SurfaceData
Create a surface data plot.
Syntax
model.result(<pgtag>).create(<ftag>,"SurfaceData");
model.result(<pgtag>).feature(<ftag>).set(property, <value>);
model.result(<pgtag>).feature(<ftag>).run();
Description
model.result(<pgtag>).create(<ftag>,"SurfaceData") creates a surface data plot feature named <ftag> belonging to the 2D or 3D plot group <pgtag>.
Surface data plots are used to visualize raw point data given as points, elements, normals (3D only), and colors as surfaces (see the examples below). Surface data plots can be added to 2D and 3D plot groups.
The following properties are available:
Table 7-111: Valid Property/Value Pairs for Surface Data Plots
name
Value
Default
Description
bottomcolor
custom | black | blue | cyan | gray | green | magenta | red | white | yellow
black
The bottom color to use for a color gradient. Active when coloring is gradient.
color
custom | black | blue | cyan | gray | green |magenta | red | white | yellow
red
The uniform color to use. Active when coloring is uniform.
colordata
double 1D array
 
The color data for the surface data plot as a real N-vector.
coloring
colortable | uniform | gradient
colortable
How to color the surfaces: using a color table, a uniform color, or a color gradient.
colorlegend
on | off
on
Whether to show color legend when coloring is set to colortable.
colortable
color table name
Rainbow
The color table to use when coloring is set to colortable. See Color Tables for a list of color tables.
colortablerev
on | off
off
Whether to reverse to color table or color gradient when coloring is set to colortable or gradient.
colortablesym
on | off
off
Whether to symmetrize the color range around 0 when coloring is set to colortable or gradient.
custombottomcolor
RGB-triplet
{1,0,0} or last used color.
The uniform color to use. Active when bottomcolor is set to custom.
customcolor
RGB-triplet
{1,0,0} or last used color.
The uniform color to use. Active when color is set to custom.
customtopcolor
RGB-triplet
{1,0,0} or last used color.
The uniform color to use. Active when topcolor is set to custom.
elementdata
integer 2D array
 
The element data for the surface data plot, providing connections between the points. The data is an (edim+1)-by-M integer matrix with values that are 0-based indices into pointdata. The right-hand rule defines the normal direction in 3D. In 2D the order does not matter.
normaldata
double 2D array
 
A 3-by-N real matrix for the normals in 3D surface data plots only. This property is optional and can either be empty or have the same length as the number of columns in pointdata. If it is empty, the normals are computed by the standard algorithm used throughout postprocessing.
pointdata
double 2D array
 
The point data for the surface data plot, as x and y coordinates in 2D and x, y, and z coordinates in 3D in an sdim-by-N real matrix.
rangecoloractive
on | off
off
Whether to use the manual color range specified in rangecolormin and rangecolormax. The color range specifies the minimum and maxim value in the plotted colors. Default is the minimum and maximum data values.
rangecolormax
double
Plot-dependent
The maximum color range value. Active when rangecoloractive is on.
rangecolormin
double
Plot-dependent
The minimum color range value. Active when rangecoloractive is on.
rangedatactive
on | off
off
Whether to use the manual data range specified in rangedatamin and rangedatamax. Values outside the data range are not plotted.
rangedatamax
double
Plot-dependent
The maximum data value. Active when rangedataactive is on.
rangedatamin
double
Plot-dependent
The minimum data value. Active when rangedataactive is on.
title
String
The auto-title.
The title to use when titletype is manual.
titletype
auto | manual | none
none
auto if the title contribution should be computed automatically. manual if the manual title contribution should be used (the title property). none if no title contribution should be used.
topcolor
custom | black | blue | cyan | gray | green | magenta | red | white | yellow
white
The top color to use for a color gradient. Active when coloring is gradient.
Attributes
None.
Examples
A method for creating a pentagon as a 2D surface data plot:
Code for Use with Java
pg = m.result().create("pg3", 2);
plot = pg.create("surf1", "SurfaceData");
N = 5;
p = new double[2][N+1];
t = new int[3][N];
color = new double[N+1];
p[0][0] = 0;
p[1][0] = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) {
double angle = i * 2 * Math.PI / N;
p[0][i + 1] = Math.cos(angle);
p[1][i + 1] = Math.sin(angle);
t[0][i] = 0;
t[1][i] = i + 1;
t[2][i] = 1 + (i + 1) % N;
}
plot.set("pointdata", p)
.set("elementdata", t)
.set("colordata", color);
plot.run();
A method for creating a surface data plot in 3D for data representing the sinc function (sampling function) as function of the radius r:
Code for Use with Java
pg = m.result().create("pg4", 3);
plot = pg.create("surf1", "SurfaceData");
int Nx = 51;
int Ny = 51;
p = new double[3][Nx * Ny];
t = new int[3][2 * (Nx-1) * (Ny-1)];
color = new double[Nx*Ny];
int pos = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < Ny; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < Nx; j++) {
double x = 20 * (j - Nx / 2) / Nx;
double y = 20 * (i - Ny / 2) / Ny;
double r = Math.sqrt(x * x + y * y);
double z = 4 * ((r == 0) ? 1 : (Math.sin(r) / r));
p[0][pos] = x;
p[1][pos] = y;
p[2][pos] = z;
color[pos] = z;
pos++;
}
}
pos = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < Ny - 1; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < Nx - 1; j++) {
int p00 = Nx * i + j;
int p01 = Nx * i + j + 1;
int p10 = Nx * (i + 1) + j;
int p11 = Nx * (i + 1) + j + 1;
t[0][pos] = p00;
t[1][pos] = p01;
t[2][pos] = p11;
pos++;
t[0][pos] = p00;
t[1][pos] = p11;
t[2][pos] = p10;
pos++;
}
}
plot.set("pointdata", p)
.set("elementdata", t)
.set("colordata", color);
plot.run();
The coloring of the sphere is based on the z-coordinate of each triangle point.
See Also
AnnotationData, ArrowData, LineData, PointData, TubeData