Creating 3D symbols and elements

You can use the Style Manager dialog box to create new symbols or to modify an existing symbol.

To set or modify properties of an element or symbol in a style, double-click it in the contents window of Style Manager. This opens a property dialog box and allows you to define the appearance of the element or symbol and save changes within the style.

Since symbols and elements are organized by type, you create a new symbol or element by first identifying the type, then by choosing the appropriate folder. Then, when you choose to create a new symbol or element, the properties you can choose from are only associated with that symbol or element type.

Layers appear in the list according to when they are drawn. Therefore, the bottom layer will be covered by the layer listed above it.

By adding or working with layers, you can enhance the symbols that already exist or combine them to make new symbols. The layers you use can be a mixture of different symbol types and properties, such as color, width, and offset. Turning on or off a layer affects which layers will be viewed in the preview. Locking and unlocking a layer does not affect your capabilities in the Symbol Property Editor dialog box; however, it does affect the ability to change the color in the Symbol Selector you access through the Layer Properties dialog box. If you change the symbol color there, only the unlocked layers will change to the new color.

Steps:

1. Click Customize and click Style Manager.
The Style Manager dialog box opens.
2. Click the symbol folder in which you want to create more symbols.
Optionally, click Styles to add a style to the tree list to browse it's symbol folders.
3. Right-click in the open space in the right pane of the window, point to New, and click the type of symbol you want to create.
Now you can create a new object of the same category.
4. Use the Symbol Property Editor dialog box to create the symbol you want and click OK.
5. Name the new symbol and close the Style Manager dialog box.

Tip:

• A style is a database. You can use Microsoft Access to edit names, check your spelling, control sorting, and complete other tasks.
• For more information on creating symbols and styles, see the ArcMap help topics listed here: Creating a new symbol using the Style Manager, and About modifying and saving symbols.