Displaying data from a globe service

Globe services can be consumed and displayed by the suite of ArcGIS applications, including ArcGlobe, ArcCatalog, ArcReader, and ArcGIS Explorer Desktop. In addition, globe service layers are also consumable in stand-alone applications built from ArcEngine using the GlobeControl.

In ArcGlobe, using globe service layers is similar to using any other 3D layer. After connecting to ArcGIS Server and browsing to the globe service you want to use, you get all the layers contained within it or descend into it to pick a particular layer. When the globe service is consumed as a whole, you will also be able to use any animation files that have been published along with the service.

NoteNote:

Any raster layer used as elevation will require having a full cache built before consuming as a globe service. To learn more about globe caches and how to generate globe cache tiles, see How globe caches work.

You can also use the preview mode in ArcCatalog to visualize globe service layers. To preview 3D globe data in ArcCatalog, you need to make sure the 3D Analyst extension is enabled.

If you have the ArcGIS Publisher, you can publish an ArcReader document from ArcGlobe that consists of globe service layers. These ArcReader documents can then be visualized by downloading the free ArcReader client. Since the ArcReader document only contains a reference to the globe service layers, its size is usually very small. This can be a convenient way to disseminate your GIS content, for example, by sending an email or posting it on a web site to users that may not have ArcGIS installed.

For more information on getting started with globe services see: What is a globe service? Tips for authoring globe services and Globe service usage for more details.

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8/16/2013