Analysis symbols
The analysis symbols on the map fall into four categories — arcs, spatial-analysis encumbrance lines, violation lines, and dimension lines. Each category has its own styling that you can customize per result set, and each entry in the symbols list carries the same set of controls (visibility, color, per-style editor).
By the end of this lesson you should be able to:
- Identify each of the four symbol categories on the map
- Translate symbology back to the underlying analysis state
- Toggle visibility and adjust styling without affecting analysis output
- Recognize stale-result symbology and re-run analysis to clear it
The four symbol categories
| Category | What it represents | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Arc styles | The QD arcs drawn around each PES at the required distance | Analysis output, typically one arc style per Exposure Type / criteria-set combination |
| Spatial Analysis | Encumbrance lines — the measured PES → ES face-pair distances built before any QD math runs | The spatial-analysis pass; see project results |
| Violation Line | Lines drawn between a PES and an ES where actual < required | Analysis output, one violation line per violating pair |
| Dimension Line | Annotation of a measured distance between two points, with a customizable text label | Drawings and result sets — see Module 8: Result sets |
Per-symbol controls
Each entry in the symbols list carries the same controls:
- Visibility toggle (eye icon) — show or hide all symbols of this category on the map. Hiding does not affect analysis output, only what's drawn.
- Color swatch — the border color used for that category. Click the swatch (or the name) to open the per-style editor for line weight, color, dash pattern, and similar properties.
- Style editor — opens the per-category styling controls. Arc, encumbrance, and violation styles have a single editor; dimension lines have two — one for the line and one for the text label.
Arc styles also carry a union toggle. With union enabled, multiple arcs of the same style merge into a single visual region instead of overlapping as individual circles. Turn it on for a clean composite "bounded zone" view on a deliverable; turn it off when you need to see individual arcs distinctly during analysis review.
Arcs / Results must also be selected in their respective display list.
Arc styling
Arc styles are typically defined per Exposure Type — IBD, PTRD, ILD, IMD — so each kind of required distance is visually distinct. The default styling is criteria-aware: a project that uses both DCMA and DESR has separate arc styles per criteria-set / Exposure-Type combination, since you may want to see them side-by-side without confusion.
Default coloring schema:
- IBD - Red
- PTRD - Green
- ILD - Purple
- IMD - Blue
- Fire Protection Distance - Orange
- Vulnerable Building distance - Black
- Inclusion Zone - black
Spatial Analysis encumbrance lines
When the Spatial Analysis style is visible, the map shows lines connecting every PES → ES face pair Siter built during the spatial-analysis pass. These lines reflect which pairs the engine analyzed, not which pairs are in violation — they're the input to the QD math. Useful for sanity-checking that the spatial-analysis pass caught every relationship you expected; if a pair you wanted analyzed has no encumbrance line, it isn't being evaluated. See project results for the tabular view of the same data.
Violation lines
A violation line is drawn between a PES and an ES whenever the pair is in violation. The line is the visual representation of "this pair did not meet required distance" — a fast triage cue when scanning the map. Customize the violation line color and weight via the symbols-list editor.
Dimension lines
Dimension lines are annotation, not analysis. They are added intentionally on a result set to call out a specific distance — see Result sets. Clicking the Dimension Line swatch or name expands two paired cards: Line (color, line width, arrow size) and Text, since the label format is often customized for the destination authority.
The Text card carries the same controls as facility labels, so dimension labels and facility labels can be styled to match: Default Dimension Text (the label template, with an insert-variable menu), Font, Size (px) (8–72), Weight (Normal or Bold), Text Color, Text Outline (halo color and width), and Position (Inline along the line, or Horizontal at its end). Typed sizes outside the range snap to the nearest limit; projects saved when sizes were in points are converted to pixels on load so existing labels keep their size.
Stale-result indicators
After any edit that invalidates analysis (geometry move, attribute change, explosive change, relationship change, layer-flavor change), the toolbar's Analysis button switches to to show the results are stale. The on-map arcs continue to show the prior result until you re-run — they do not disappear or update incrementally. Always re-run analysis before making decisions from on-map symbols.
Customization
Default symbology is criteria- and Exposure-Type-aware out of the box. The Analysis symbology how-to guide covers per-result-set customization for when the default does not match an organization's house conventions.
If you restyle symbols the same way on every project, save them once as My Custom Style — from the sidebar's Styling menu (Save as My Custom Style) or on the Analysis Symbols card of your Preferences. Every project you create afterwards starts with those symbols, and Styling > My Custom Style applies them to an existing project. Existing projects are never changed automatically.
Try it
Open an analyzed project with at least one violation. In the symbols list:
- Toggle visibility off and on for an arc style — confirm the arcs disappear and reappear without affecting analysis output
- Click the color swatch on the Violation Line style and change its color — confirm every violation line on the map updates
- Toggle union on for an arc style and observe the arcs of that style merging into a single visual region; toggle it back off
- Click the Dimension Line swatch, set Weight to Bold and Font to Georgia in the Text card, and confirm every dimension label on the map redraws in the new face — then match the same settings in the facility label editor
- Make an edit to a feature (e.g., toggle Heavy Wall) and confirm the Calculate button shows a stale-results indicator while the on-map arcs continue to show the prior result
- Open Styling and select Save as My Custom Style, then open My Dashboard > Preferences and confirm the Analysis Symbols card now lists your styles
Related
- Project analysis results — the panel that backs the on-map symbols
- Violations — what the violation lines surface
- Result sets — where dimension lines live
- How-to guide: Analysis symbology — customization, including My Custom Style
- How-to guide: Preferences — your default symbols for new projects