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Tiles Context Menu

Commands available when right-clicking Tile objects in the Data Tree. Tiles are large-area datasets partitioned into spatial tiles for efficient streaming, rendering, and processing. Tiling enables handling massive point clouds, meshes, or imagery that exceed memory capacity by loading only visible tiles on demand.

Tile Group Operations​

Commands available when right-clicking a Tile Group (folder containing tile collections).

Import​

Menu name: Import Tooltip Import tiled dataset from file or service.

What it does Opens import dialogue to load tiled datasets from external sources. Supports various tiled formats including indexed tile schemes, spatial databases, and streaming tile services. Imported tiles are organised within the tile group with spatial indexing for efficient access.

When to use it

  • Loading large-area LiDAR datasets organised as tiles
  • Importing pre-tiled point clouds or meshes
  • Connecting to tile-based data services
  • Loading photogrammetry datasets with tile organisation

Notes Import recognises tile spatial organisation and indexing schemes. Tiles may be loaded on-demand rather than all at once, enabling work with datasets larger than available memory. Common tile formats include custom VRGS tiles, indexed file collections, and spatial tile databases.

Connect i3s Service​

Menu name: Connect i3s Service Tooltip Connect to Esri i3s (Indexed 3D Scene Layer) streaming service.

What it does Opens dialogue to establish connection to an Esri i3s (Indexed 3D Scene Layer) service via URL. i3s is an open standard for streaming and rendering large 3D geospatial content including buildings, point clouds, and integrated meshes. Once connected, tiles are streamed on-demand based on view position and level of detail.

When to use it

  • Accessing published 3D city models
  • Streaming building information models (BIM)
  • Loading large-scale photogrammetry from ArcGIS servers
  • Integrating with Esri infrastructure and web services
  • Working with datasets too large for local storage

Notes

Cloud Streaming

i3s services stream tiles over HTTP/HTTPS. Requires active internet connection. Performance depends on network bandwidth and service responsiveness. Tiles are cached locally for improved performance on subsequent views.

i3s supports multiple content types: 3D objects (buildings), integrated meshes (photogrammetry), and point clouds. Level of detail (LOD) is handled automatically based on camera distance. Service URL typically ends with /SceneServer/layers/[layer_id]. Authentication may be required for secured services.

Tile Item Operations​

Commands available when right-clicking individual Tile items.

Goto​

Menu name: Goto Tooltip Move the 3D view to the tile location.

What it does Centres and zooms the 3D view on the selected tile, positioning the camera to show the tile's spatial extent. The view is adjusted to frame the tile boundaries, making it easy to inspect tile coverage and verify tile loading.

When to use it

  • Verifying tile spatial coverage
  • Inspecting tile boundaries and overlap
  • Navigating to specific geographic areas by tile
  • Troubleshooting tile loading or display issues

Notes Useful for understanding tile organisation and identifying gaps or overlaps in tiled datasets. If the tile is not currently loaded, it will be loaded before navigation. View extent matches tile spatial bounds.

Delete​

Menu name: Delete Tooltip Permanently remove tile from project.

What it does See Delete in Shared Commands for complete documentation. Permanently removes the selected tile from the project. If the tile was loaded from a file, the source file is typically not deleted - only the project reference is removed.

When to use it

  • Removing tiles outside area of interest
  • Deleting corrupted or erroneous tiles
  • Cleaning up tile collections
  • Managing project size by removing unused tiles

Notes

Gap in Coverage

Deleting tiles creates gaps in spatial coverage. Ensure adjacent tiles provide adequate coverage if the deleted tile area is still needed. Operation cannot be undone.

Coordinate Conversion​

CRS to CRS​

Menu name: CRS to CRS Tooltip Transform tile coordinates between coordinate reference systems.

What it does Opens dialogue to transform the tile's coordinates from one coordinate reference system (CRS) to another. Applies geodetic transformation to all points within the tile, updating spatial positions to the target CRS. Essential for integrating tiles with data in different coordinate systems.

When to use it

  • Converting tiles to project coordinate system
  • Standardising tiles from different sources
  • Transforming to local coordinate systems
  • Correcting coordinate system misassignments

Notes Transformation accuracy depends on CRS definitions and transformation parameters. High-accuracy transformations may require datum shift grids. For large tile collections, consider transforming the entire group rather than individual tiles. Tile spatial indexing is updated to reflect new coordinates.

Metres to Feet​

Menu name: Metres to Feet Tooltip Convert tile coordinates from metres to feet.

What it does Converts all coordinate values in the tile from metres to feet by multiplying by the conversion factor (1 metre = 3.28084 feet). This is a unit conversion, not a coordinate system transformation - only the numeric values change, not the underlying spatial reference.

When to use it

  • Working with Imperial unit datasets
  • Matching tile units to project units
  • Preparing data for export to Imperial unit formats
  • Correcting unit misassignments on import

Notes This is a simple scalar multiplication, not a datum transformation. Apply only when tile coordinates are in metres but should be in feet (e.g., correcting import errors). For proper coordinate system changes including datum shifts, use CRS to CRS transformation instead.

Feet to Metres​

Menu name: Feet to Metres Tooltip Convert tile coordinates from feet to metres.

What it does Converts all coordinate values in the tile from feet to metres by dividing by the conversion factor (1 foot = 0.3048 metres). This is a unit conversion, not a coordinate system transformation - only the numeric values change, not the underlying spatial reference.

When to use it

  • Working with metric unit datasets
  • Matching tile units to project units (SI/metric)
  • Preparing data for export to metric formats
  • Correcting unit misassignments on import

Notes This is a simple scalar division, not a datum transformation. Apply only when tile coordinates are in feet but should be in metres. For proper coordinate system changes, use CRS to CRS transformation. Common when integrating US survey data (feet) with international data (metres).

Suggest UTM Zone​

Menu name: Suggest UTM Zone Tooltip Automatically determine appropriate UTM zone for tile location.

What it does Analyses the tile's geographic position and suggests the appropriate Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) zone and hemisphere. UTM divides the Earth into 60 zones, each 6° of longitude wide. The suggestion is based on the tile's centroid longitude and latitude (northern or southern hemisphere).

When to use it

  • Determining correct UTM zone for geographic coordinates
  • Preparing tiles for UTM projection
  • Verifying current UTM assignment
  • Working with tiles spanning multiple potential UTM zones

Notes

UTM Zone Selection

UTM zones are numbered 1-60, covering 180°W to 180°E. Each zone is most accurate within its central 3° of longitude. Tiles near zone boundaries may work in adjacent zones, but accuracy degrades with distance from the central meridian.

Suggestion is based on tile location - it doesn't perform the transformation, only recommends the appropriate zone. Use CRS to CRS transformation to actually convert to the suggested UTM zone. Particularly useful when importing geographic (lat/lon) data that needs projected coordinates.

Georeferencing​

Correct To Tiepoints​

Menu name: Correct To Tiepoints Tooltip Apply spatial correction to tile based on control points.

What it does Applies geometric correction to the tile using tie points (ground control points) that link positions in the tile to known real-world coordinates. Computes transformation (affine, polynomial, or spline) that minimises residual errors at control points, then applies this transformation to all tile coordinates. Improves positional accuracy by correcting systematic errors.

When to use it

  • Correcting positional errors in tiles
  • Georeferencing tiles with inaccurate positioning
  • Aligning tiles to surveyed control points
  • Improving registration between overlapping tiles
  • Correcting GPS drift or systematic sensor errors

Notes

Requires Control Points

Requires tie points to be created first (see Georeferencing). Minimum number of points depends on transformation type: 3 for affine, 6+ for second-order polynomial, 10+ for spline. More control points generally improve accuracy but increase computation time.

Transformation is applied to the entire tile based on control point distribution. Points far from control points may have larger residual errors. Review transformation statistics (RMS error) before accepting. Original tile positions can be restored with Undo Correction. Essential for integrating poorly georeferenced imagery or LiDAR with accurate reference data.

Undo Correction​

Menu name: Undo Correction Tooltip Revert tile to original coordinates before georeferencing correction.

What it does Removes geometric correction applied by "Correct To Tiepoints", restoring the tile's original coordinate positions. This is not a general undo - it specifically reverts georeferencing transformations, returning coordinates to their state before control point correction was applied.

When to use it

  • Correction produced poor results
  • Testing different control point configurations
  • Comparing corrected vs uncorrected positioning
  • Starting over with new control points

Notes Only available if georeferencing correction has been applied to the tile. Does not affect other transformations (CRS changes, unit conversions). After undoing, you can apply new correction with different control points or transformation parameters. Original coordinates must be stored when correction is applied for this command to work.