Visualizing and Editing 3D Borehole Data in ArcScene

By Jennifer Carrell, Illinois State Geological Survey

Quick Start Tutorial

1. Tell ArcCatalog to recognize files with .las extension. In ArcCatalog
go Tools > Options > File Types > New Type

2. If necessary, restart ArcScene. Open the file called 3D Borehole

Tools.sxd. You should see an empty scene with the 3D Borehole
Toolbar.

3. Click on the button called Create_3d_lines.

4. A form will pop up. The input table is called borings_logs.dbf. It

should be located in the folder called tutorial_data. Fill out the
form as shown below (your input and output folders will be different).
Enter your own output shapefile name
Note: your x and y coordinates should be in units that match the
coordinate system of the scene.

5. Your output should look similar to the graphic below. Now you are
ready to use the other tools on the toolbar.

6. Select the new layer in the table of contents.

7. Using the Select Features arrow, select a borehole feature.

8. Then click the edit_attributes button.

6. You will get a message, telling you that your edits will be permanent.
Check the box to not show the message again. Click OK.

9. The Edit attributes form pops up.

10. Enter a new value of g for the feature. Click the Save Edit button.
11. Deselect the borehole segment to view the segment symbolized with
its new value.

12. Close the Edit attributes form.

13. Select another borehole segment.

14. click the edit_xyz button.

15. A form will pop up showing the current X, Y, and Z coordinate

values. Change the top Z value. In the example below, the top Z
value was changed from 495 to 500 feet.

16. Click Save Edits. Your feature will be redrawn with new coordinates.
Close the Edit Vertices window.
17. Using the same or different selected feature, click the
Split_line_at_z button

18. A new form pops up. It gives you the range of elevations you can use
to split the feature. In the example below, the borehole line was split
at 475 feet.

18. Click OK. Your segment should now be divided into two new
segments.
19. Now merge the two segments back again. Using the Select Features
arrow and the shift key, select the two segments.

20. Click the merge button. The two segments will be merged back
into one.

20. Now you will change the width of the tube symbol used to symbolize
the lines. Click the Symbolize_tubes button.

21. Enter a new value into the form. Between 100 and 300 is best for
visualization purposes.

22. In the Field to symbolize dialog, type geo without quotes, if it is

not the default value.

23. Click OK. Your tubes will be fatter or skinnier, depending on the
thickness you entered.
24. If you have a geophysical log associated with a borehole, you can plot
it along side the borehole line. Select a top segment from the
appropriate borehole. For this tutorials purposes, it doesnt matter
which borehole you select, as long as it is the top segment.

25. Make sure you have the borehole layer selected. Click the
plot_gamma button.

26. Fill out the form with the values shown below (your file locations
will be different). Enter your own output shapefile name. Click
Continue.

27. Click Continue. Your output should be similar to the example below.

http://www.isgs.illinois.edu/