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fplot3

Plot 3-D parametric curve

Description

example

fplot3(xt,yt,zt) plots the parametric curve xt = x(t), yt = y(t), and zt = z(t) over the default interval –5 < t < 5.

example

fplot3(xt,yt,zt,[tmin tmax]) plots xt = x(t), yt = y(t), and zt = z(t) over the interval tmin < t < tmax.

example

fplot3(___,LineSpec) uses LineSpec to set the line style, marker symbol, and line color.

example

fplot3(___,Name,Value) specifies line properties using one or more Name,Value pair arguments. Use this option with any of the input argument combinations in the previous syntaxes. Name,Value pair settings apply to all the lines plotted. To set options for individual lines, use the objects returned by fplot3.

fplot3(ax,___) plots into the axes object ax instead of the current axes gca.

example

fp = fplot3(___) returns a parameterized function line object. Use the object to query and modify properties of a specific parameterized line. For details, see ParameterizedFunctionLine Properties.

Examples

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Plot the 3-D parametric line

x=sin(t)y=cos(t)z=t

over the default parameter range [-5 5].

syms t
xt = sin(t);
yt = cos(t);
zt = t;
fplot3(xt,yt,zt)

Figure contains an axes object. The axes object contains an object of type parameterizedfunctionline.

Plot the parametric line

x=e-t/10sin(5t)y=e-t/10cos(5t)z=t

over the parameter range [-10 10] by specifying the fourth argument of fplot3.

syms t
xt = exp(-t/10).*sin(5*t);
yt = exp(-t/10).*cos(5*t);
zt = t;
fplot3(xt,yt,zt,[-10 10])

Figure contains an axes object. The axes object contains an object of type parameterizedfunctionline.

Plot the same 3-D parametric curve three times over different intervals of the parameter. For the first curve, use a linewidth of 2. For the second, specify a dashed red line style with circle markers. For the third, specify a cyan, dash-dot line style with asterisk markers.

syms t
fplot3(sin(t), cos(t), t, [0 2*pi], 'LineWidth', 2)
hold on
fplot3(sin(t), cos(t), t, [2*pi 4*pi], '--or')
fplot3(sin(t), cos(t), t, [4*pi 6*pi], '-.*c')

Figure contains an axes object. The axes object contains 3 objects of type parameterizedfunctionline.

Plot the 3-D parametric line

x(t)=sin(t)y(t)=cos(t)z(t)=cos(2t).

syms x(t) y(t) z(t)
x(t) = sin(t);
y(t) = cos(t);
z(t) = cos(2*t);
fplot3(x,y,z)

Figure contains an axes object. The axes object contains an object of type parameterizedfunctionline.

Plot multiple lines either by passing the inputs as a vector or by using hold on to successively plot on the same figure. If you specify LineSpec and Name-Value arguments, they apply to all lines. To set options for individual lines, use the function handles returned by fplot3.

Divide a figure into two subplots using subplot. On the first subplot, plot two parameterized lines using vector input. On the second subplot, plot the same lines using hold on.

syms t
subplot(2,1,1)
fplot3([t -t], t, [t -t])
title('Multiple Lines Using Vector Inputs')

subplot(2,1,2)
fplot3(t, t, t)
hold on
fplot3(-t, t, -t)
title('Multiple Lines Using Hold On Command')

hold off

Figure contains 2 axes objects. Axes object 1 with title Multiple Lines Using Vector Inputs contains 2 objects of type parameterizedfunctionline. Axes object 2 with title Multiple Lines Using Hold On Command contains 2 objects of type parameterizedfunctionline.

Plot the parametric line

x=e-|t|/10sin(5|t|)y=e-|t|/10cos(5|t|)z=t.

Provide an output to make fplot return the plot object.

syms t
xt = exp(-abs(t)/10).*sin(5*abs(t));
yt = exp(-abs(t)/10).*cos(5*abs(t));
zt = t;
fp = fplot3(xt,yt,zt)

Figure contains an axes object. The axes object contains an object of type parameterizedfunctionline.

fp = 
  ParameterizedFunctionLine with properties:

    XFunction: exp(-abs(t)/10)*sin(5*abs(t))
    YFunction: exp(-abs(t)/10)*cos(5*abs(t))
    ZFunction: t
        Color: [0 0.4470 0.7410]
    LineStyle: '-'
    LineWidth: 0.5000

  Use GET to show all properties

Change the range of parameter values to [-10 10] and the line color to red by using the TRange and Color properties of fp respectively.

fp.TRange = [-10 10];
fp.Color = 'r';

Figure contains an axes object. The axes object contains an object of type parameterizedfunctionline.

For t values in the range -2π to 2π, plot the parametric line

x=ty=t/2z=sin(6t).

Add a title and axis labels. Create the x-axis ticks by spanning the x-axis limits at intervals of pi/2. Display these ticks by using the XTick property. Create x-axis labels by using arrayfun to apply texlabel to S. Display these labels by using the XTickLabel property. Repeat these steps for the y-axis.

To use LaTeX in plots, see latex.

syms t
xt = t;
yt = t/2;
zt = sin(6*t);
fplot3(xt,yt,zt,[-2*pi 2*pi],'MeshDensity',30)
view(52.5,30)
xlabel('x')
ylabel('y')
title('x=t, y=t/2, z=sin(6t) for -2\pi < t < 2\pi')
ax = gca;

S = sym(ax.XLim(1):pi/2:ax.XLim(2));
ax.XTick = double(S);
ax.XTickLabel = arrayfun(@texlabel, S, 'UniformOutput', false);

S = sym(ax.YLim(1):pi/2:ax.YLim(2));
ax.YTick = double(S);
ax.YTickLabel = arrayfun(@texlabel, S, 'UniformOutput', false);

Figure contains an axes object. The axes object with title x=t, blank y=t/2, blank z=sin(6t) blank for blank -2 pi blank < blank t blank < blank 2 pi, xlabel x, ylabel y contains an object of type parameterizedfunctionline.

Create an animation by changing the displayed expression using the XFunction, YFunction, and ZFunction properties, and then use drawnow to update the plot. To export to GIF, see imwrite.

By varying the variable $k$ from $0$ to $4 \pi$, animate the parametric curve

$$x = t + \sin(40 t)$$

$$y = -t + \cos(40 t)$$

$$z = \sin(t + k)$$

syms t
fp = fplot3(t+sin(40*t),-t+cos(40*t), sin(t));
for i=0:pi/10:4*pi
    fp.ZFunction = sin(t+i);
    drawnow
end

Input Arguments

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Parametric input for x-axis, specified as a symbolic expression or function. fplot3 uses symvar to find the parameter.

Parametric input for y-axis, specified as a symbolic expression or function. fplot3 uses symvar to find the parameter.

Parametric input for z-axis, specified as a symbolic expression or function. fplot3 uses symvar to find the parameter.

Range of values of parameter, specified as a vector of two numbers. The default range is [-5 5].

Axes object. If you do not specify an axes object, then fplot3 uses the current axes.

Line style, marker, and color, specified as a string scalar or character vector containing symbols. The symbols can appear in any order. You do not need to specify all three characteristics (line style, marker, and color). For example, if you omit the line style and specify the marker, then the plot shows only the marker and no line.

Example: "--or" is a red dashed line with circle markers.

Line StyleDescriptionResulting Line
"-"Solid line

Sample of solid line

"--"Dashed line

Sample of dashed line

":"Dotted line

Sample of dotted line

"-."Dash-dotted line

Sample of dash-dotted line, with alternating dashes and dots

MarkerDescriptionResulting Marker
"o"Circle

Sample of circle marker

"+"Plus sign

Sample of plus sign marker

"*"Asterisk

Sample of asterisk marker

"."Point

Sample of point marker

"x"Cross

Sample of cross marker

"_"Horizontal line

Sample of horizontal line marker

"|"Vertical line

Sample of vertical line marker

"square"Square

Sample of square marker

"diamond"Diamond

Sample of diamond marker

"^"Upward-pointing triangle

Sample of upward-pointing triangle marker

"v"Downward-pointing triangle

Sample of downward-pointing triangle marker

">"Right-pointing triangle

Sample of right-pointing triangle marker

"<"Left-pointing triangle

Sample of left-pointing triangle marker

"pentagram"Pentagram

Sample of pentagram marker

"hexagram"Hexagram

Sample of hexagram marker

Color NameShort NameRGB TripletAppearance
"red""r"[1 0 0]

Sample of the color red

"green""g"[0 1 0]

Sample of the color green

"blue""b"[0 0 1]

Sample of the color blue

"cyan" "c"[0 1 1]

Sample of the color cyan

"magenta""m"[1 0 1]

Sample of the color magenta

"yellow""y"[1 1 0]

Sample of the color yellow

"black""k"[0 0 0]

Sample of the color black

"white""w"[1 1 1]

Sample of the color white

Name-Value Arguments

Specify optional pairs of arguments as Name1=Value1,...,NameN=ValueN, where Name is the argument name and Value is the corresponding value. Name-value arguments must appear after other arguments, but the order of the pairs does not matter.

Before R2021a, use commas to separate each name and value, and enclose Name in quotes.

Example: 'Marker','o','MarkerFaceColor','red'

The properties listed here are only a subset. For a complete list, see ParameterizedFunctionLine Properties.

Number of evaluation points, specified as a number. The default is 23. Because fplot3 uses adaptive evaluation, the actual number of evaluation points is greater.

Line color, specified as an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

  • An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

  • A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color NameShort NameRGB TripletHexadecimal Color CodeAppearance
"red""r"[1 0 0]"#FF0000"

Sample of the color red

"green""g"[0 1 0]"#00FF00"

Sample of the color green

"blue""b"[0 0 1]"#0000FF"

Sample of the color blue

"cyan" "c"[0 1 1]"#00FFFF"

Sample of the color cyan

"magenta""m"[1 0 1]"#FF00FF"

Sample of the color magenta

"yellow""y"[1 1 0]"#FFFF00"

Sample of the color yellow

"black""k"[0 0 0]"#000000"

Sample of the color black

"white""w"[1 1 1]"#FFFFFF"

Sample of the color white

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB® uses in many types of plots.

RGB TripletHexadecimal Color CodeAppearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410]"#0072BD"

Sample of RGB triplet [0 0.4470 0.7410], which appears as dark blue

[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]"#D95319"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.8500 0.3250 0.0980], which appears as dark orange

[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]"#EDB120"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.9290 0.6940 0.1250], which appears as dark yellow

[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]"#7E2F8E"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.4940 0.1840 0.5560], which appears as dark purple

[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]"#77AC30"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.4660 0.6740 0.1880], which appears as medium green

[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]"#4DBEEE"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.3010 0.7450 0.9330], which appears as light blue

[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]"#A2142F"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.6350 0.0780 0.1840], which appears as dark red

Example: 'blue'

Example: [0 0 1]

Example: '#0000FF'

Line style, specified as one of the options listed in this table.

Line StyleDescriptionResulting Line
"-"Solid line

Sample of solid line

"--"Dashed line

Sample of dashed line

":"Dotted line

Sample of dotted line

"-."Dash-dotted line

Sample of dash-dotted line, with alternating dashes and dots

"none"No lineNo line

Line width, specified as a positive value in points, where 1 point = 1/72 of an inch. If the line has markers, then the line width also affects the marker edges.

The line width cannot be thinner than the width of a pixel. If you set the line width to a value that is less than the width of a pixel on your system, the line displays as one pixel wide.

Marker symbol, specified as one of the values listed in this table. By default, the object does not display markers. Specifying a marker symbol adds markers at each data point or vertex.

MarkerDescriptionResulting Marker
"o"Circle

Sample of circle marker

"+"Plus sign

Sample of plus sign marker

"*"Asterisk

Sample of asterisk marker

"."Point

Sample of point marker

"x"Cross

Sample of cross marker

"_"Horizontal line

Sample of horizontal line marker

"|"Vertical line

Sample of vertical line marker

"square"Square

Sample of square marker

"diamond"Diamond

Sample of diamond marker

"^"Upward-pointing triangle

Sample of upward-pointing triangle marker

"v"Downward-pointing triangle

Sample of downward-pointing triangle marker

">"Right-pointing triangle

Sample of right-pointing triangle marker

"<"Left-pointing triangle

Sample of left-pointing triangle marker

"pentagram"Pentagram

Sample of pentagram marker

"hexagram"Hexagram

Sample of hexagram marker

"none"No markersNot applicable

Marker outline color, specified as "auto", an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name. The default value of "auto" uses the same color as the Color property.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

  • An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

  • A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color NameShort NameRGB TripletHexadecimal Color CodeAppearance
"red""r"[1 0 0]"#FF0000"

Sample of the color red

"green""g"[0 1 0]"#00FF00"

Sample of the color green

"blue""b"[0 0 1]"#0000FF"

Sample of the color blue

"cyan" "c"[0 1 1]"#00FFFF"

Sample of the color cyan

"magenta""m"[1 0 1]"#FF00FF"

Sample of the color magenta

"yellow""y"[1 1 0]"#FFFF00"

Sample of the color yellow

"black""k"[0 0 0]"#000000"

Sample of the color black

"white""w"[1 1 1]"#FFFFFF"

Sample of the color white

"none"Not applicableNot applicableNot applicableNo color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB TripletHexadecimal Color CodeAppearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410]"#0072BD"

Sample of RGB triplet [0 0.4470 0.7410], which appears as dark blue

[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]"#D95319"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.8500 0.3250 0.0980], which appears as dark orange

[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]"#EDB120"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.9290 0.6940 0.1250], which appears as dark yellow

[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]"#7E2F8E"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.4940 0.1840 0.5560], which appears as dark purple

[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]"#77AC30"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.4660 0.6740 0.1880], which appears as medium green

[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]"#4DBEEE"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.3010 0.7450 0.9330], which appears as light blue

[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]"#A2142F"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.6350 0.0780 0.1840], which appears as dark red

Marker fill color, specified as 'auto', an RGB triplet, a hexadecimal color code, a color name, or a short name. The 'auto' value uses the same color as the MarkerEdgeColor property.

For a custom color, specify an RGB triplet or a hexadecimal color code.

  • An RGB triplet is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range [0,1], for example, [0.4 0.6 0.7].

  • A hexadecimal color code is a string scalar or character vector that starts with a hash symbol (#) followed by three or six hexadecimal digits, which can range from 0 to F. The values are not case sensitive. Therefore, the color codes "#FF8800", "#ff8800", "#F80", and "#f80" are equivalent.

Alternatively, you can specify some common colors by name. This table lists the named color options, the equivalent RGB triplets, and hexadecimal color codes.

Color NameShort NameRGB TripletHexadecimal Color CodeAppearance
"red""r"[1 0 0]"#FF0000"

Sample of the color red

"green""g"[0 1 0]"#00FF00"

Sample of the color green

"blue""b"[0 0 1]"#0000FF"

Sample of the color blue

"cyan" "c"[0 1 1]"#00FFFF"

Sample of the color cyan

"magenta""m"[1 0 1]"#FF00FF"

Sample of the color magenta

"yellow""y"[1 1 0]"#FFFF00"

Sample of the color yellow

"black""k"[0 0 0]"#000000"

Sample of the color black

"white""w"[1 1 1]"#FFFFFF"

Sample of the color white

"none"Not applicableNot applicableNot applicableNo color

Here are the RGB triplets and hexadecimal color codes for the default colors MATLAB uses in many types of plots.

RGB TripletHexadecimal Color CodeAppearance
[0 0.4470 0.7410]"#0072BD"

Sample of RGB triplet [0 0.4470 0.7410], which appears as dark blue

[0.8500 0.3250 0.0980]"#D95319"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.8500 0.3250 0.0980], which appears as dark orange

[0.9290 0.6940 0.1250]"#EDB120"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.9290 0.6940 0.1250], which appears as dark yellow

[0.4940 0.1840 0.5560]"#7E2F8E"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.4940 0.1840 0.5560], which appears as dark purple

[0.4660 0.6740 0.1880]"#77AC30"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.4660 0.6740 0.1880], which appears as medium green

[0.3010 0.7450 0.9330]"#4DBEEE"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.3010 0.7450 0.9330], which appears as light blue

[0.6350 0.0780 0.1840]"#A2142F"

Sample of RGB triplet [0.6350 0.0780 0.1840], which appears as dark red

Example: [0.3 0.2 0.1]

Example: 'green'

Example: '#D2F9A7'

Marker size, specified as a positive value in points, where 1 point = 1/72 of an inch.

Output Arguments

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One or more parameterized line objects, returned as a scalar or a vector. You can use these objects to query and modify properties of a specific parameterized line. For details, see ParameterizedFunctionLine Properties.

Version History

Introduced in R2016a