I wish to plot 32 or more long narrow cylindric shapes in a 3D plot in a way that they can be independently described with equations. This would allow me to construct some interesting 3D projections of a hypercube and other interesting shapes.
I was able to do this by directly specifying 32 comma separated functions in the 3D plot placeholder, but to say the least, this is much too awkward.
(This plot is a dummy with empty function place holders just to show the problem. BTW docs say 16 functions allowed, but 32 functions will work)
Is there a clean way to do this with any of mathcad graphic capabilities?
If so, what is the simplest way? By the way, I think the 3D plot might have the capability if I only new how to input it. Here are the areas I thought might be possible, any feedback would be welcomed:
1) Is there any way to assign a comma delimited list of functions or vectors to variable so that the single variable placed in the 3D plot placeholder would have the same effect as directly specifying the comma delimited list in the 3D plot placeholder?
or
2) The Polyhedron function mysteriously causes 3D plot to display a complicated figure of many bounded planes , so clearly there is the capability to display many bounded shapes without specifying comma separated functions in the 3D plot placeholder. Does this imply some way I can pass an arbitrary set of shapes in the same way...if I only knew how?
or
3) Do any of the vector, surface, or function formats easily enable the combination of a number of independent, separated shapes in a single specification that can then be used in 3D plot?
or
4) Is there any other way with 3D plot or any other graphic way that is easily available to me?
I found the answer to my own question. There is a way to display multiple objects using 3D plot, but it isn't a perfect solution. It is still verbose and awkward, but at least it is programatic so can fix up some kind of function and loop through a data set of multiple object specs.
The way I was able to do it was by concatenating meshes. It had exactly the result that I thought it would. In order to make it work cleanly you have to turn off lines in the 3D plot or the 3D plot will draw a line between mesh-sequential object descriptions. Here is the relevant code and a plot with and without the lines so you can see the effects
Ah!
Thanks, jmG. I wish someone had answered this back in May when I first posed the exact question you finally answered. Note that I had NO responses to my question until I posted today.
May 27, 2010 1:27 PM - John Sellers
1) Is there any way to assign a comma delimited list of functions or vectors to variable so that the single variable placed in the 3D plot placeholder would have the same effect as directly specifying the comma delimited list in the 3D plot placeholder?
So now I can do this just the way I want. Your example won't quite do what I need since I have to use a multiple transforms, animation, recording, as well as a permutative set of domain mapping controls, but it gives me several of the missing parts.
Is there complete documentation for the behavior of 3D plots as well as comprehensive format specifications for the input matrix anywhere? Also where is the document you referred that you drew from for your example?
This test bed works better for me now, and I can go ahead and work on the real thing.
