3D Charts

Matplotlib Basics

1 min read

Published Oct 5 2025

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Matplotlib supports 3D plotting via the module mpl_toolkits.mplot3d.

You create a 3D Axes object by setting:

ax = plt.axes(projection='3d')

Then you can call 3D-specific methods like plot3D(), scatter3D(), plot_surface(), etc.

Line plot – `ax.plot3D()`

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

import numpy as np

z = np.linspace(0, 5, 500)

x = z * np.sin(20 * z)

y = z * np.cos(20 * z)

fig = plt.figure()

ax = plt.axes(projection='3d')

ax.plot3D(x, y, z, 'gray')

plt.show()

Plots a 3D line connecting (x, y, z) points.

Scatter plot – `ax.scatter3D()`

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

import numpy as np

x = np.random.rand(100)

y = np.random.rand(100)

z = np.random.rand(100)

colors = z

fig = plt.figure()

ax = plt.axes(projection='3d')

ax.scatter3D(x, y, z, c=colors, cmap='viridis')

plt.show()

Each point in 3D space can have its own color, size, and marker.

Surface plot – `ax.plot_surface()`

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

import numpy as np

x = np.linspace(-5, 5, 50)

y = np.linspace(-5, 5, 50)

X, Y = np.meshgrid(x, y)

Z = np.sin(np.sqrt(X**2 + Y**2))

fig = plt.figure()

ax = plt.axes(projection='3d')

ax.plot_surface(X, Y, Z, cmap='plasma', edgecolor='none')

plt.show()

Visualises a continuous 3D surface over a grid.

Wireframe plot – `ax.plot_wireframe()`

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

import numpy as np

x = np.linspace(-5, 5, 30)

y = np.linspace(-5, 5, 30)

X, Y = np.meshgrid(x, y)

Z = np.sin(np.sqrt(X**2 + Y**2))

fig = plt.figure()

ax = plt.axes(projection='3d')

ax.plot_wireframe(X, Y, Z, color='black')

plt.show()

Same as surface plot but shows grid lines — great for structure visualisation.

Contour plot (3D projection) – `ax.contour3D()`

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

import numpy as np

x = np.linspace(-5, 5, 50)

y = np.linspace(-5, 5, 50)

X, Y = np.meshgrid(x, y)

Z = np.sin(np.sqrt(X**2 + Y**2))

fig = plt.figure()

ax = plt.axes(projection='3d')

ax.contour3D(X, Y, Z, 50, cmap='viridis')

plt.show()

Draws 3D contour lines (like elevation contours in a topographic map).

Useful Customisations

ax.set_title('3D Plot Example')

ax.set_xlabel('X axis')

ax.set_ylabel('Y axis')

ax.set_zlabel('Z axis')

# Change viewing angle

ax.view_init(elev=30, azim=45)

3D Charts

Matplotlib Basics

1 min read