Create Feature Class

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Create Feature Class

Summary

The Create tab of the Geologic Interpretations tool is a trimmed-down version of the existing tool "Create Feature Class" that will allow you to create new feature classes to store and organize drawings (interpretations) created on section views. You can then easily share the subsurface geology interpretations with your colleagues.

Usage

Use the Create tab to create a new Geologic Interpretations Feature Class in the current drillhole dataset. For each feature class, you will be able to specify which 'rock types' (attributes) you want to draw and assign a color to be used with each of them. When drawings/interpretations are done later on, you can choose which of these attributes to use in order to draw different rock types – the drawings will immediately appear with the correct colors.

The feature class created is added as a layer to the current scene/map and as a Geologic Interpretations Feature Class to the following panes:

Drillhole Datasets > Datasets
Drillhole Datasets > Add Data
Symbology > Set Defaults

Depending on what you want to draw, you will need to define the feature class to be of one of the following types:

Polyline – if you want to create open/flat surfaces (contacts, faults, or other linear features).
Multipatch – if you want to create closed 3D geological bodies (rock type units)

Several features to draw (interpretations) can be stored in one feature class, but all of them have to be of one type (either multipatch or polyline).

Interpretations / Feature Class Considerations:

The drawings created will be stored with the feature class that resides inside the existing current drillhole dataset.
There will be one feature class per type of drawing - multipatch, line, point.
The feature class shares the coordinate reference system of the drillhole dataset.

Parameters

Parameter	Explanation
Feature Class
Name	Enter a name for the new Geologic Interpretations Feature Class. This is the layer or "alias" name; the database name of the feature class is auto-generated from the alias name as <DH_DrillholeDataset_GI_AliasName>.
Type	Choose the type of the feature class to create: polygon (Multipatch) or line type (Polyline).
Interpretation Attributes
Import Attributes	Slide the toggle "on" to import attributes from a source within the project: from a specific symbology or from one of the 'From-To' data types in the project (e.g. lithology, alteration, mineralization) added to the Contents pane.
Import from	Select where you are importing the attributes from. This could be one of two sources: Layer Saved Symbology
Feature layer/ Symbology	Select a layer/symbology to get the attributes from: If the "Import from Layer" option is selected above, the dropdown of this field will list all the appropriate layers (feature classes) in the Contents pane for the current map/scene. If the "Import from Saved Symbology" option is selected, the dropdown lists all your symbologies stored in the current drillhole dataset and listed under the Set Defaults/Manage tabs of the Symbology tool.
[Import]	Click on this button to retrieve the attributes of the selected layer/symbology. You can then choose which attributes you might want to remove (Remove Attribute), or you can add additional attributes (Add Attribute).
[Add Attribute]	Click on the sign to add an additional feature (attribute) to the feature class.
[Remove Attribute]	Click on the icon located near the attribute you want to delete from the current feature class.
Attribute Name	Enter an attribute name that will be indicative of the data type (e.g., rock type) that you want to draw.
Color	Click on the Color drop-down arrow button to select a fill color (for the multipatch feature class) or a line color (for the polyline type) to associate with the current attribute (e.g., rock type).
[OK]	Press the button to create the Geologic Interpretations Feature Class: all the current attributes, with their names and colors retained, will be imported/added to the feature class.

Technical Notes

It is not possible to set the coordinate system for the drawings/interpretations to be different then the drillholes. The Interpretations Feature Classes must share the same coordinate system as the drillhole dataset - this is required since all feature classes inside a dataset must have the same coordinate system inherited from the feature dataset.

The feature class itself does not contain the attributes/features until it has a spatial object stored in it.