Display a scene

Learn how to create and display a scene with a basemap layer and an elevation layer. Set properties of the scene's camera to control the 3D perspective.

Like a map, a scene contains layers of geographic data. It contains a basemap layer and, optionally, one or more data layers. To provide a realistic view of the terrain, you can also add elevation layers to define the height of the surface across the scene. The 3D perspective of the scene is controlled by the scene's camera, which defines the position of the scene observer in 3D space.

In this tutorial, you create and display a scene using the imagery basemap layer. The surface of the scene is defined with an elevation layer and the camera is positioned to display an area of the Santa Monica Mountains in the scene view.

The scene and code will be used as the starting point for other 3D tutorials.

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial:

You need an ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account.
Confirm that your system meets the system requirements.
An IDE for Android development in Kotlin.

Steps

Create a new Android Studio project

Use Android Studio to create an app and configure it to reference the API.

Open Android Studio.
- In the menu bar, click File > New > New Project....
- In the Create New Project window, make sure Phone and Tablet tab is selected, and then select Empty Activity. Click Next.
Gradle is the default build tool in Android Studio. If you are unable to use Gradle, see Getting the API Manually.
- In the Configure your project window, set the following configuration options:
  - Name: Display a scene.
  - Package name: Change to com.example.app. Or change to match your organization.
  - Save location: Set to a new folder.
  - Language: Kotlin
  - Minimum SDK: API 23: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
In the Project tool window, make sure that your current view is Android. These tutorial instructions refer to that view.

If your view name is something other than Android (such as Project or Packages), click on the leftmost control in the title bar of the Project tool window, and select Android from the list.

From the Project tool window, open Gradle Scripts > build.gradle (Project: Display_a_scene). Replace the contents of the file with the following code:

build.gradle (Project: Display_a_scene)
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Change lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange line// Top-level build file where you can add configuration options common to all sub-projects/modules.
    id 'com.android.application' version '7.2.1' apply false
    id 'com.android.library' version '7.2.1' apply false
    id 'org.jetbrains.kotlin.android' version '1.7.0' apply false
task clean(type: Delete) {
    delete rootProject.buildDir

From the Project tool window, open Gradle Scripts > build.gradle (Module: Display_a_scene.app). Replace the contents of the file with the following code:

build.gradle (Module: Display_a_scene.app)
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Change lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange line    id 'com.android.application'
    id 'org.jetbrains.kotlin.android'
    compileSdkVersion 32
    defaultConfig {
        applicationId "com.example.app"
        minSdkVersion 23
        targetSdkVersion 32
        versionCode 1
        versionName "1.0"
    buildTypes {
        release {
            minifyEnabled false
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android-optimize.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
    compileOptions {
        sourceCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
        targetCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
    kotlinOptions {
        jvmTarget = JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8.toString()
    buildFeatures {
        viewBinding true
    packagingOptions {
        exclude 'META-INF/DEPENDENCIES'
dependencies {
    implementation fileTree(dir: "libs", include: ["*.jar"])
    implementation 'androidx.appcompat:appcompat:1.4.2'
    implementation 'androidx.constraintlayout:constraintlayout:2.1.4'
    implementation 'androidx.multidex:multidex:2.0.1'
    implementation 'com.google.android.material:material:1.6.1'
    implementation 'com.esri.arcgisruntime:arcgis-android:100.15.0'

From the Project tool window, open Gradle Scripts > settings.gradle. Replace the contents of the file with the following code:

settings.gradle (Display a map)
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Change lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineimport org.gradle.api.initialization.resolve.RepositoriesMode
pluginManagement {
    repositories {
        gradlePluginPortal()
        google()
        mavenCentral()
dependencyResolutionManagement {
    repositoriesMode.set(RepositoriesMode.FAIL_ON_PROJECT_REPOS)
    repositories {
        google()
        mavenCentral()
        maven {
            url 'https://esri.jfrog.io/artifactory/arcgis'
rootProject.name = "Display a scene"
include ':app'

Sync the Gradle changes. Click the Sync now prompt or click the refresh icon (Sync Project with Gradle Files) in the toolbar. This may take several minutes.
From the Project tool window, open app > manifests > AndroidManifest.xml. Update the Android manifest to allow network access, and also to indicate the app uses OpenGL 2.0 or above.

Insert these new elements within the manifest element. Do not alter or remove any other statements.
Depending on what ArcGIS functionality you add in future tutorials, it is likely you will need to add additional permissions to your manifest.
AndroidManifest.xml
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Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.
```
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<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    package="com.example.app">

    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
    <uses-feature
        android:glEsVersion="0x00020000"
        android:required="true" />
```
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Add import statements

Open app > java > com.example.app MainActivity.kt, and add import statements to reference the ArcGIS Runtime API.

MainActivity.kt
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package com.example.app

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
import android.os.Bundle

import com.esri.arcgisruntime.ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.geometry.Point
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.geometry.SpatialReferences
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.ArcGISScene
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.ArcGISTiledElevationSource
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.BasemapStyle
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.Surface
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.view.Camera
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.view.SceneView

import com.example.app.databinding.ActivityMainBinding

Add a UI for the scene view

A scene view is a UI component that displays a scene. It also handles user interactions with the scene, including navigating with touch gestures. Use XML to add a scene view to the UI and make it available to the main activity source code.

In app > res > layout > activity_main.xml, replace the entire TextView element with a SceneView element.

If you do not see the XML code, select the Code tab to switch out of design mode and display the XML code in the editor.

Your SceneView element creates an instance of the SceneView class from the ArcGIS Runtime API for Android.

In your main activity source code, you can access the SceneView using an implicit property, which is declared in the value of the android:id attribute. In this case, the property will be named sceneView.

activity_main.xml
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Change lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange lineChange line<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    tools:context=".MainActivity">
    <com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.view.SceneView
        android:id="@+id/sceneView"
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="0dp"
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" />
</androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

In MainActivity.kt, create a read-only local variable named activityMainBinding referencing the generated Android class ActivityMainBinding.

MainActivity.kt
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    private val activityMainBinding: ActivityMainBinding by lazy {
        ActivityMainBinding.inflate(layoutInflater)
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Create a read-only variable named sceneView and bind it to the sceneView created in activity_main.xml.

MainActivity.kt
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    private val activityMainBinding: ActivityMainBinding by lazy {
        ActivityMainBinding.inflate(layoutInflater)
    private val sceneView: SceneView by lazy {
        activityMainBinding.sceneView
Expand

Add a scene

Use the scene view to display a scene centered on the Santa Monica Mountains in California. The scene will contain a imagery basemap layer.

In MainActivity.kt, add a new setupScene() method in your MainActivity class and create an ArcGISScene with an imagery basemap.

MainActivity.kt
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Add line.    // set up your scene here. You will call this method from onCreate()
    private fun setupScene() {
        val scene = ArcGISScene(BasemapStyle.ARCGIS_IMAGERY_STANDARD)
Expand

Set the scene property of sceneView to the new ArcGISScene.

MainActivity.kt
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Add line.Add line.    // set up your scene here. You will call this method from onCreate()
    private fun setupScene() {
        val scene = ArcGISScene(BasemapStyle.ARCGIS_IMAGERY_STANDARD)
        // set the scene on the scene view
        sceneView.scene = scene
Expand

Create a new ArcGISTiledElevationSource and use it to create a new Surface. Then set the elevationExaggeration property on the surface to 2.5f to increase the 3D effect of the elevation.

MainActivity.kt
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Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.    // set up your scene here. You will call this method from onCreate()
    private fun setupScene() {
        val scene = ArcGISScene(BasemapStyle.ARCGIS_IMAGERY_STANDARD)
        // set the scene on the scene view
        sceneView.scene = scene
        // add base surface for elevation data
        val elevationSource = ArcGISTiledElevationSource("https://elevation3d.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D/ImageServer")
        val surface = Surface(listOf(elevationSource))
        // add an exaggeration factor to increase the 3D effect of the elevation.
        surface.elevationExaggeration = 2.5f
Expand

Set the baseSurface property of the scene to the surface.

MainActivity.kt
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Add line.    // set up your scene here. You will call this method from onCreate()
    private fun setupScene() {
        val scene = ArcGISScene(BasemapStyle.ARCGIS_IMAGERY_STANDARD)
        // set the scene on the scene view
        sceneView.scene = scene
        // add base surface for elevation data
        val elevationSource = ArcGISTiledElevationSource("https://elevation3d.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D/ImageServer")
        val surface = Surface(listOf(elevationSource))
        // add an exaggeration factor to increase the 3D effect of the elevation.
        surface.elevationExaggeration = 2.5f
        scene.baseSurface = surface
Expand

Create a Point for the camera and assign it to cameraLocation. Then create a Camera, passing the cameraLocation and values for the camera's heading, pitch, and roll.

The position from which you view the scene is defined by a Camera. The following properties of the camera are used to define an observation point in the scene:

3D location: Latitude, longitude, and altitude
Heading: Azimuth of the camera's direction
Pitch: Up and down angle
Roll: Side-to-side angle

MainActivity.kt
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Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.    // set up your scene here. You will call this method from onCreate()
    private fun setupScene() {
        val scene = ArcGISScene(BasemapStyle.ARCGIS_IMAGERY_STANDARD)
        // set the scene on the scene view
        sceneView.scene = scene
        // add base surface for elevation data
        val elevationSource = ArcGISTiledElevationSource("https://elevation3d.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D/ImageServer")
        val surface = Surface(listOf(elevationSource))
        // add an exaggeration factor to increase the 3D effect of the elevation.
        surface.elevationExaggeration = 2.5f
        scene.baseSurface = surface
        // Point(x, y, z, spatialReference)
        val cameraLocation = Point(-118.794, 33.909, 5330.0, SpatialReferences.getWgs84())
        // Camera(location, heading, pitch, roll)
        val camera = Camera(cameraLocation, 355.0, 72.0, 0.0)
Expand

Call setViewpointCamera() on the sceneView and pass in the camera.

MainActivity.kt
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Add line.    // set up your scene here. You will call this method from onCreate()
    private fun setupScene() {
        val scene = ArcGISScene(BasemapStyle.ARCGIS_IMAGERY_STANDARD)
        // set the scene on the scene view
        sceneView.scene = scene
        // add base surface for elevation data
        val elevationSource = ArcGISTiledElevationSource("https://elevation3d.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D/ImageServer")
        val surface = Surface(listOf(elevationSource))
        // add an exaggeration factor to increase the 3D effect of the elevation.
        surface.elevationExaggeration = 2.5f
        scene.baseSurface = surface
        // Point(x, y, z, spatialReference)
        val cameraLocation = Point(-118.794, 33.909, 5330.0, SpatialReferences.getWgs84())
        // Camera(location, heading, pitch, roll)
        val camera = Camera(cameraLocation, 355.0, 72.0, 0.0)
        sceneView.setViewpointCamera(camera)
Expand

In the onCreate() method, modify the setContentView() call to take activityMainBinding.root as its parameter. Next, call setupScene().

Android Studio's Create New Project wizard, which you used to create this project, usually passes the parameter R.layout.activity_main to the setContentView() call.

MainActivity.kt
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Change lineAdd line.    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
    setContentView(activityMainBinding.root)
    setupScene()
Expand

Override the Android life cycle methods onPause(), onResume(), and onDestroy() to pause, resume and dispose of the sceneView.

The sceneView needs to know when your app goes to the background or is restored from background in order to properly manage the view. When the view is no longer needed, its resources should be released by calling dispose() on sceneView.
You can place these methods anywhere inside your MainActivity class definition.
MainActivity.kt
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```
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    override fun onPause() {
        sceneView.pause()
        super.onPause()
    }

    override fun onResume() {
        super.onResume()
        sceneView.resume()
    }

    override fun onDestroy() {
        sceneView.dispose()
        super.onDestroy()
    }
```
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Get an access token

You need an access token to use the location services used in this tutorial.

Go to the Create an API key tutorial to obtain an access token.
Ensure that the following privilege is enabled: Location services > Basemaps > Basemap styles service.
Copy the access token as it will be used in the next step.

To learn more about other ways to get an access token, go to Types of authentication.

Set your API key

Create the setApiKeyForApp() method, in which you set the apiKey property on the ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment using the access token. Paste your access token inside the quotes, replacing YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN.

MainActivity.kt
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        sceneView.dispose()
        super.onDestroy()
    private fun setApiKeyForApp(){
        ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.setApiKey("YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN")
    // set up your scene here. You will call this method from onCreate()
    private fun setupScene() {
        val scene = ArcGISScene(BasemapStyle.ARCGIS_IMAGERY_STANDARD)
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In onCreate(), call setAPIKeyForApp().

MainActivity.kt
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    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
    setContentView(activityMainBinding.root)
    setApiKeyForApp()
    setupScene()
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Click Run > Run > app to run the app.

The Android Emulator should display and run your app in the Android Virtual Devcie (AVD) selected in the Android Studio toolbar:

If your app builds but no AVD displays, you need to add one. Click Tools > AVD Manager > Create Virtual Device...

You should see a scene with the imagery basemap layer centered on the Santa Monica Mountains in California. Pinch, drag, and double-tap the scene view to explore the scene.

What's next?

Learn how to use additional API features, ArcGIS location services, and ArcGIS tools in these tutorials: