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Style polygon layers

In this topic

  1. 2D Polygon
  2. 3D Extrusion
  3. Water
  4. 2D Counts and Amounts
  5. 3D Counts and Amounts
  6. 2D Types
  7. 3D Types
  8. Change elevation mode
  9. Apply labels
  10. Visualize edges

In Layer style, you can create custom visualizations in your scenes by applying smart mapping styles to your layers. 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 stand out in your scene, for example.

  1. Follow the steps in the Style layers workflow.
  2. For Color, click the color picker.

    Do any of the following:

    1. Click Pattern.

      Select a patten to apply to the polygons or select the solid box for no pattern.

    2. Click  Fill color Pencil to see the fill color options:
      • Choose a color in the color picker.
      • Create a custom color by the Hex, RGB, or HSV values.
      • Under Saved, you can apply saved colors. Click Add or Zoom out to add or remove a color.
      • Click Done to apply the settings and return to the previous pane.

      The most recent fill colors are shown.

      Click No color No color to choose no fill color. The Fill transparency setting becomes disabled.

    3. Click Fill transparency to set the transparency with the slider or by entering values.
    4. Click Outline color to see the outline color options:
      • Choose a color in the color picker.
      • Create a custom color by the Hex, RGB, or HSV values.
      • Under Saved, you can apply saved colors. Click Add or Zoom out to add or remove a color.
      • Click Done to return to the previous pane.

      The most recent outline colors are shown.

      Click No color No color to choose no outline color. The Outline transparency and Outline width settings become disabled.

    5. Click Outline transparency to set the transparency with the slider or entering values.
    6. Click Outline width to set the outline width using the slider or by entering values.
    7. Click Cancel to return to the previous pane without applying the color settings.
    8. Click Done to apply the settings and return to the previous pane.
  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 Style layers workflow.
  2. For Color, click the color picker:

    Do any of the following:

    1. Click  Fill color Pencil to see the fill color options:
      • Choose a color in the color picker.
      • Create a custom color by the Hex, RGB, or HSV values.
      • Under Saved, you can apply saved colors. Click Add or Zoom out to add or remove a color.
      • Click Done to return to the previous pane.

      The most recent fill colors are shown.

    2. Click Fill transparency to set the transparency with the slider or by entering values.
    3. Click Cancel to return to the previous pane without applying the color settings.
    4. Click Done to apply the settings and return to the previous pane.
  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 Fit symbol to view 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 Style layers 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, click the color picker.

    Do any of the following:

    1. Click  Fill color Pencil to see the fill color options:
      • Choose a color in the color picker.
      • Create a custom color by the Hex, RGB, or HSV values.
      • Under Saved, you can apply saved colors. Click Add or Zoom out to add or remove a color.
      • Click Done to return to the previous pane.

      The most recent fill colors are shown.

    2. Click Fill transparency to set the transparency with the slider or by entering values.
    3. Click Cancel to return to the previous pane without applying the color settings.
    4. Click Done to apply the settings and return to the previous pane.
  4. For Color, click the color picker:
    • Colors displays general colors from which you can choose.
    • Custom color allows you to create a custom color. You can copy the Hex, RGB, and HSV values. Under Saved, apply saved colors, which you can add or remove.
    • Transparency allows you to set the transparency with the slider or by entering values.
  5. For Waves, change the size of the waves by moving the slider from Small to Large.
  6. 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 Change direction to next 45° interval or press Enter or Spacebar to change the direction to the next 45-degree interval.
  7. For Elevation Mode, see Elevation mode.
  8. For Labels, see Apply labels.
Note:

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

    The 2D Counts and Amounts pane appears with the Mapped Attribute box displaying the specified attribute.

  2. Move the upper and lower slider handles to adjust the coloring based on the specified attribute.

    See Counts and Amounts slider considerations for more information.

  3. For Color, click the color picker.

    Do any of the following:

    1. Click Pattern.

      Select a patten to apply to the polygons or select the solid box for no pattern.

    2. Click  Fill color Pencil to see the fill color options:
      • Under Category, select the types of color ramps from which you want to choose.
      • Click Flip ramp colors Invert color ramp to flip the colors.
      • Click Done to return to the previous pane.
    3. Click Outline color to see the outline color options:
      • Choose a color in the color picker.
      • Create a custom color by the Hex, RGB, or HSV values.
      • Under Saved, you can apply saved colors. Click Add or Zoom out to add or remove a color.
      • Click Done to return to the previous pane.

      The most recent outline colors are shown.

      Click No color No color to choose no outline color. The Outline transparency and Outline width settings become disabled.

    4. Click Outline transparency to set the transparency with the slider or entering values.
    5. Click Outline width to set the outline width using the slider or by entering values.
    6. Click Cancel to return to the previous pane without applying the color settings.
    7. Click Done to apply the settings and return to the previous pane.
  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 Style layers workflow.

    The 3D Counts and Amounts pane appears with the Mapped Attribute box displaying the specified attribute.

  2. Move the upper and lower slider handles to adjust the coloring based on the specified attribute.

    See Counts and Amounts slider considerations for more information.

  3. For Color, click the color picker.

    Do any of the following:

    1. Click  Fill color Pencil to see the fill color options:
      • Under Category, select the types of color ramps from which you want to choose.
      • Click Flip ramp colors Invert color ramp to flip the colors.
      • Click Done to return to the previous pane.
    2. Click Cancel to return to the previous pane without applying the color settings.
    3. Click Done to apply the settings and return to the previous pane.
  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 Fit symbol to view 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 Style layers workflow.

    The 2D Types pane appears with the Mapped Attribute box displaying the specified attribute.

  2. Modify the Attribute Values list.

    The most common attribute values are listed. The remaining attribute values are automatically grouped into the Other section. By default, the attribute values are listed in descending order by the number of features, which is listed next to each attribute. The total number of features is displayed at the top of the list.

    1. Click an attribute value to modify.

      Do any of the following:

      • Change the symbology.
      • Drag the attribute value to change the order in the list and in the legend.
      • Rename an attribute value by selecting it and clicking the name.
    2. Click Select all at the top of the list to modify all values.

      To return to modifying an individual value, click a value or click Select one at the top of the list.

    3. Modify attribute values in the Other section.

      Do any of the following:

      • Change the symbology.
      • Drag individual attribute values in and out of the main list
      • Click Select all to drag all values.
      • Click the show Show Other values or hide Hide Other values buttons to show or hide features that are in the Other section. By default, these attribute features are hidden. Features that are hidden and dragged to the main list become visible in the scene and in the legend.

    Tip:
    Ideally, your layer should show fewer than 10 values; more than 10 are difficult for users to distinguish.

  3. For Color, click the color picker.

    Do any of the following:

    1. Click Pattern.

      Select a patten to apply to the polygons or select the solid box for no pattern.

    2. Click  Fill color Pencil to see the fill color options:
      • Choose a color in the color picker.
      • Create a custom color by the Hex, RGB, or HSV values.
      • Under Saved, you can apply saved colors. Click Add or Zoom out to add or remove a color.
      • Click Done to apply the settings and return to the previous pane.

      The most recent fill colors are shown.

      Click No color No color to choose no fill color. The Fill transparency setting becomes disabled.

    3. Click Fill transparency to set the transparency with the slider or by entering values.
    4. Click Outline color to see the outline color options:
      • Choose a color in the color picker.
      • Create a custom color by the Hex, RGB, or HSV values.
      • Under Saved, you can apply saved colors. Click Add or Zoom out to add or remove a color.

      The most recent outline colors are shown.

      Click No color No color to choose no fill color. The Outline transparency and Outline width settings become disabled.

    5. Click Outline transparency to set the transparency with the slider or entering values.
    6. Click Outline width to set the outline width using the slider or by entering values.
    7. Click Cancel to return to the previous pane without applying the color settings.
    8. Click Done to apply the settings and return to the previous pane.
  4. To apply a color ramp to all the attribute values, click Select all at the top of the Attribute Values list.

    The solid color picker becomes a color ramp.

    1. Click  Fill color Pencil to see the fill color options:
      • Under Category, select the types of color ramps from which you want to choose.
      • Click Flip ramp colors Invert color ramp to flip the colors.
      • Click Done to return to the previous pane.
    2. Click Solid color to change the ramp to a solid color and display the fill options.
  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 Style layers workflow.

    The 3D Types pane appears with the Mapped Attribute box displaying the specified attribute.

  2. Modify the Attribute Values list.

    The most common attribute values are listed. The remaining attribute values are automatically grouped into the Other section. By default, the attribute values are listed in descending order by the number of features, which is listed next to each attribute. The total number of features is displayed at the top of the list.

    1. Click an attribute value to modify.

      Do any of the following:

      • Change the symbology.
      • Drag the attribute value to change the order in the list and in the legend.
      • Rename an attribute value by selecting it and clicking the name.
    2. Click Select all at the top of the list to modify all values.

      To return to modifying an individual value, click a value or click Select one at the top of the list.

    3. Modify attribute values in the Other section.

      Do any of the following:

      • Change the symbology.
      • Drag individual attribute values in and out of the main list
      • Click Select all to drag all values.
      • Click the show Show Other values or hide Hide Other values buttons to show or hide features that are in the Other section. By default, these attribute features are hidden. Features that are hidden and dragged to the main list become visible in the scene and in the legend.

    Tip:
    Ideally, your layer should show fewer than 10 values; more than 10 are difficult for users to distinguish.

  3. For Color, click the color picker.

    Do any of the following:

    1. Click  Fill color Pencil to see the fill color options:
      • Choose a color in the color picker.
      • Create a custom color by the Hex, RGB, or HSV values.
      • Under Saved, you can apply saved colors. Click Add or Zoom out to add or remove a color.
      • Click Done to apply the settings and return to the previous pane.

      The most recent fill colors are shown.

    2. Click Fill transparency to set the transparency with the slider or by entering values.
    3. Click Cancel to return to the previous pane without applying the color settings.
    4. Click Done to apply the settings and return to the previous pane.
  4. To apply a color ramp to all the attribute values, click Select all at the top of the Attribute Values list.

    The solid color picker becomes a color ramp.

    1. Click  Fill color Pencil to see the fill color options:
      • Under Category, select the types of color ramps from which you want to choose.
      • Click Flip ramp colors Invert color ramp to flip the colors.
      • Click Done to return to the previous pane.
    2. Click Solid color to change the ramp to a solid color and display the fill options.
  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 Fit to view 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 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, the geometry's z-value is added to the elevation.

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 specified 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 or Map Viewer Classic.
    • 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, so labels that are farther away are smaller.

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.

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In this topic
  1. 2D Polygon
  2. 3D Extrusion
  3. Water
  4. 2D Counts and Amounts
  5. 3D Counts and Amounts
  6. 2D Types
  7. 3D Types
  8. Change elevation mode
  9. Apply labels
  10. Visualize edges