Create a custom raster type

Purpose
This sample shows how to implement a custom raster builder that can attach to an existing raster type to create a custom raster type. The custom builder that is implemented is called the Thumbnail Builder, and it uses the datasets generated by the raster type to generate a small thumbnail for each dataset. The generated thumbnail is added to the Mosaic Dataset catalog as a binary large object (BLOB) that a client can read.
This sample application creates a mosaic dataset in the user-specified location and adds data to it using the user-specified data source and the Raster Dataset raster type. The application attaches the Thumbnail Builder to the raster type and can optionally save the custom raster type generated in a .art file, which can then be used multiple times.

How to use

See How to use ArcGIS samples for help on compiling, setting up the debugger, and running the sample. If the sample has associated data, you will find that the sample's zip file includes a "data" folder alongside the language folders. However, you will need to update the sample to point to the location of the data once you have extracted all the files.

Using the custom type
  1. Start Visual Studio and open the solution file.
  2. Open the TestThumbnailBuilder project.
  3. Edit the strings in the Specify input directory and dataset name region to specify the parameters that control where to create the mosaic dataset, where to add data, and so on.
  4. Compile and run the program. If the program succeeds, the console shows a Success message. If an error occurs, it shows on the console window.
  5. Load the created mosaic dataset into ArcMap. The Attribute table will contain a field called Thumbnail, which can be used by a client to view the thumbnails generated by the Thumbnail Builder.

Additional information

The user may have to access table properties and enable viewing of all the columns of the Attribute table to see the ThumbNail column.

ThumbnailBuilder\ThumbnailBuilder.cs
(view code)
 Main source file that implements the custom raster builder.
TestThumbnailBuilder\TestThumbnailBuilder.cs
(view code)
 Main source file for the test application that is used to generate a mosaic dataset and add items to it using the custom builder.
Download the C# files
ThumbnailBuilder\ThumbnailBuilder.vb
(view code)
 Main source file that implements the custom raster builder.
TestThumbnailBuilder\TestThumbnailBuilder.vb
(view code)
 Main source file for the test application that is used to generate a mosaic dataset and add items to it using the custom builder.
Download the VB.NET files

Download the files for all languages



Development licensing Deployment licensing
ArcGIS for Desktop Standard ArcGIS for Desktop Standard
ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced
Engine Developer Kit Engine