MATLAB For Dummies

Chapter 7

Using Advanced Plotting Features

In This Chapter

Working with 3D plots

Creating enhanced plots

Chapter 6 helps you create plots that convey 2D data in visual form. Using plots in this manner helps you present the data in a way that most humans understand better than abstract numbers. Visual presentations are concrete and help the viewer see patterns that might be invisible otherwise. The 3D plots described in this chapter do the same thing as those 2D plots, only with a 3D data set. The viewer sees depth as well as height and width when looking at that data. Using a 3D data set can greatly improve the amount of information the user obtains from a plot. For example, a 3D plot could present the variation of a data set over time so that the user gains insights into how the data set changes.

If you worked through Chapter 6, you focused mostly on small changes to improve the aesthetics of your plots. This chapter looks at some of the fancier things you can do to make plots even more appealing. In many cases, nontechnical viewers require these sorts of additions in order to appreciate the data you present. Making data as interesting as possible can only help to improve your presentation and convince others to accept your interpretation of the data. Of course, making plots ...