next to Mapped Attribute. You can customize the symbology for each value. Across the top of the list are Attribute value, Counts, and Action headings.

   Attribute value	Lists the names of the most common attribute values for the Mapped Attribute. The remaining attribute values are automatically grouped into . Ideally, your layer should show fewer than 10 values; more than 10 are difficult for users to distinguish.
   Counts	Shows the number of features per attribute value. By default, the attribute values are listed in descending order by number of features. You can customize the order in the legend by dragging values up or down the Attribute value list.
   Action	Allows you to move values out of Other into the main Attribute value list by clicking Move value out or Move all values out .
   Other	Allows you to drag any values from the main Attribute value list to Other. Click show or hide to either display or hide the Other features in the scene and in the legend.

   Rename an attribute value by selecting it and clicking the name.

3. Click <select all> at the top of the Attribute value list to modify all values.

   To return to modifying an individual value, click a value or click <select one> at the top of the Attribute value list.

4. For Color, change the polygon colors.
   1. Click the color picker and select a color. With solid colors, you can also adjust the Transparency setting.
   2. To apply a color ramp to all the attribute values, click <select all>. The solid color becomes a color ramp.
      • Click Invert color ramp to flip the colors.
      • Click Solid color to return to selecting a single color.
5. For Height, set the height of the polygon extrusion.
   • Enter the height of the 3D objects. Choose the unit for the size from the drop-down menu. As you zoom in and out , you can click the Fit to view button to adjust the extrusion height to be appropriately sized in the current view.
   • When an attribute is selected in All polygons, the option of individually sizing the height is unavailable. Set the attribute to <None> to set heights individually.
6. Under All polygons, set the height of the polygon extrusions by an attribute.
   1. Choose an attribute from the drop-down menu for the height of the polygons. Select <None> to manually enter heights.
   2. Choose the measurement unit from the drop-down menu.
7. For Elevation Mode, see Elevation mode.
8. For Labels, see Apply labels.
9. For Edges, see Visualize edges.

Change elevation mode

You can change the elevation mode to customize the positioning of your layers. Click the Elevation Mode drop-down arrow . Options that determine the vertical positioning of the layer and its data appear.

On the ground	Drapes the layer onto the ground.
Relative to ground	Positions the data aligned to the ground elevation. Z-values are added to the ground elevation when available.
Relative to scene	Positions the data aligned on top of 3D object scene layers and integrated mesh scene layers, depending on which has a higher elevation. If the graphic is not directly above a 3D object or any other feature, it is aligned to the terrain surface elevation. Note: If present, z-values are ignored.
Absolute height	Positions the data vertically based on the feature’s geometry z-value position. If the geometry doesn’t contain z-values, the default elevation is sea level.
<custom>	Positions the data vertically based on a custom elevation defined in the layer, such as from an attribute expression. The <custom> option is only visible when the layer has custom elevation.
Offset	Applies a positive or negative integer value in meters to vertically offset the elevation based on the chosen Elevation Mode. Relative to ground—The layer is aligned to the ground and is vertically offset from the ground based on a height value entered. Relative to scene—The layer is aligned to the top of the scene layer and is vertically offset from the scene layer based on a height value entered. Absolute height—The layer is aligned to the z-value position assigned or defaults to the sea level position, and is vertically offset based on a height value entered. Note: Offset is not available for On the ground elevation mode.

Apply labels

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

1. Click the Labels toggle button to turn labels on and off in your layer.
2. You can configure the labels by doing any of the following:
   • For Text, click the drop-down menu to choose the attribute for labeling. You can select <custom> when custom label expressions are saved from another app, such as Map Viewer.
   • For Size, choose small, medium, or large for the label size.
   • For Color , you can make your text either light or dark.
   • For Callout size, choose an appropriate scale (city, regional, world) and length (small or large) for the callout lines. Scale affects how long you can see the callout lines when zooming out.
     • Select <none> for no callouts.
     • You can select <custom> when custom callout lines are saved from another app, such as ArcGIS Pro.
   • Click the Improve perspective toggle button to display labels more intuitively, in which labels that are farther away having a smaller size.

Visualize edges

For 3D polygon styles, click the Edges toggle key to accentuate and stylize the edges and outlines of the extruded polygons.

To use Edges, do the following:

1. Click the Edges toggle key to turn edges on and off.
2. For Style, choose the style of the lines defining your edges.
   • solid—Solid straight line.
   • sketch—Hand-drawn sketched line.
   • <custom>—Custom-styled line only available when saved from another app, such as ArcGIS Pro.

     Note:

     If <custom> is selected, the Color and Size options are unavailable.

3. For Color, choose either light or dark for the edge lines.
4. For Size, choose thin, standard, or thick for the thickness of your lines.

Caution:

It is not recommended to use the Edges option when you have polygon layers with a large number of features.