How do I make a Donut Symbol
September 17 2008 |
2 comments
Categories:
Symbology
I have an E size map for a presentation that needs to have large circles around point locations, rather than a solid dot. They need to resemble a donut, but it needs to be about 5 inches in diameter. I also need there to be variable ring thicknesses to differentiate some of the locations. The locations for my project need to have a thicker ring than the other locations in the area not directly involved in the project.
I've tried 3 of the symbols in the WingDings font, but as they size up, the ring becomes too thick, and I can't control the thickness.
I've also tried Circle 2 of the ESRI set with a large point size and a large halo, but when I make the center "No Color" the halo disappears along with the center. In addition, the outer edge of the halo becomes segmented as it becomes larger.
Are there other options for this type of symbol?
Mapping Center Answer:
The ESRI Geometric Symbols font has the donut, the Unicode # is 64. That font also has each of the geometries in several outline thicknesses. Thus, you could use Unicode #s 33, 83, and 101 to get three additional weights.
To get a 5" symbol, set the size to 360 (72 x 5).
A couple of caveats:
- Displaying character markers at large sizes (>72 pts) slows drawing performance.
- If you've got a lot of these (making draw times too slow), and you have an ArcInfo license, use the Feature Outline Mask tool on those markers with the gap parameter set to 0 (zero, or maybe add a gap to fine tune the width of the donut), which will produce polygon geometry that you can draw instead--and it will draw much faster.
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Use the offset to size the ring, and use thickness according to your needs.