Origin supports a wide variety of 3D and Contour graph types, all of which are provided on one comprehensive 3D and Contour Graphs toolbar. All the graph types can also be created through main menu options.
3D and Contour graphs can be created from matrix data or XYZ data in a worksheet. In addition, a worksheet can be treated as a Virtual Matrix, from which surface plots or contour plots can be created. You can click here to read more details about Creating 3D and Contour Graphs from Virtual Matrices.
The first two of the following tables show the key differences between various data formats and how they affect 3D and Contour plots. The third table shows you how to convert data from one format to another. The following pages will give more details about each graph type in both the 3D and Contour categories, and will also state clearly which graph types can be created from each of the data formats.
The following table shows the Contour Graphs that can be created from different data formats; you can get more information about creating Contour graphs in Creating Contour Graphs.
| Data Format | Polar Contour | Ternary Contour | Smoothing | Custom Boundary | Nonlinear X/Y Axes for Rectangular Contour Plots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XYZ Columns in Worksheet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Matrix Window | No | No | No | No | No |
| Virtual Matrix in Worksheet | No | No | No | No | Yes |
The following table shows the 3D Graphs that can be created from different data formats; you can get more information about creating 3D graphs in Creating 3D Graphs
| Data Organization | Smoothing | Nonlinear X/Y Axes |
|---|---|---|
| XYZ Columns in Worksheet | No | Yes |
| XYY Columns in Worksheet | No | Yes |
| Matrix Window | No | No |
| Virtual Matrix in Worksheet | No | Yes |
For more details about converting worksheet data to matrix data, please refer to Matrix Conversion and Gridding. For more details about converting matrix data to worksheet data, please refer to Converting Matrices to Worksheets.
| From \ To | XYZ Worksheet Columns | Matrix Object | Virtual Matrix in Worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| XYZ Worksheet Columns | -- | Use the Worksheet: Convert to Matrix: XYZ Gridding menu item. Multiple gridding methods are available for conversion to a regularly-spaced matrix object. | Not supported |
| Matrix Object | Use the Matrix: Convert to Worksheet menu item and set Method to XYZ Columns | -- | Use the Matrix: Convert to Worksheet menu item and set Method to Direct |
| Virtual Matrix in Worksheet | Use the Worksheet: Convert to XYZ menu item | Use the Worksheet: Convert to Matrix: Direct menu item. | -- |