Creating lines and polygons with composite templates

You digitize a new line of a polygon feature's shape by drawing an edit sketch, which is the underlying representation of the feature's geometry. As you sketch, you see a preview with the actual symbology used for that template, with the vertices symbolized as red and green squares.

A sketch is composed of all the vertices and segments of the feature. Vertices are the points at which the sketch changes direction, such as corners; segments are the lines that connect the vertices.

Vertices and segments in a polygon sketch

The following composite construction tools can be used to create line and polygon features from composite templates:

Construction tool name

Sketch type

Coincident Lines

Line

Coincident Polygons

Polygon

Polygon/Line

Polygon

Point at Polygon Center

Polygon

Point at Polygon Start

Polygon

Point at Line Start or End

Line

Point at Line Center

Line

Points at Polygon Vertices

Polygon

Points at Line Vertices

Line

Steps:
  1. Start ArcMap.
  2. If necessary, load data in the map.
  3. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Production Editing.
  4. Click the Production Start Editing button Production Start Editing on the Production Editing toolbar.
    NoteNote:

    The Manage Features and Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes windows automatically appear when you start an edit session using the Production Start Editing tool.

    TipTip:

    If the Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes window does not appear when you start an edit session, click the Show/Hide Attributes button Show/Hide Attributes on the Manage Features window.

  5. Click the Create tab on the Manage Features window.
  6. Choose a composite template with at least one line or polygon layer on the Create tab on the Manage Features window.

    A construction tool is selected by default.

  7. Choose a construction tool.
  8. Click the map or provide the proper inputs to build the sketch.
  9. Finish the sketch to create the feature.

Related Topics


4/19/2012