How Erase (Coverage) works

Erase creates a new output coverage by overlaying two sets of features. The polygons of the erase coverage define the erasing region. Input coverage features that are within the erasing region are removed. The output coverage contains only those input coverage features that are outside the erasing region.

Input Coverage features can be polygons, lines, or points, but erase coverage features must be polygons. Output coverage features are of the same class as the input coverage features. They are clipped to the outer boundary of the erase coverage polygons. Topology is rebuilt for the output coverage.

Erase discovers the feature classes in the input coverage and offers the available erasing methods:

The attribute table for the output coverage contains the same items as the input coverage feature attribute table. The old feature internal number is used to transfer item information from the input coverage to the output coverage feature attribute tables.

Clip is similar to Erase, except that input coverage features that overlap the clipping region are preserved instead of erased.

6/18/2012