Gnuplot Manual: 3D Plot General

Outline:

3D Plot General

For 3D plots, the functions generally consist of both x and y. The command must be "splot" instead of "plot." You may need to set options for z axis, such as range, zeroaxis, etc. The way you set is exactly the same as x- and y-axes. The simplest command line is as follows:

gnuplot> splot sin(x)*cos(y)

As default, the surface of plot is transparent. It looks like a wired object. If you do not want to show the hidden area of a 3D plot, command as follows:

gnuplot> set hidden3d
gnuplot> splot sin(x)*cos(y)

Note that the picture below uses isosamples 50. gnuplot hirophysics

One of the fancy features is called "pm3d." This is a palette-mapped style of 3D and 4D data. You can grasp the height and depth of the surface in terms of the colors.

gnuplot> set pm3d
gnuplot> splot [0:2*pi] [0:2*pi] sin(x)*cos(y)

The position of the colored map can be chosen. The default is on surface of the plot. The option takes three positions, which are bottom, surface, and top. The command should be abbreviated like "set pm3d at s." You are allowed to use only b, s, and t as bottom, surface, and top.

gnuplot> set pm3d at b
gnuplot> splot [0:2*pi] [0:2*pi] sin(x)*cos(y)