HOW TO

View below ground features from above ground in ArcGIS Pro

Last Published: May 24, 2023

Summary

When working with a 3D scene in ArcGIS Pro, subsurface features can be viewed by navigating and zooming below the ground surface. Refer to ArcGIS Pro: Navigate underground for more information.

However, some instances require features underneath the ground to be viewed without navigating below the ground surface, such as viewing pipelines with their associated infrastructure above ground. This article provides two methods for viewing below ground features from above ground. The image below shows 3D building blocks with hidden underground levels.

3D building blocks with underground levels

Procedure

Set the ground elevation surface to colorless

  1. Open the scene in ArcGIS Pro.
  2. On the Contents pane, expand Elevation Surfaces and click Ground.
Navigating to the ground elevation surface layer in the Contents pane
  1. Click Elevation Surface Layer on the ribbon.
  2. In the Drawing group, change Surface Color to No color.
Note:
Ensure to toggle off the visibility of the basemap and any other ground surface layers.
Setting the Surface Color to No color on the ArcGIS Pro ribbon

The image below shows the ground elevation surface as colorless and the underground building levels visible from above ground.

The ground elevation surface is colorless and the underground building levels are visible above ground

Adjust the transparency of the basemap

Note:
Ensure the ground elevation surface is set to colorless as in the workflow above.
  1. Open the scene in ArcGIS Pro.
  2. In the Contents pane, select the basemap layer and click Tile Layer on the ribbon.
Note:
If an additional basemap layer is present (for example, World Hillshade) press and hold the Ctrl key to make multiple selections.
  1. In the Effects group, click the Transparency drop-down arrow. Click and drag the Transparency slider to change the transparency of the basemap. In this example, the basemap transparency is set to 50.0%.
Adjusting the transparency of the basemap on the ArcGIS Pro ribbon

The image below shows the increased transparency of the basemap layer to reveal the underground building levels from above ground.

The basemap transparency is increased and the underground building levels are visible above ground

Article ID: 000022297

Software:
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 1
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 0

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