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How to Make 3D Plots Using MATLAB

Whether it's for research, a school assignment, or a work presentation, 3-D plots are great for visualizing what a complicated set of data looks like. With the help of MATLAB (Matrix Laboratory), you'll be able to create stunning 3-D...

Part 1 of 3:

Constructing the Domain

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    Open the command window. In the default layout this should appear automatically as the biggest window displayed.
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    If the command window isn't present, select home in the upper left corner. Afterwards, select layout and then "Default".
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    In the command window, define both of your x and y vectors.
    1. This is typically done in the form of x=[vector or function] and y=[vector or function]
    2. Remember to use the dot operator when multiplying or dividing vectors and matrices. Otherwise errors will occur.
Part 2 of 3:

Producing the Grid in the xy-Plane

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    Define a relationship between x and y. In order to accomplish this, two commands must be used.
    1. The first is the mesh function. By using this, the result will be a wireframe mesh graph.
    2. The other is the surf function. When using surf, the result will be a 3-D surface plot.
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    When using mesh, input meshgrid to the command window.
    1. The command will be formatted as follows: [xx,yy]=meshgrid(x,y).
    2. In the workspace window you will see that the variables xx and yy have been defined.
Part 3 of 3:

Defining "zz" and Plotting the Surface

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    Define zz in terms of xx and yy because of its reliance on those sets of data.
    1. Use the relationship you know exists between x and y. This is likely to be a function or formula.
    2. e.g., zz=xx.^2-yy.^2
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    Plot the surface using the surf command.
    1. From the z components in the matrix "zz", the surf command will create a 3-D shaded surface.
    2. This is the point in which you will relate xx, yy, and zz together.
    3. The actual command line will be in the format of surf(xx,yy,zz) .
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    Watch for your new window to appear showing your 3-D plot.
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    Customize as you'd like. There is a toolbar at the top of the window where the new plot has appeared. This toolbar contains many options and features that can be used to manipulate your 3-D plot.
    1. Some of these options include:
      1. Inserting a label for the x, y, or z axis
      2. Inserting a legend to help readers
      3. Rotating the plot in it's 3-D space
      4. Inserting a light source to show the effects of shadows
    2. A list of complex surface properties can be found at http://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/examples/changing-surface-properties.html
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    Smooth the color map across the entire surface of the graph, if you'd like. This is done by using the command line shading interp.

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