Fundamentals of ArcGIS Server and 3D Analyst

ArcGIS Server and 3D Analyst work together to provide 3D-specific services through the Internet. For example, you can create globe services to share 3D objects, such as a virtual city of building features and street furniture, or high-resolution elevation surfaces, such as a 1-meter DEM created from lidar.

The globe service is the way that you publish 3D content to the Web using ArcGIS. You'll author the 3D layers in ArcGlobe, then publish the globe services to ArcGIS Server. Internet or intranet users can then use the globe service in ArcGlobe, ArcGIS Explorer, ArcReader, and other applications built with the ArcGIS Engine Globe Control.

A globe service supports all the same display options that are available when viewing the layer locally. For better performance and display, it is recommended that your display globe services are fully cached before being served out. For elevation services, which need to work seamlessly across multiple levels of detail, the service must be fully cached before it can be served. There are geoprocessing tools to help you generate the cache for globe service layers.