Plot bunch of 2D data to 3D surface plot

I have problems with plotting my data:

From several simulations I have numerous vectors z_data_i and y_data_i

I would like to 3D plot them, since all of the z and y data vectors are produced at different states x_state_i.

So:

z_data_1 = f(x_state_1, y_data_1)

z_data_2 = f(x_state_2, y_data_2)

...

z_data_LastSimulation = f(x_state_LastSimulation, y_data_LastSimulation)

whereas x_state_ith_Simulation is fix for each simulation. So I basically have 2D plots (each at state x_state_ith_Simulation) that I would like to combine to a 3D surface plot.

I have tried with mesh/meshgrid/surf but nothing worked.

Thank you so much for the help!!

Answer 1

[Star Strider]

I have no idea what your functions and data are, however plotting them is straightforward using the plot3 function.

Example —

x = linspace(0, 2*pi, 150);
fcn = @(x,s) sin(x*s);
s = 1:5:25;                                         % ‘State’ Vector
for k = 1:numel(s)
    z_data(k,:) = fcn(x,s(k));
end

figure
hold all
for k = 1:numel(s)
    plot3(x,z_data(k,:),ones(size(x))*s(k))         % Stacked 2D Plots
end
hold off
grid on
view(-30,20)

figure
surf(x, s, z_data)                                  % Surface Plot
grid on
xlabel('x')
ylabel('s')

Experiment with this idea with your data to get the result you want.

EDIT — Added comment documentation.

[Ann Gerber]

Thank you so much! Together with the surf() edit you have just added this is exactely what I was looking for!

[Star Strider]

As always, my pleasure!

[Ann Gerber]

I am sorry, but I realides that this anyway didn't solve my problem.

The thing is, that my data is not connected through a function.

I just have data vectors.

So i have for each simulation (each of which with a different setting x_i) a data vector y_data_i and z_data_i. For each simulation x_i is different and outputs a new y_data and z_data vector.

Thanks a lot!

[Star Strider]

I only used the function to create the matrix. It is not required.

If your data vectors are all the same lengths, just concatenate them along the appropriate dimension to create a matrix. (If they are different lengths, you can use linspace with interp1 to stretch or compress them to be the same lengtths.) Then use surf or mesh to create the 3D plot.

[Ann Gerber]

Thanks a lot, i figured it!

[Star Strider]

As always, my pleasure!

[TwoPhotons]

I have a very similar question to this but a couple steps further. I have a 3D array where each page is a 2D fluorescence spectrum at a particular excitation wavelength, essentailly a signal vs. wavelength. So X and Z axis are wavelength and Y is intensity.

I can plot these each using plot3, but is there a way to create a mesh inbetween lines in the Z axis to create a topographical representation of the data? Essentially can a surface be generated from gathered data rather than from an equation?

Attached is a picture from the Royal Society's discussion on 3D flourescence, that's the end goal.

[Star Strider]

@CAMDEN JOHNSON — The image appears to be equivalent to a MATLAB surf plot.