You are currently reviewing an older revision of this page.
The Map Layers widget allows to manage the display of the Base Layer and ArcGIS, WMS and WMTS layers.
Referencing GIS data to the iModel essentially publishes it as raster layers in the view. Use any GIS server (ESRI, open source MapServer, GeoServer, etc.) to compose your map. Then, simply add new connections to the service, through the Map Layers widget and access your GIS data.
One of the main benefits of referencing is that the existing complex symbology defined in a GIS system, is automatically accessible, without the need of recreating it.
Another major advantage is accessing live data. This way, the information that is displayed in Design Review is always true and up to date.
This option has some limitations. For example, it is not possible to select an element in the view and see the properties attached to it, unless the server is configured to support non-graphical query operations. If the server is configured in that way and that the “Locatable” option is turned ON in the settings panel, it will be possible to over the cursor on a tile and the associated properties will be displayed in a tooltip as below:
Note that in the next version of iModel.js 3.0, it will be possible to access the properties from an ArcGIS Map Service layer. More details to come when it is available.
Essentially, a Base layer shows geographic information displayed in the background. It provides context for additional layers that overlay on top of the base layer.
The Base layer is available if and only if the iModel is georeferenced. If the
iModel will be displayed with the background color defined in the viewer presentation options and an information message displayed in the Map Layers widget:
The following Bing services are available in the list:
These layers above are present in the list as default, out of the box. The user doesn’t have to add them manually.
The visibility of the layer can be changed by toggling ON and OFF.
The transparency of the Base Layer can be modified by using the slider bar.
Background and Overlay layers
The user can add layers in the Background section and/or Overlay section. He can drag a layer from one section to the other, as well as ordering the layers within a section.
Background section – The layers added into this section will be displayed over the Bing layer but behind the iModel.
Overlay section – The layers added into this section will be displayed on top of all layers, including the iModel.
More Options on the layers
Click on the “More” menu at the right-hand side of the layer name to see more options to apply to the layer.
Zoom to layer
Selecting the “Zoom to layer” option fits the selected layer in the view.
Detach
Selecting the “Detach” option removes the selected layer from the view.
Transparency slider
Moving the slider changes the transparency of the selected layer. The transparency is applied on the layer once the data button is released.
Add new layer
To add a new layer, click on the “Add Layer” button or on the “+” sign.
Attach New Layer dialog
Type
Select the type of service. The Background and Overlay sections allow to reference three types of GIS data:
Name
Type a name. Use a name that is relevant so that any user who wants to attach the layer can easily know which layer he is attaching.
URL
Type or copy the URL of the server to attach.
Here are some examples of URL that should be used:
Username & Password
Type the credentials to connect to the server. Note that not all servers require credentials. Public servers will not require any credentials.
For secured ArcGIS MapServer and ImageServer, only token authentication is supported now. If your server is secured, make sure your server supports the generation of token.
Investigation to support Federated Authentication is in progress.
Basic Authentication is also supported on WMS server.
Store on Project Settings
When this option is toggled on, the layer is stored on the project settings. Thus, all iModels from a given project will be able to attach the layer.
Store on Model Settings
When this option is toggled on, the layer is stored for the current iModel only. Thus, the layer will not be available for attachment to other iModels contained in the project.
Reorder the layers
You can move the layers from the background section to the overlay section, and vis versa, by using the drag and drop functionality. The layers can also be reorder within a section, the same way.
Delete a layer
It is possible to delete layers from the list simply by clicking on the “delete” icon.
Turning OFF all layers
All the layers from the Map Layers dialog, including the Base layer, can be turned ON and OFF by clicking on the toggle on the upper right side of the dialog.
Settings dialog
Different settings are available in the Map Layers Settings panel.
Transparency
Use the slider to apply transparency on all layers from the Map Layers widget.
Locatable
Toggle ON this option to see the information and coordinates of the location pointed by the cursor on the Bing layer.
Mask by Models
Toggle ON this option to mask the map layers contained in the view. The iModel and the reality data serve as clipping element. This can be useful when the iModel contains elements located under the ground. Enabling the mask allows to see the underground portion of an iModel. When turned off, the map layers block the view.
See this video for more clarity.
Elevation Offset (m)
Use this option to adjust the Map layers elevation to align with the iModel whenever necessary.
Allow Model Under Map
Use this option to allow the display of the underground section of the iModel under the map layers.
By default, the map layers are displayed in the background, completely behind the iModel and reality data, so that the user sees the model in its entirety, even the parts that should be displayed under the ground.
Terrain
The Terrain section contains options related to the display of the Cesium terrain layer.
Toggle ON the "Enable" option to activate the Cesium terrain layer and have a 3D view of the terrain surrounding the area of the iModel.
Model Height (m)
Use this option to adjust the terrain elevation so that it fits the model elevation.
Apply Elevation Correction
Sometimes the iModel is not displayed at the right elevation in Design Review. Most of the time this happens when the input design file was created with the wrong vertical datum; Ellipsoid instead of Geoid. So when the user turns ON the Cesium terrain, the elevation is incorrect. Another case is when the user has drawn his design at the right location but on a random elevation. To correct the elevation
Exaggeration
Use this option to exaggerate the elevation of the Cesium terrain.
General information on the types of services supported in the Map Layers widget and CORS policy
ArcGIS can serve data through multiple services like Map Service, Image Service and Feature Service.
However, not all types of services can be attached to the iModel through the Map Layers widget. Only the Map Service and the Image Service can be attached and displayed in Design Review through the Map Layers widget.
A good pointer to find out if a map can be federated to the iModel, is the presence of “MapServer” or “ImageServer” at the end of the URL that is added in the Map Layers dialog. See the figure below.
Open Geospatial WMS Service and WMTS Service can also be attached to the iModel, through the Map Layers widget.
Note that WMTS is a complement to the WMS. As compared to the WMS, the main advantage of the WMTS is that it offers better performances in the publishing of cartographic data, as the tiles are stored in a cache. On the other hand, the WMTS is not recommended when the data is updated frequently, as the cache will have to be regenerated again and again.
For security reasons, many servers are configured to let specific client’s site to connect to them and access their resources. It is most possible that when you attach a layer and the server is not configured properly to let you in, you will end up with a CORS error sent by the browser. To solve this, the remote web services need to have the "Access-Control-Allow-Origin" Header to be configured for the following origin values:
Bentley CONNECT Portal
https://connect-imodelweb.bentley.com
iTwin Design Review Hub
https://review.itwin.bentley.com
iTwin Hub
https://itwin.bentley.com
Also, if authentication is required, the ‘Access-Control-Request-Headers’ needs to be configured to accept the ‘Authorization’ value.
For more information on the CORS policy, please contact your IT team.