Surface Visualizations

Using the Visualize Perspective, you can easily see the graphical output of your surface data. You can use surface data in conjunction with a contour to get a more in-depth visualization of the data.

Surface and Contour Example

The example shows you how to create a surface visualization and then overplot the same data as a contour.

Note
This example assumes the default action definitions. Your results may be different if you have added new actions or changed the order of actions. To return all Tool Palette actions to their system default state, see Resetting the Default Actions.

Make sure you are viewing the IDL Visualize Perspective. (Click the Visualize button (

) in the upper right of the Workbench.)

Enter the following variable at the command line (or click on the code below to run it in IDL):

hanning = hanning(500,500)

The HANNING variable appears in the Variables View.

From the Variables View, drag the HANNING variable to the Surface tool.

The data displays in the iSurface tool.

Leave the iSurface window open and return to the IDL Workbench. Notice that in the Visualizations view, a surface visualization named Surface Hanning appears.

Click on the action toggle (

) to expand the Tool Palette to display the actions. (You can also drag the right border of the Tool Palette to the right to display the actions.)

Click on the Contour tool to display the Contour actions.

From the Variables view, drag the HANNING variable onto the variable field in the Contour action titled Contour:2D array.

Now click on the down arrow next to the ICONTOUR button in that action, and select ICONTOUR, /OVERPLOT (shown above).

In the Visualizations view, click on the Surface visualization to view it. Notice that it looks the same as it did before.

To view the contour overlay, click on the Rotate tool

in the iSurface toolbar.

Use the Rotate tool to rotate the Surface diagram so that you can see underneath it, and the contour lines appear:

Manipulating Surface Plots

Once you have visualized a surface plot, you can perform many different kinds of operations on it, including:

Overplotting another visualization (see Surface and Contour Example and Plot With Overplot Example, and Alternative Methods for Overplotting (Windows Only))

Modifying properties such as adding legends, colorbars, error bars, curve fitting, and filtering (see Surface Properties)

Manipulating the visualization by adding annotations, legends, colorbars, lights, filtering, or translating (moving) the surface (see Working with Surfaces.)

Using the iTools Procedural Interface to add a variety of annotations.