You can control the appearance of KML in two ways:
- If layer properties such as the HTML PopUp setting, display expression, and the alias for KMLSnippet are used, they will be used in the creation of the KML.
- When the layer properties are not set and the feature class contains certain attributes (fields), the field properties will be used in creating the KML. Layers that were originally created using the KML To Layer tool have attributes that define how KML will be created.
You can reduce the size of the output KMZ document if your layer has scale-dependent display properties and you choose an appropriate map output scale.
All KML and KMZ files are created in the WGS84 coordinate system. You need to be sure your layers will properly project if they aren't already in WGS84. You can use the Project tool to reproject your data prior to KML conversion if your projection requires a transformation.
To output a single raster image draped over topography, use the Return single composite image option.
Input features with attachments will be included in the output .kmz file. Be aware of the following conditions for attachments inside .kmz files.
- Attachments can dramatically increase the output file size.
- When consuming the KML file in a KML client, attachments are available from the KML pop-up.
- Attachments can be excluded by disabling the Maintain Attachments environment setting prior to running the tool.
- Not all KML clients support displaying attachments equally. Some KML client applications have better support for attachments like images and PDFs.

Syntax

Parameter	Explanation
layer	The feature or raster layer or layer file (.lyr) to be converted to KML.
out_kmz_file	The KML file to write. This file is compressed and has a .kmz extension. It can be read by any KML client including ArcGIS Earth, ArcGlobe, and Google Earth.
layer_output_scale (Optional)	The scale at which to export the layer. This parameter is used with any scale dependency, such as layer visibility or scale-dependent rendering. If the layer is not visible at the export scale, it will not be included in the created KML file. Any value, such as 0, can be used if there are no scale dependencies. A scale value of 0 is an override switch to ignore scale dependencies set on the layer. Any actual scale value will produce a KML with the layers visible at the given input. If exporting a layer that is to be displayed as 3D vectors and the Return single composite image parameter is unchecked, you can set this parameter to any value, as long as your features do not have any scale-dependent rendering. Only numeric characters should be entered; for example, enter 20000 as the scale, not 1:20000 or 20,000. This parameter does not control the output resolution of a raster.
is_composite (Optional)	Checked—The output KML file will be a single composite image representing the raster or vector features in the source layer. The raster is draped over the terrain as a KML GroundOverlay. Select this option to reduce the size of the output KMZ file. When you check this box, individual features and layers in the KML are not selectable. Unchecked—If your layer has vector features, they are preserved as KML vectors. If your layer is a raster, you can choose either option for this parameter without any visual difference.
boundary_box_extent (Optional)	The geographic extent of the area to be exported. Either define the extent box (in the WGS84 coordinate system) or choose a layer or dataset that defines an extent.
image_size (Optional)	Defines the vertical and horizontal resolution when the Return single composite image parameter is used. Use this parameter with the DPI parameter to control output image resolution. This parameter does not provide the ability to resample source rasters. Any input rasters will have a snapshot taken and included in the KML output as a simple .png image.
dpi_of_client (Optional)	Defines the device resolution for KML output when the Return single composite image parameter is used. Use this parameter with the image_size parameter to control output image resolution. This parameter does not provide the ability to resample source rasters. Any input rasters will have a snapshot taken and included in the KML output as a simple .png image.
ignore_zvalue (Optional)	Checked—You can override the Z-values inside your features or force them to be clamped to the ground. You should use this setting if you are not working with 3D features or have features with Z-values that might not honor values relative to sea level. This is the default. Unchecked—The output KML file will be created, which respects the Z-values of features. Your output KML features will be set to the absolute value, which could place features below the earth's surface in some KML clients. Most KML clients allow you to set the display mode for features when viewing the KML file. Most KML viewers set absolute as sea level and draw features with elevation (Z-values) based on that value.

Code Samples

# Name: LayerToKML Example
# Description: The following stand-alone script demonstrates how to find 
#              all layer files in a given workspace and export each to 
#              a KML at the 1:10,000, 1:20,000, and 1:30,000 scale using
#              the LayerToKML tool.

import arcpy

# Set environment settings
arcpy.env.workspace = "C:/data"

# Use the ListFiles method to identify all layer files in workspace
if len(arcpy.ListFiles("*.lyr")) > 0:
    for layer in arcpy.ListFiles("*.lyr"):
        # Set Local Variables
        composite = 'NO_COMPOSITE'
        pixels = 2048
        dpi = 96
        clamped = 'CLAMPED_TO_GROUND'
        
        for scale in range(10000, 30001, 10000):
            # Strips the '.lyr' and adds scale + _.kmz
            outKML = layer[:4] + str(scale) + "_.kmz"
            #Execute LayerToKML
            arcpy.LayerToKML_conversion(layer, outKML, scale, composite, 
                                        '', pixels, dpi, clamped)
else:
    arcpy.AddMessage('There are no layer files in '+arcpy.env.workspace+'.')

Layer To KML

Title Layer To KML

Summary

Usage

Syntax

Code Samples

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