Plotting Examples

Some examples for plotting different types of data in Matlab, Python, and R

Contributors: VictoriaLynn, matthewjwoodruff, and jdherman

See example_images for the outputs from these files (PNG). Note that publication-quality figures will usually require a vector graphics format (SVG/EPS/PDF) along with some manual editing to improve font clarity, etc. The examples shown here are in unedited raster format and are only meant to be illustrative.

Column data

From example_data/column_data.txt. Used with:

• line_plot: Standard line plot with different formatting options

• fill_between: Same data as line_plot, with shaded fill between Series 1 and Series 2

• dual_axis: Plot column data using two different Y-axes

• stacked_area: Stacked area plot with color options

• animated_gif: Save loop of images as a .gif animation. The Python version requires you to use imagemagick after the fact to stick the frames together: convert -delay 15 -loop 0 frame*png animation.gif.

• histogram_cdf: Standard plots of frequency distributions

• parallel_coordinate: Plots row entries as lines instead of columns. Options to scale all values between [0,1] and toggle solutions on/off above/below a certain threshold. (These functions are included in /util/).

Gridded 2D data

From example_data/gridded_2D.txt. Used with:

• imagesc_plot: Show matrix values directly as color blocks

• contour_surf: Contour, filled contour, and surface plots of meshgrid data

Non-Gridded 2D data (e.g. experimental data)

From example_data/non_gridded_2D.txt. The data file contains rows of (x,y,z) points that are not on a regular grid. Used with:

• scatter_plot: Plot the irregularly spaced points as dots, with Z values as the color

• contourf_non_gridded: Use Matlab's built-in griddata function to interpolate the data onto a standard meshgrid, which can then be used for standard contour/mesh/surf plots, etc.

3D Scatter Plot

From example_data/five_obj_data.txt. Used with:

• 3D-scatter: Plot data in 5 dimensions using R and Python.