Choosing the building target feature classes

This topic applies to ArcEditor and ArcInfo only.

Using the Buildings tool, you can digitize the building by designating three of the four points. All the buildings automatically complete themselves once three points are drawn. The tool is set to dynamically create building features using the Defense Mapping product specifications for building width and length.

You can designate which feature class subtypes are used to create buildings based on the geometry type. On the Feature Classes tab, you can designate which feature classes are going to be the point, line, and polygon target layers when the buildings are created. You can choose any point, line, or polygon feature class loaded in the map as the target layers, but the recommended layers would be any building point, line, or polygon feature classes in the data model.

The geometry type of the building feature is determined by the length and width, or area, of the feature you draw. The conditions that determine the geometry type can be customized on the Defense Mapping Properties dialog box on the Buildings tab. You can change the default values to determine which thresholds create point, line, and polygon features. Thresholds can be defined for either the length and width of a feature or for the area; you cannot use both to determine the building's geometry type.

The table below shows the default criteria for determining the geometry types:

Geometry type	Length	Width
Point	Less than 25 meters	Less than 25 meters
Line	Greater than 25 meters	Less than 25 meters
Polygon	Greater than 25 meters	Greater than 25 meters

Building features geometry

Steps:

1. Start ArcMap.
2. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Defense Mapping.
3. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Production Editing.
4. If necessary, start an edit session.
5. On the Defense Mapping toolbar, click Defense Mapping > Options.

   The Defense Mapping Properties dialog box appears.

6. If necessary, click the Feature Classes tab.
7. Click the Building Point Feature Class drop-down arrow and choose the point feature class you want to use as the target layer for building point features.
8. Click the Building Line Feature Class drop-down arrow and choose the line feature class you want to use as the target layer for building line features.
9. Click the Building Polygon Feature Class drop-down arrow and choose the area feature class you want to use as the target layer for building polygon features.
10. Click OK.