Creating Features

Using the Create Data bar, you can create features by digitising a geometry of the required type (see Create Data Bar).

Note: You can also perform other functions such as adding points to existing geometries (see Adding Points), or digitizing from a GPS device (see Digitising from GPS).

Before digitizing any feature, select a feature class by clicking in the Create Data bar.

Additional options are displayed in the Context bar (see Context Bar).

Create a Point

Create a Line

1. Open the Create Data bar by clicking .

2. Select a feature class by clicking .

3. Click to select a line type geometry.

4. Click within the map to create the first vertex of the line.

   Continue clicking to define the line, and finish digitising by double-clicking or selecting from the Context bar.

Create a Polygon

1. Open the Create Data bar by clicking .

2. Select a feature class by clicking .

3. Click to select a polygon type geometry.

4. Click within the map to create the first vertex of the polygon.

   Continue clicking to define the polygon, and finish digitising by double-clicking or selecting from the Context bar.

Create a Circular Line

1. Open the Create Data bar by clicking .

2. Select a feature class by clicking .

3. Click to select a circular line type geometry.

4. Click on 3 points within the map to define the perimeter of the circular line geometry.

Creating Holes

Creating a hole removes a defined region of a polygon.

Create a Hole

1. Open the Create Data bar by clicking .

2. Select an existing polygon.

3. Click .

4. Digitize the hole within the polygon.

   Finish digitising by double-clicking or selecting from the Context bar.

Creating from Union

Creating from union creates a new feature of a specified class from two or more features that touch or intersect.

Create from Union

1. Open the Create Data bar by clicking .

2. Select two or more touching or intersecting features.

3. Select a feature class by clicking .

4. Click .

   A new feature with the selected class is created on top of the existing feature and any existing features remain in the layer below.

Note: If you have a class in your data that has no geometry but is made up of references to other member features, you can create a non-geometric feature using Create From Union.
Select the member features, select the class of the group feature, and click to create the feature.
You can select the group feature by selecting one of the members and navigating the composes attribute back to the group feature, or by running a search on the group class.

Creating Features using Manual Traverse

Point features, or vertexes of a line or polygon, are created relative to a baseline using distance and bearing.

Create using Manual Traverse

1. Open the Create Data bar by clicking .

2. Select a feature class by clicking .

3. Click and select either Create Points, Create Line, or Create Polygon.

4. Digitise a baseline.

5. Select an Entry Type of Distance & Bearing to set the angle of deviation and distance, or Relative Distance to enter an offset and distance.

6. To add entries, click .

   To delete an entry, select it and click .

7. To adjust the baseline click Redefine Baseline, then click Continue and digitise the baseline.
8. Click Accept to finish creating points or vertexes.

Creating Secondary Geometries

To create a secondary geometry, click on the primary geometry to bring up the feature selection list and click on the unset secondary geometry in the list.

This allows you to then digitise the new secondary geometry for the selected feature in the same way you would any other geometry.