Edit feature vertices

The Edit Vertices tool moves, adds, deletes, and trims vertices that form a polyline or polygon feature. Additional commands appear on the toolbar and the context menu when you right-click a vertex or segment. This tool is available in the Modify Features pane.

Geometry properties for a selected feature appear in an editable table format, comprising vertex x, y coordinate values, z-values, and m-values, if they exist.

To learn more, see Geometry properties.

Move a vertex

To move a vertex, drag it, or right-click it and choose commands on the context menu to specify an x,y,z location or a distance. To select and move coincident vertices, use the vertex selection tool available on the toolbar.

When you move a vertex, consider the following:

• In map views, dragging a z-aware vertex preserves its z-value.
• In scene views, pressing H while dragging a z-aware vertex preserves its x,y coordinate values.
• To preserve the general shape of a feature and proportionately stretch all segments by the distance you move a vertex, turn on Stretch Proportionately on the toolbar.

  For steps to keep this setting on or off by default, see Set options for editing geometry.

To move a vertex, complete the following steps:

1. Open the map containing the features to be edited or add the layer to the map.

   To learn more about adding layers, see Add layers to a map or scene.

   Tip:

   Before editing, confirm the layers you are editing are editable, snap settings add efficiency and accuracy to your workflow, and the coordinate system assigned to the active map is suitable for the type of edits you're performing.

   For a basic checklist of settings, see Configure settings for editing.

2. Click the ribbon Edit tab. In the Features group, click Modify .

   The Modify Features pane appears.

3. Click the Edit Vertices tool .

   To find the tool, expand Reshape, or type Vertices in the Search text box.

   Alternatively, click the tool on the ribbon Edit tab in the Tools group.

   The tool opens and the Select a feature tool automatically runs.

4. Select the feature you are editing.

   If a feature is currently selected, the selection tool displays Change the selection.

   If more than one feature is selected, the Select one feature notification appears in the pane. To refine the selection, right-click a feature in the selection view and choose Unselect or Only Select This .

   The selected feature appears in the selection view and the vertex editing toolbar appears in the map.

5. If map topology is turned on, click the Features tab or turn off map topology.

   

   To learn more about topological editing, see Map Topology.

6. Hover over the vertex and drag it when the pointer changes to the Directional cursor .

   Tip:

   • To select multiple vertices, press Ctrl+Shift and click each vertex.
   • To select coincident vertices, use the vertex selection tool available on the toolbar.

   By default, selected vertices appear with a solid fill symbol. In the geometry properties table, the rows for selected vertices highlight and the number of selected vertices appears in the table status bar.

   Alternatively, use one of the following methods:

   Right-click the vertex, and choose Move .	Type the x, y, and z distance, and press Enter. The vertex moves by the specified distance.
   Right-click the vertex, and choose Move To .	Type the x, y, and z location, and press Enter. The vertex moves to the specified coordinate location.
   Click and edit the x,y coordinate fields in the geometry properties table.	The vertex moves to the new coordinate location.

7. Click Finish , or press the F2 key to finish the edit.

Add or delete a vertex

To add or delete a vertex, you can right-click it and choose a command on the context menu or use the vertex tools on the toolbar. Alternatively, click or right-click a row in the geometry properties table and choose the available commands.

Adding a vertex to a z-aware feature preserves the angular pitch of a segment and assigns an interpolated z-value.

1. Open the map containing the features to be edited or add the layer to the map.

   To learn more about adding layers, see Add layers to a map or scene.

   Tip:

   Before editing, confirm the layers you are editing are editable, snap settings add efficiency and accuracy to your workflow, and the coordinate system assigned to the active map is suitable for the type of edits you're performing.

   For a basic checklist of settings, see Configure settings for editing.

2. Click the ribbon Edit tab. In the Features group, click Modify .

   The Modify Features pane appears.

3. Click the Edit Vertices tool .

   To find the tool, expand Reshape, or type Vertices in the Search text box.

   Alternatively, click the tool on the ribbon Edit tab in the Tools group.

   The tool opens and the Select a feature tool automatically runs.

4. Select the feature you are editing.

   If a feature is currently selected, the selection tool displays Change the selection.

   If more than one feature is selected, the Select one feature notification appears in the pane. To refine the selection, right-click a feature in the selection view and click Unselect or Only Select This .

   The selected feature appears in the selection view and vertex editing toolbar appears in the map.

5. If map topology is turned on, click the Features tab or turn off map topology.

   

   To learn more about topological editing, see Map Topology.

6. Hover over a segment, right-click it when the pointer changes to the Segment cursor , and click Add Vertex on the context menu.

   Tip:

   To ensure that the pointer snaps to an edge, turn on snapping, and enable the Edge snap agent .

   Alternatively, use one of the following methods:

   Click the Add Vertex tool on the toolbar, and click the segment.	To exit this mode, click the select vertex tool on the toolbar. Alternatively, press and hold A to temporarily enable this tool. Z
   Right-click a vertex row in the geometry properties table, and click Insert Before or Insert After .	The vertex is inserted at the midpoint of the segment.

7. To delete a vertex, right-click the vertex and choose Delete Vertex on the context menu.

   Note:

   • To select multiple vertices, press Ctrl+Shift and click each vertex.
   • To select coincident vertices, use the vertex selection tool available on the toolbar.

   By default, selected vertices appear with a solid fill symbol. In the geometry properties table, the rows for selected vertices highlight and the number of selected vertices appears in the table status bar.

   Alternatively, use one of the following methods:

   Click the vertex and press Delete.	Tip: The clicked vertex highlights in the geometry properties table. .
   Click the Delete Vertex tool on the toolbar, and click the vertex.	To exit this mode, click the select vertex tool on the toolbar. Alternatively, press and hold D to temporarily active this tool.
   Right-click a vertex row in the geometry properties table and choose Delete on the table toolbar.	Clicking a row flashes the vertex in the map.

8. Click Finish , or press the F2 key to finish the edit.

Trim vertices

The Trim Before command and Trim After command delete vertices between the start or end vertex and a right-clicked vertex. These commands are available on the context menu when you right-click a vertex.

Tip:

The sequential order of vertices is observable in the geometry properties table. To reverse the order, right-click a vertex or a segment and click Reverse Direction .

If the selected polyline feature is COGO enabled and the Direction field contains an attribute value, it is reversed by adding 180 degrees to the value.

1. Open the map containing the features to be edited or add the layer to the map.

   To learn more about adding layers, see Add layers to a map or scene.

   Tip:

   Before editing, confirm the layers you are editing are editable, snap settings add efficiency and accuracy to your workflow, and the coordinate system assigned to the active map is suitable for the type of edits you're performing.

   For a basic checklist of settings, see Configure settings for editing.

2. Click the ribbon Edit tab. In the Features group, click Modify .

   The Modify Features pane appears.

3. Click the Edit Vertices tool .

   To find the tool, expand Reshape, or type Vertices in the Search text box.

   Alternatively, click the tool on the ribbon Edit tab in the Tools group.

   The tool opens and the Select a feature tool automatically runs.

4. Select the feature you are editing.

   If a feature is currently selected, the selection tool displays Change the selection.

   If more than one feature is selected, the Select one feature notification appears in the pane. To refine the selection, right-click a feature in the selection view and choose Unselect or Only Select This .

   The selected feature appears in the selection view and vertex editing toolbar appears in the map.

5. If map topology is turned on, click the Features tab or turn off map topology.

   

   To learn more about topological editing, see Map Topology.

6. Hover over the vertex and right-click it when the pointer changes to the Directional cursor .
7. Choose one of the following commands:

   Command	Description
   Trim Before	Delete all vertices from the first vertex up to the selected vertex.
   Trim After	Delete all vertices from the last vertex up to the selected vertex.

8. To finish the feature, click Finish , or press the F2 key.

Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts for the Edit Vertices tool

Keyboard shortcut	Action	Comment
T and hover	Show vertices within the snapping tolerance.	Flash a square at vertices that are within the current snapping tolerance of the pointer.
Shift and click vertices	Select multiple vertices.	Drag multiple segments in unison between the selected vertices.
Shift and click segments	Select all vertices between the clicked segments.	Drag multiple segments in unison between the selected vertices.
Shift+Ctrl and click a selected vertex	Unselect a vertex.	Unselect one of many selected vertices.
A and click	Add a vertex .	Create a vertex where you click a segment.
D and click	Delete a vertex .	Delete the clicked vertex.
H and drag	Edit the elevation.	Move a z-enabled vertex vertically and preserve its x,y coordinates. Hover over a control handle until the pointer becomes a vertex and drag the vertex. This shortcut is available in 3D scenes.
Ctrl and drag	Move a Bézier curve.	Move a Bézier curve and preserve its shape. Hover over a curve until the pointer becomes a segment, and drag the curve.
Ctrl and drag	Move a Bézier handle.	Move a Bézier control handle that can't otherwise be selected when it is coincident with another vertex. Hover over a control handle until the pointer becomes a vertex and drag the handle.
Ctrl+H	Move the z-value to the pointer.	Move the z-value for the selected vertex to the elevation of the pointer. The x- and y-values are preserved. This is available only when stereoscopic mode is enabled.
Ctrl+G	Move the pointer z-value.	Move the pointer z-value to the elevation of the selected vertex. This is available only when stereoscopic mode is enabled.