A quick tour of feature builder

The Production Feature Builder toolbar and Feature Builder window allow you to create complex geodesic and ellipsoid features.

Production Feature Builder toolbar

The image below shows the Production Feature Builder toolbar.

Production Feature Builder toolbar buttons and their functions

Button	Name	Function
	Create Target Feature(s)	Creates a feature in the target layer for the selected geometry(ies)
	Update Feature Shape Using Feature	Updates shape of selected feature using the feature
	Pinprick	Records the location of the mouse pointer when clicked
	Feature Builder	Opens the Feature Builder window
	Create Segment	Creates a geodesic segment using the selected points as endpoints
	Convert Polylines to Polygon	Converts the selected polylines to a polygon
	Multi-dimensional Intersect	Performs a multidimensional intersection on the selection
	Dice Polygons	Dices the selected polygons into smaller features
	Merge	Merges the selected polygons

Production Feature Builder toolbar buttons and their functions

Feature Builder window

The Feature Builder window allows you to define coordinates, view output coordinates, create geometries, calculate values, and view geometry metadata. The two main sections of the Feature Builder window are the Coordinates area and the Functions area. The Coordinates area contains information about the coordinates that are both input and output for a function. Once features are created, you can also view the coordinates for vertices on geometries. The Functions area contains the functions that can be executed in the selected library and the input and output parameters for each function. Once geometries have been generated using functions, they can be selected, and the metadata for their components can be viewed.

There is also a toolbar at the top of the window that contains tools so you can execute functions, queue coordinates, work with the scratch database, and open the Feature Builder Settings dialog box.

Feature Builder window

Tools on the Feature Builder window

The tools at the top of the Feature Builder window are as follows:

• The Execute tool runs a function once all the coordinates and parameters have been defined.
• The Toggle Queuing tool toggles the ability to use output coordinates as the input coordinates for the next function.
• The Clears The Input Coordinates tool deletes the coordinates you have defined on the Input tab in the Coordinates area of the Feature Builder or window.
• The Clear Scratch Dataset tool clears the features in the Feature Builder Scratch dataset.
• The Add Scratch Data Layers tool adds the layers in the scratch database to the table of contents. Adding the scratch database layers allows you to see the geometries you have created.
• The Settings tool opens the Feature Builder Settings dialog box, which contains all the properties that can be configured for feature builder.

The Coordinates area

The tabs in the Coordinates area all display coordinates information that is related to geometries that are created, values that have been calculated, and vertices for geometries that are selected. The format of the coordinates can be managed on the Coordinates Display pane on the Feature Builder Settings dialog box.

Learn more about coordinate display formats

The Input tab

The Input tab in the Coordinates area contains the points necessary to generate a geometry or calculate a value. In some cases, the function determines the number of coordinates that need to be defined. Others can have several coordinates defined, such as the polyline and polygon functions.

The Output tab

The Output tab contains the coordinates that are the result of a function. This can be the end point for a bearing distance, for example.

Vertices tab

The Vertices tab in the Coordinates area displays coordinates for all the vertices in a selected geometry.

Note:

You must be in an edit session to populate the Vertices tab.

The Functions area

The Functions area contains two sets of tabs. The first set contains a tab that lists the functions that can be executed from a library and another that allows you to view the components of a selected geometry that has been created using a function. The Functions tab lists the functions that can be executed, which determine the parameters displayed on the Input and Output tabs beneath it. The Components tab displays the metadata for an output geometry that has been selected.

The second set of tabs contains the input and output parameters and values for a function. The Input tab contains the parameters that must be defined before a function can be executed as well as any optional parameters that can be defined. The Output tab contains any parameters that are calculated as a result of the function.

Functions tab

The Functions tab in the Functions area lists all the functions available in a function library. The list can vary depending on the library you have selected on the Feature Builder Settings dialog box.

Input tab

The Input tab in the Functions area contains both required and optional parameters for generating geometries and calculating values. Required parameters include the azimuth, radius, buffer, and distance. Optional parameters include the magnetic variation value, source, and year.

Output tab

The Output tab in the Functions area contains values from a function. The output can be azimuths and distances.

Components tab

The Components tab in the Functions area lists components and related metadata. The features are listed according to their geometry types. The metadata includes the programmatic name of the function used to create the geometry, the source properties, and other metadata associated with feature builder such as the name and label.

The function libraries

The function libraries are groups of functions that allow you to create geometries as well as calculate distance and angle values. There are three function libraries with feature builder:

• Default Spatial Library (Geodetic)—Contains functions that allow you to generate geometries or identify relationships using geodetic distances (that is, ellipsoidal) and directions.
• Default Spatial Library (Cartesian)—Contains functions that allow you to generate geometries based on distances and directions relative to a projected coordinate system.
• Compsys Spatial Library—Contains functions that allow you to generate geometries or identify relationships using geodetic distances (ellipsoidal) and directions. This library requires that you install the Compsys21 software available from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
  Note:

  The Compsys Spatial Library only appears if you have the Compsys21 software installed.

  Learn about enabling the Compsys Spatial Library

The functions

There are several functions available in the three feature builder libraries. Below are descriptions of each function and the names of the libraries that include them.

Function name	Description	Libraries
Arc (Azimuth and End Point)	Generates an arc between an azimuth and end point surrounding a central point.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Arc (Azimuths)	Generates a geodesic arc as line geometry.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Arc (End Points)	Generates an arc between two points surrounding a central point.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Bearing Buffer	Generates a polygon based on a specified bearing line.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Bearing Distance (Great Circle)	Generates a geometry that represents the shortest distance between two points.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Bearing Distance (Magnetic)	Calculates the magnetic course along a distance for navigation purposes.	Geodetic
Bearing Distance (Rhumbline)	Generates a rhumb line between two specified points.	Geodetic
Bearing Distance Calculator	Calculates the angle and distance between two specified points.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Bearing Intersection	Calculates the point of intersection between the specified line segment and a bearing line.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Circle	Generates an ellipse or circle as a polygon geometry. With the Geodetic or Compsys libraries, the polygon maintains a constant geodesic distance from the specified center point.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Circle Bearing Intersection	Computes the point of intersection between a specified circle and a specified bearing line.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Circle Circle Intersection	Computes the points of intersection between two given geodesic circles	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Circle Section	Generates a section of a circle around a specified center point. With the Geodetic or Compsys libraries, the edge of the sector maintains a constant geodesic distance from the specified center point.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Magnetic Course Calculator	Calculates the magnetic course and distance based on two points.	Geodetic
Point (Simple)	Generates a point at the specified location.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Polygon (Simple)	Generates a polygon based on the specified points.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Polyline (Simple)	Generates a polyline based on the specified points.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Reference Latitude	Generates a latitude line based on the input point.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Reference Longitude	Generates a longitude line based on the input point.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Segment Bearing	Computes the point of intersection between a specified line segment and a specified bearing line.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Segment Buffer	Generates a buffer polygon based on a specified line segment.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Segment Distance	Finds a point at a specified distance from the starting point on the specified line segment.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic
Segment Segment Intersect	Computes the point of intersection between two specified segments.	Cartesian, Compsys, Geodetic

Feature builder functions