The Blend Wizard dialog is used to combine area features from multiple layers. Blending will overlay all of these features on top of each other, with the borders of each feature defining the shape of the new sub-features. The result is a single new layer.

This dialog consists of 4 steps:

• Step 1 - Choose Layers to Blend
• Step 2 - Combine or Intersect Features
• Step 3 - Select Which Data to Include
• Step 4 - Save the Results

Step 1 of the Blend Wizard allows users to select which layers to blend. The Layers to Blend list box displays all polygon layers available in the current project. Users can hold the <ctrl> key and click 2 or more layers to be blended together. After selecting the layers, the user can then press the Next button.

If your layers have certain features that have been selected on the Select Features tab, you may also check the Only blend the currently selected features on these layers checkbox.

Step 2 of the Blend Wizard allows users to decide whether they want to combine all of the features from the selected layers, or keep only those features which intersect. The user can choose from two options:

• Combine Features - All features that are blended together will be retained, including those that overlap with features on other layers and those that do not.
• Intersect Features - Only those features that intersect(overlap with) features on other layers will be retained. Any features that do not intersect will not be added to the output.

Step 3 of the Blend Wizard allows users to choose which data columns you want to include in y our final output layer. You can choose from any of the columns available in the source layers that you're blending together. Available Columns - This portion of the dialog displays all available columns for all layers in a list box. Users can also filter the list box by layer. Users select which columns they want included and then click on the right arrow to add the columns to the Columns to Include list box. Columns to Include - This portion of the dialog displays all columns that a user has selected to be available in the final output layer.

Like other Tools wizards, this step allows users to choose how they want the wizard results to be saved. Users can choose to Add to Map and specify the desired layer name, or choose to Output to File. If Output to File is chosen, the user must select an existing or new file to save the results into.