Drillhole Sections

The Section Template

The Section Template database (Section_Template.gdb) is located in the Catalog Pane under Databases and is saved in <ESRI Project Folder>\Discover_Drilling.

Background

The functionality of the Section Template in Discover for ArcGIS Pro is one of the most powerful features within Discover for ArcGIS Pro. When configured, it can lead to significant productivity enhancements for users extensively involved with sections.

The ability to generate sections enables you to create large amounts of data very quickly. When doing this, you want consistency of both data and styling from one section to another, without the need to set this up every time a new section is generated. If you intend to send this data to 3D as a unified set of files or create 3D multipatches from the data in the sections, the section template detects how you would prefer your data to be structured. It then consolidates all the data into a single file within the 3D environment, based on the tables in the section template.

Since Discover utilises sections to generate 3D models, you are required to specify the nature of the 3D model before its creation in order to maintain consistency.

Architecture

2D sections

Discover for ArcGIS Pro uses ArcGIS Pro's 2D map windows for every section. A section essentially constitutes a 2D view used to generate high-level cartographic output. ArcGIS Pro is unable to position a 2D map within 3D space. Consequently, we must incorporate 3D metadata into each section, so that when the section is transferred to 3D, it can be situated accurately in 3D space.

This means a separate file for each section is required. Hence, rather than possessing a single table for an entire project, we maintain a separate table file for each section.

For example, if we have a table named "Geology," we must also have a geology table designated for each respective section (e.g., Section1_Geology, Section2_Geology). The section template performs an automatic generation of this table whenever a new section is created. Subsequently, the section template is equipped with the capability to merge all these tables into a unified one, denoted as "Geology_3D," when the sections are imported into the 3D environment. Within the 3D realm, the sections exhibit uniform attributes and styling within this consolidated table.

Section-Template-Diagram

Tables

A section template can manage an unlimited number of feature classes, including points, lines, or polygons. These tables are stored in the Section_Template.gdb, which is a separate geodatabase kept as part of the project's database.

These tables can be accessed in the Catalog window, seen below. This geo-database is generated when a Discover Drilling Project is created, containing three default feature classes: point, line, and polygon. If not needed, these default feature classes can be manually removed from the Section_Template.gdb. All feature classes created through the section template are stored in the Section_Template.gdb and can be added or deleted manually from this location.

Catalog-Pane

Styles

Styles can be linked with the section template. When a section is generated, each distinct value within a table can be assigned a specific style. In cases where a style is not linked to a value within a section template's feature layer, ArcGIS Pro applies random coloring. For consistent styling throughout sections, it is recommended to utilize the Apply Symbology tool on your section template. Alternatively you can use the Legend to Template Tool.

Styles are stored as ESRI Layer (.lyr) files in the <Project_Folder>/Discover Drilling <Table_Name>.lyr directory. Additionally, there is a <table_name>_MP.lyr file designed to colour multipatches.

Creating a Section Template

The easiest method to create a section template from scratch is by using the Legend to Section Template tool. This approach is recommended since the Discover Legend Editor can efficiently generate the necessary unique values for styling, all in a single action.

Note: The Discover legend cannot manage gradients and other advanced styling options that are utilized directly within ArcGIS Pro. These can be refined within a generated feature layer and subsequently applied to the section template using the Apply Symbology tool.

You can also generate section template tables by creating a table within the Section_Template.gdb. Then, create a list of distinct values for a table by using a domain within the Section_Template.gdb. Link this to the table using the field design functionality. If necessary, include this feature class in a map and style the unique values imported from the associated domain. Subsequently, you can create a feature layer from this and import it using the Apply Symbology tool.

Creating a Section from a Section Template

When a section is generated (see, Generate Vertical Sections), any table present within the section template is duplicated in the Drilling.gdb as a feature class named <Section_Name_2D_Table_Name>. In this context, the table name corresponds to the name of the table in the section template. For example, if a section template contains a table for a polygon feature class named Geology and a section named Section_1 is created. A polygon feature class named Section1_2D_Geology is created within the Drilling.gdb.

While creating the section, a 2D map is loaded with the section's name. The produced feature class is also loaded onto the map as a feature layer, using the symbology extracted from the section template. Subsequently, after the section has been generated, it becomes easy to annotate it using the uniformly styled feature layers.