Sketch Tool

Overview

The Sketch Tool is a sophisticated general-purpose spatial editing system designed for versatile mapping, annotation, and visual communication applications. This powerful tool integrates ArcGIS drawing tools with comprehensive drawing capabilities, providing professional-grade sketching functionality with multiple geometry types, extensive style libraries, user-specific layer management, and advanced geometric operations for flexible spatial data creation and annotation workflows.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive Geometry Support: Three primary geometry types (points, lines, polygons) with 27 style options (8 point, 10 line, 9 polygon)
• User-Specific Layer Management: Personal sketch layer system with automatic user attribution and data isolation
• Advanced Drawing Tools: ArcGIS drawing tools integration with coordinate transformation and spatial reference handling
• Extensive Style Library: Professional icon collection including landing, crossing, helicopter, hazard, and custom sketch symbols
• Integrated Advanced Editor: Built-in geometric operations for buffer, union, intersect, and difference operations
• Flexible Annotation System: Text line and text point support with display label configuration
• Continuous Drawing Mode: Keep drawing tool active to rapidly create multiple features without re-clicking
• Filter by Name: Instantly filter the map to show only sketches matching the selected layer name

Getting Started

Opening the Sketch Tool

1. Look for the Unified Editor icon (pencil) on the right toolbar
2. Click the icon to open the editor panel
3. Select Sketch mode from the mode selector at the top

What You Can Do

• Create personal sketches and annotations
• Mark areas of interest and important locations
• Draw temporary planning features
• Create visual aids for communication
• Annotate maps with text and symbols

INFO

Your sketch data is personal — each user has their own sketch layers that don't affect other users.

Layer Management

Setting Up Layer Names

The Sketch Name Selection panel (a collapsible accordion at the top) contains all name controls. Before you can start drawing, you need to set a layer name:

1. Use Dropdown: Select an existing sketch layer name from the list
2. Type New Name: Enter a new sketch layer name in the text field below the dropdown
3. Wait for Activation: Drawing tools become available once a name is set

Filter by Name

At the top of the Sketch Name Selection section there is a Filter by Name toggle:

• OFF (default): All of your sketch features across all layer names are visible on the map
• ON: The map is filtered to show only features belonging to the currently selected layer name

This is useful when you have many sketch layers and want to focus on one at a time. The filter is automatically applied whenever you change the selected name while the toggle is on.

TIP

The filter also combines with the per-user isolation — you will only ever see your own features regardless of the toggle state.

Layer Names

The system automatically creates these layers when you provide a layer name:

• Sketch Point layer (for point markers and locations)
• Sketch Polyline layer (for lines, boundaries, and paths)
• Sketch Polygon layer (for areas, zones, and regions)
• Sketch Graphics layer (for temporary drawing operations)

Geometry Types

Choose the geometry type that matches what you want to create:

Point Features

• Best for: Locations, markers, landmarks, points of interest
• Examples: Equipment locations, meeting points, hazard markers, photo locations

Line Features

• Best for: Paths, boundaries, routes, connections, annotations
• Examples: Walking routes, property boundaries, flow directions, measurement lines

Polygon Features

• Best for: Areas, zones, regions, boundaries
• Examples: Work areas, zones of interest, exclusion areas, planning regions

Style Selection

Choosing Styles

1. Set your layer name first (styles are disabled until you do)
2. Select your geometry type (Point, Line, or Polygon)
3. Click on any style icon to select it
4. The selected style will be highlighted

Point Styles

Icon	Style Name
	Sketch Point Style 1
	Sketch Point Style 2
	Sketch Point Style 3
	Landing
	Cross
	Helicopter
	Hazard
	Text Point

Line Styles

Icon	Style Name
	Sketch Line Style 1
	Sketch Line Style 2
	Sketch Line Style 3
	Sketch Line Style 4
	Sketch Line Style 5
	Black Arrow
	Text Line
	Tracking width (5m)
	Tracking width (10m)
	Single blade width or existing track repair

Polygon Styles

Icon	Style Name
	Sketch Polygon Style 1
	Sketch Polygon Style 2
	Sketch Polygon Style 3
	Remedial Areas
	Tracking width (5m)
	Tracking width (10m)
	Single blade width or existing track repair
	Sketch Polygon Style 4
	Sketch Polygon Style 5

Special Options

Point Angle: For rotatable point symbols, enter rotation angle (0-359 degrees)

Text Point: The Text Point style renders the value of the Display Label field as a text annotation pinned to the point location. Enter your label text in the Display Label field (inside Save to Sketch) before saving. Choose a font size from the dropdown (8, 10, 15, 20, 30, 36pt).

Text Line: The Text Line style renders the value of the Display Label field as text running along the drawn line. Enter your label text in the Display Label field before saving (required — saving will fail without it).

Drawing Features

Before You Start

1. ✅ Set a layer name
2. ✅ Choose geometry type
3. ✅ Select a style

Toolbar Toggles

Three toggles are available before drawing:

Toggle	Description
Multiple	Keep the drawing tool active after each feature so you can draw the next one immediately
Measure	Show real-time length (metres) and area (hectares) while drawing
Label	Toggle labels on/off for all Sketch data layers on the map

Action Buttons

Six action buttons appear below the style icons:

Button	Icon	Description
Select	cursor/select	Click a sketch feature on the map to load it into the editor
Draw	pin/line/polygon	Start drawing the currently selected geometry type
Edit	edit-geometry	Enter vertex-editing mode for the selected feature
Delete	trash	Delete the selected sketch feature from the server
Reset	reset	Clear all graphics from the drawing canvas without saving to the server
Save	save	Save all drawn features to the server (inside the Save to Sketch panel)

TIP

Use Reset to discard unsaved work and start fresh without affecting any previously saved features.

Drawing Steps

For Points:

1. Click the Point draw button
2. Click on the map where you want the point marker
3. The point appears immediately

For Lines:

1. Click the Line draw button
2. Click points along your desired path or boundary
3. Double-click to finish the line (or press ESC to cancel)

For Polygons:

1. Click the Polygon draw button
2. Click points around your area
3. Double-click to close the polygon (or press ESC to cancel)

Visual Feedback

• Draw buttons light up when active
• Disabled buttons show helpful tooltips
• Features appear on the map as you draw them

Feature Information

When you save features, the system automatically records:

• Layer name
• Display label (if provided)
• Style attributes
• Username for tracking
• Creation timestamp

Managing Features

Selecting Features

1. Click the Select button (requires layer name)
2. Click any sketch feature on the map
3. Feature information loads into the editor
4. Current style is detected and displayed

Editing Features

1. Select a feature first
2. Click the Edit button to enter vertex-editing mode
3. Use the editing tools to modify the geometry:
   • Move vertices by dragging them
   • Add vertices by clicking on edges
   • Delete vertices by selecting and pressing Delete
   • Move entire features by dragging
4. Open the Save to Sketch accordion and click Save to write the changes back to the server

Deleting Features

1. Select the feature you want to delete
2. Click the Delete button (trash icon)
3. Confirm when prompted
4. The feature is removed and layers refresh automatically

Advanced Features

Multiple (Continuous Drawing) Mode

The Multiple toggle controls whether the drawing tool stays active after each feature is placed.

Multiple OFF (Default):

• Draw one feature, then the tool deactivates
• Click the draw button again to draw another feature

Multiple ON:

• The drawing tool stays active after each feature is completed
• Keep clicking on the map to rapidly create many features
• Click the draw button again or press ESC to stop

INFO

Regardless of Multiple mode, every drawn shape is always saved as a separate feature in the layer. There is no "combine into one" behaviour.

Advanced Editor

When you have a layer name set, the Advanced Editor becomes available for complex geometric operations:

• Union: Combine multiple areas into one
• Buffer: Create buffer zones around features
• Difference: Subtract one area from another
• Intersection: Find overlapping areas between features
• Cut: Split features using cutting lines
• Simplify: Reduce geometry complexity while preserving shape

Practical Applications

Union Operations: Combine multiple sketch areas into single zones for planning

Buffer Operations: Create setback zones around:

• Points of interest
• Hazard areas
• Equipment locations

Difference Operations: Remove areas from larger zones:

• Exclude sensitive areas from work zones
• Create complex boundary shapes

Intersection Analysis: Find overlaps between:

• Different sketch layers
• Planning areas and constraints

Layer Organization

• Personal Data: Each user has their own sketch layers
• Automatic Groups: Sketch layers organized in "Sketch Layers" group
• Graphics Layers: Temporary drawing layers in "Sketch Graphics" group
• Persistence: Your sketch data remains available across sessions

Tips & Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem	Solution
Drawing buttons are grayed out	Set a layer name first in the dropdown or text field
Can't select features	Ensure layer name is set and target features exist
Edit mode not working	Select a feature first, then click Edit button
Save failures	Check that geometry is complete and layer name is provided
Style buttons not clickable	Set layer name first to enable style selection
Text line won't save	Enter text in the Display Label field (inside Save to Sketch) before saving
Angle input not working	Enter a number between 0-359 degrees for point rotation

Best Practices for Sketching

• Use descriptive names: Give your sketch layers meaningful names
• Organize by purpose: Create separate layers for different types of sketches
• Consider colors: Different styles help distinguish between feature types
• Add labels: Use the Text line style or Label Box points for annotations
• Clean up regularly: Delete temporary sketches you no longer need

Working with Text Features

1. Select the Text Line style
2. Enter your text in the Display Label field (required — saving will fail without it)
3. Draw the line where you want the text to appear
4. Text will render along the line path

Working with Point Angles

1. Select a rotatable point style
2. Enter angle in degrees (0-359) in the angle field
3. 0° points east, 90° points north, 180° points west, 270° points south
4. Useful for directional markers and oriented symbols

Video Tutorials

Feature Creation

Feature Editing

Advanced Feature Editing