Analyze a project

You can use analysis tools to explore, understand, and gain insights into a project. The analysis mode in the project editor currently allows you to do the following:

• Conduct visibility analysis using line of sight.
• Determine visible areas using viewshed analysis.
• Generate an elevation profile.
• Conduct a shadow cast analysis.

You can create and configure analyses for each of the available analysis tools. A single analysis defines all the parameters necessary for performing the analysis, including those related to the calculation as well as map interactions. The analysis configuration is saved within the project. Analyses can be edited, copied, and deleted, and they yield results for each project scenario. You can view these results on the map.

Note:

Only licensed users with editing permissions can analyze projects and view results.

Open the analysis mode

To open the analysis mode, complete the following steps:

1. Open the project editor.
2. Click the Analysis button in the side panel.

   The analysis mode opens in the side panel.

   • If no analysis has been configured yet in the project, the analysis mode shows the tools panel with all available analysis tools.
   • If there are analyses configured in the project, the analysis mode shows the analysis list.

Create an analysis

To create a new analysis, complete the following steps:

1. Open the analysis mode.
2. If no analysis has been configured yet in the project, select an analysis tool from the tools panel.

   The analysis configuration panel opens. See the Configure an analysis section below to learn how to configure analysis parameters.

3. If there are analyses available in the project, complete the following steps:
   1. Click the New button in the analysis panel's header.

      The panel showing available analysis tools opens.

   2. Select an analysis tool from the tools panel.

      The analysis configuration panel opens. See the Configure an analysis section below to learn how to configure analysis parameters.

Configure an analysis

Everyone who can edit a project can configure the analyses. You can configure the following parameters of the analysis:

• Configure general information for the analysis, such as the name and the description of the analysis.
• Configure analysis tool specific parameters. See Understand different analysis tools section below to learn about parameters specific to an analysis tool.

Edit the analysis name

To edit the analysis name, complete the following steps:

1. Open the analysis mode.
2. Select the analysis you want to configure from the analysis list.

   The analysis configuration panel opens.

3. Click the Edit button next to the analysis name.

   The Name field switches into editing mode.

4. Configure the analysis name.
5. Click anywhere outside of the name's text input field to finish the configuration.

   The Name field switches into viewing mode.

Edit the analysis description

To configure the analysis description, complete the following steps:

1. Open the analysis mode.
2. Select the analysis you want to configure from the analysis list.

   The analysis configuration panel opens.

3. Optionally, if no description was configured, click the Add description button.

   The Description text input field appears.

4. Configure the analysis description.
5. Click anywhere outside of the description's text input field to finish the configuration.

   The Description field switches into viewing mode.

6. Optionally, to edit already existing description, click the Edit button next to the analysis description.

   The Description field switches into editing mode.

7. Follow steps 4 to 5 to edit the analysis description.

Duplicate an analysis

There are two ways to duplicate an analysis:

• Duplicate an analysis from the analysis mode.
• Duplicate an analysis from the configuration panel.

Duplicate an analysis from the analysis mode

To duplicate an analysis from the analysis mode, complete the following steps:

1. Open analysis mode.
2. Click the Options button next to the selected analysis you want to duplicate.
3. Select Duplicate from the drop-down list.

   The duplicated analysis is added at the bottom of the analysis list.

Duplicate an analysis from the configuration panel

To duplicate an analysis from the configuration panel, complete the following steps:

1. Open the analysis mode.
2. Select the analysis you want to duplicate from the analysis list.

   The analysis configuration panel opens.

3. Click the Options button in the header.
4. Select Duplicate from the drop-down list.

   The configuration panel of the duplicated analysis opens.

Delete an analysis

There are two ways to delete an analysis:

• Delete an analysis from the analysis mode.
• Delete an analysis from the configuration panel.

Delete an analysis from the analysis mode

To delete an analysis from the analysis mode, complete the following steps:

1. Open analysis mode.
2. Click the Options button next to the selected analysis you want to delete.
3. Select Delete from the drop-down list.

   The selected analysis is removed from the analysis list.

Delete an analysis from the configuration panel

To delete an analysis from its configuration panel, complete the following steps:

1. Open the analysis mode.
2. Select the analysis you want to delete from the analysis list.

   The analysis configuration panel opens.

3. Click the Options button in the header.
4. Select Delete from the drop-down list.

   The analysis mode opens. The selected analysis is removed from the analysis list.

Understand different analysis tools

You can use the following analysis tools in the project editor:

• Line of sight
• Viewshed
• Elevation profile
• Shadow cast

Line of sight

You can analyze the visibility from one observer point to one or more target points using the Line of sight tool. If nothing is obstructing the view, the line between observer and target point is green. If an object obstructs the line of sight, the nonvisible part is red.

You can do the following when working with the line of sight analysis in the project editor:

• Configure general information for the line of sight, such as the name and the description of the analysis.
• Add multiple line on sights.
• Configure parameters of a single line of sight such as name and observer and target points.
• Edit the location of an observer and target points.
• Duplicate or delete a single line of sight.
• Duplicate a line of sight analysis.
• Delete a line of sight analysis.

Configure a line of sight analysis

To configure a line of sight analysis, complete the following steps:

1. Open the analysis mode.
2. Select the line of sight analysis you want to configure from the analysis list or create a new line of sight analysis.

   The analysis configuration panel opens.

3. Configure general information for the analysis.
4. Click the Add button in the Line of sight section to add a new line of sight.

   The single line of sight configuration panel opens.

   Note:

   You can add multiple lines of sights in one analysis.

5. Optionally, configure the name of the line of sight.
6. Click the map to place an observer.

   An observer is placed in the clicked location.

7. Click the map to place one or more targets.

   One or many targets are placed on the map. Targets are connected to the observer with a line of sight.

8. Double-click to add the last target and finish adding targets.

   Detailed configuration options appear in the side panel.

9. Click the Return button in the side panel's header to complete adding the single line of sight.

   The analysis configuration panel opens. The single line of sight you just configured is listed in the Line of sight section in the side panel.

Edit a line of sight analysis

To edit a line of sight analysis, complete the following steps:

Note:

The line of sight analysis can only be edited in the single line of sight configuration. In the analysis configuration, the line of sights are displayed as read-only on the map.

1. Open the analysis mode.
2. Select the line of sight analysis you want to configure from the analysis list.

   The analysis configuration panel opens.

3. Optionally, edit the general information for the analysis.
4. Select a line of sight in the Line of sight section to edit it.

   The single line of sight configuration panel opens.

5. Edit the name of the line of sight.
6. Do the following to edit the observer position in the configuration panel:
   1. Click the Edit button next to the coordinate values in the Observer table to edit the coordinates of the observer.

      The selected value field switches to editing mode.

      Note:

      The coordinates of the observer are displayed in the coordinate system of the urban model. For Web Mercator, you can use WGS84 coordinates.

   2. Edit the coordinate value.
   3. Click anywhere outside of the value input field or press the Enter key to finish the editing.

      The table switches back to viewing mode and the line of sight is updated on the map.

   4. Select the Absolute height option when placing an observer point at an absolute elevation value above sea level or the Relative to the ground option to choose the height of the observer point above ground at the specific location.

      The elevation value in the Observer table updates.

7. Do the following to edit the observer or target points on the map:
   1. Ensure that the Edit button in the Targets section is selected.
   2. Click any of the observer or target points on the map and drag them to change their location.

      The position of the observer or target points is adjusted. If you move the observer, the coordinate values in the Observer table are updated accordingly.

8. Do the following to remove target points from the analysis:
   1. Ensure that the Edit button in the Targets section is selected.
   2. Right-click any of the target points to remove them.

      The target point is removed from the map.

9. Do the following to add more target points on the map:
   1. Click the Add button in the Targets section.

      The Add button is selected. The line of sight appears on the map starting at the observer point. You can move it around by moving the mouse cursor.

   2. Click the map to place one or more targets.

      One or many targets are placed on the map. Targets are connected to the observer with a line of sight.

   3. Double-click to add the last target and finish adding targets.

      The Edit button in the Targets section is selected.

10. Click Return button in the side panel's header to complete editing the single line of sight.

    The single line of sight configuration panel closes. The analysis configuration panel opens.

Viewshed

With the viewshed analysis, you can determine visible areas from a specified observer location. This analysis considers factors such as terrain and objects obstructing the scene to calculate the visible extent from the observer point. The result of the analysis is visualized with a colored viewshed where red indicates areas that are not visible to the observer and green indicates areas that are visible to the observer.

You can do the following when working with the viewshed analysis in the project editor:

• Configure general information for a viewshed, such as the name and the description of the analysis.
• Add multiple viewsheds.
• Configure parameters of each single viewshed such as name, observer location and extent parameters.
• Edit an observer location and extent parameters.
• Duplicate or delete a single viewshed.
• Duplicate a viewshed analysis.
• Delete a viewshed analysis.

Configure a viewshed analysis

To configure a viewshed analysis, complete the following steps:

1. Open the analysis mode.
2. Select the viewshed analysis you want to configure from the analysis list or create a new viewshed analysis.

   The analysis configuration panel opens.

3. Configure general information for the analysis.
4. Click the Add button in the Viewshed section to add a new viewshed.

   The single viewshed configuration panel opens.

   Note:

   You can add multiple viewsheds in the viewshed analysis.

5. Optionally, configure the name of the viewshed.
6. Click the map to place an observer.

   An observer is placed in the clicked location.

7. Click the map to define the distance for the extent of the viewshed.

   A viewshed appears on the map. The viewshed has orange handles attached. Detailed configuration options appear in the side panel.

8. Click the Return button in the side panel's header to complete adding the single viewshed.

   The analysis configuration panel opens. The viewshed you configured is listed in the Viewsheds section in the side panel.

Edit a viewshed analysis

To edit a viewshed analysis, complete the following steps:

Note:

The viewshed analysis can only be edited in the single viewshed configuration. In the analysis configuration the viewsheds are displayed as read-only on the map.

1. Open the analysis mode.
2. Select the viewshed analysis you want to configure from the analysis list.

   The analysis configuration panel opens.

3. Optionally, edit the general information for the analysis.
4. Select a viewshed in the Viewsheds section to edit it.

   The single viewshed configuration panel opens.

5. Edit the name of the viewshed.
6. Do the following to edit the observer position in the configuration panel:
   1. Click the Edit button next to the coordinate values in the Observer table to edit t the coordinates of the observer.

      The selected value field switches to editing mode.

      Note:

      The coordinates of the observer are displayed in the coordinate system of the urban model. For Web Mercator, you can use WGS84 coordinates.

   2. Edit the coordinate value.
   3. Click anywhere outside of the value input field or press the Enter key to finish the editing.

      The table switches back to viewing mode and the viewshed is updated on the map.

   4. Select the Absolute height when placing an observer point at an absolute elevation value above sea level or Relative to the ground to choose the height of the observer point above ground at the specific location.

      The elevation value in the Observer table changes.

7. Do the following to edit the viewshed extent in the configuration panel:
   1. Click the Edit button next to the extent parameter in the Extent table to edit the heading, tilt, distance, horizontal or vertical field of view.

      The selected value field switches to editing mode.

   2. Edit the parameter value.
   3. Click anywhere outside of the value input field or press the Enter key to finish the editing.

      The table switches back to viewing mode and the extent of the viewshed is updated on the map.

8. Do the following to edit the viewshed on the map:
   • Click the observer and use the handles to change its position.
   • Use the arrows to change the heading, tilt, or distance of the viewshed.
   • Use the line handles at the edges of the viewshed to change the horizontal and vertical field of view of the viewshed.

   The position of the observer or viewshed is adjusted. The coordinate values in the Observer and Extent tables are updated accordingly.

9. Click the Return button in the side panel's header to complete editing the single viewshed.

   The single viewshed configuration panel closes. The analysis configuration panel opens.

Elevation profile

With the elevation profile, you generate an elevation profile for the content on the map intersecting with a line that you are drawing. The elevation profile is rendered on a chart to display height differences between buildings and the terrain.

You can do the following when working with the elevation profile analysis in the project editor:

• Configure general information for the elevation profile analysis, such as the name and the description of the analysis.
• Configure an elevation profile analysis.
• Edit an elevation profile analysis.
• Duplicate an elevation analysis.
• Delete an elevation profile analysis.

Configure an elevation profile analysis

To configure an elevation profile analysis, complete the following steps:

1. Open the analysis mode.
2. Select the elevation profile analysis you want to configure from the analysis list or create a new elevation profile analysis.

   The analysis configuration panel opens.

3. Configure general information for the analysis.
4. Click the map to place the first point of the elevation profile line.

   The first point is placed in the clicked location. The elevation profile chart appears in the side panel.

5. Place one or multiple additional points on the map.

   More points are placed in the clicked location. The elevation profile chart updates interactively as you move the mouse on the map.

6. Double-click or press the Enter key to add the last point and finish the analysis.

   The elevation profile graph is rendered in the configurations side panel.

7. Hover over the graph in the side panel to explore the created elevation profile.

Edit an elevation profile analysis

To edit an elevation profile analysis, complete the following steps:

1. Open the analysis mode.
2. Select the elevation profile analysis you want to configure from the analysis list.

   The analysis configuration panel opens.

3. Optionally, edit the general information for the analysis.
4. Edit the name of the elevation profile.
5. Do the following to replace the already created elevation profile:
   1. Click the New button in the Elevation profile section.

      The previously created elevation profile is removed from the map, and the elevation profile chart is cleared from the side panel.

   2. Follow steps 4 to 7 in the Configure an elevation profile section to create a new elevation profile.

Shadow cast analysis

You can use the shadow cast analysis to analyze the impact of shadows at a specific date for a certain time range. You can define one of the following visualizations: areas above threshold, total shadow duration, or discrete shadows.

You can do the following when working with the shadow cast analysis in the project editor:

• Configure general information for the shadow cast analysis, such as the name and the description of the analysis.
• Configure a shadow cast analysis.
• Duplicate a shadow cast analysis.
• Delete a shadow cast analysis.

Configure an shadow cast analysis

To configure a shadow cast analysis, complete the following steps:

1. Open the analysis mode.
2. Select the shadow cast analysis you want to configure from the analysis list or create a new shadow cast analysis.

   The analysis configuration panel opens.

3. Configure general information for the analysis.
4. Select the specific date and time range for the shadow cast analysis.
5. Select the visualization in the Visualization drop-down and configure the visualization parameters.

   You can choose between the following modes:

   • Areas above threshold—Display only the areas that are covered by shadows for more than a certain number of hours. Change the threshold value (in hours) using the slider.
   • Total shadow duration—Display the duration of the cumulative shadow using opacity. Areas that are not covered by shadows are fully transparent. The transparency decreases the longer an area is covered by shadows. Continuous (continuous change in transparency) and hourly (transparency changes each hour) visualization modes are available.
   • Discrete shadows—Display individual shadows at a given time interval. You can specify the time interval in the drop-down list.
6. Click the Color button to select the color and opacity of the shadow visualization on the map.

   The color picker appears.

7. Select a color and set the opacity.

   The color of the shadow analysis adapts accordingly.

8. Click anywhere outside of the color picker to confirm the value.

   The color picker closes.

Other tools

Next to the analysis tool, you can use other tools to increase the understanding of your project. The following tools can be found outside of the analysis mode:

• Use the Measure distance tool to measure distances on the map from the development mode toolbar.
• Use the Measure area tool to measure areas on the map from the development mode toolbar.
• Use the Slice objects tool to slice through objects from the development mode toolbar.
• Use the Daylight tool to update shadows from the toolbar in the upper right of the screen.

Measure distance

To measure distances on the map, complete the following steps:

1. Click the Development button from the toolbar at the left of the view.

   The development mode toolbar appears.

2. Choose the Measure distance option from the Scene tools drop-down menu.
3. Click the map to place a point to start measuring.

   Note:

   This tool supports snapping. To disable snapping temporarily, press the Ctrl key while drawing.

4. Double-click to complete the measurement.

   An orange-white line is displayed on the map with measurements attached to it.

5. Click the New measurement button to start a new measurement.

   The previous measurement disappears from the map. Go back to Step 3 to start a new measurement.

Measure area

To measure areas on the map, complete the following steps:

1. Click the Development button from the toolbar at the left of the view.

   The development mode toolbar appears.

2. Choose the Measure area option from the Scene tools drop-down menu.
3. Click the map to place multiple points to start measuring.

   Note:

   This tool supports snapping. To disable snapping temporarily, press the Ctrl key while drawing.

4. Double-click to complete the measurement.

   An orange-white polygon is displayed on the map with measurements attached to it.

5. Click the New measurement button to start a new measurement.

   The previous measurement disappears from the map. Go back to Step 3 to start a new measurement.

Slice objects

You can make vertical or horizontal slices using the Slice tool and hovering over a building. To slice objects on the map, complete the following steps:

1. Click the Development button from the toolbar at the left of the view.

   The development mode toolbar appears.

2. Choose the Slice objects option from the Scene tools drop-down menu.
3. Click the map to place the slice plane.
4. Use the orange handles on the slice plane to update the size, rotation, height, or tilt.

   The slice plane updates interactively.

5. Click the New measurement button to start a new slice plane.

   The previous slice plane disappears from the map. Go back to Step 3 to start a new slice plane.

Use the Daylight tool

You can use the Daylight tool to manipulate the lighting conditions in the scene.

To use the daylight tool, complete the following steps:

1. Click the Daylight button from the toolbar at the right of the view.

   The daylight tool appears.

2. Adjust the date and time to set the position of the sun and the stars.

   The light and the shadows in the scene will change accordingly.

3. Click the play button to animate the shadows on the map.

   The shadows are continuously moving on the map.

4. Uncheck the Sun position by date and time check box to apply the virtual light source relative to the camera.
5. Uncheck the Shadows check box to turn the shadows on and off on the map.