In working through the recipes in this chapter, you have learned how to display 2D data in 3D and how to create basic Z-enabled layers. All of these methods for working in 3D open the door to a wealth of capabilities within ArcGIS Pro, from display to analysis. However, they all still have limitations. Extruding 2D data to display in 3D does allow us to see those features and their relationships in three dimensions compared to other features, but we are not able to easily calculate volumes or locate a position vertically within the extruded feature.

Adding Z coordinates to a point, line, or polygon allows us to place it in the correct space, but again, they still only form a single plane. What do we need to create a solid shape (meaning something that has volume)? There is a more advanced 3D data format that is supported in ArcGIS Pro that allows for this. It is called a multipatch.

A multipatch is a true 3D object. It is constructed using...