3D Graph View

This option is available to all of AutoSignal's 3D graphs. The 3D View dialog contains a separate plot which will reflect all changes made in the view. The type of plot and display may change in accord with the option being modified. After a couple of seconds of inactivity, the plot will be updated to reflect all options currently selected. This 3D View dialog is used to set the XY and Z view angles, the size of the graph in the frame, the X and Y mesh counts, to render the mesh lines invisible, to set the XY and Z illumination angular shifts for shaded plots, to set the perspective, to select the backplane type, to add contour plots, to specify which labels and grids are included in the plot, and to set the line type for grids.

View Angles

To the right of the graph is a scrollbar that controls the Z View Angle and below the graph is a scrollbar that controls the XY View Angle. The Z view angle can be varied from 90 to -90 degrees while the XY view angle can be varied from 0 to 360 degrees. The default Z angle is 20 degrees and the default XY angle is 210 degrees. This third quadrant position has both X and Y increasing into the view. The easiest way to picture view angles is to imagine the surface and data being fixed in space and that you, as the viewer, freely move about a large boom that extends a significant distance from the surface. The view angles are then formed by this imaginary boom and its relation to the XY plane.

Size in Frame

To the top of the graph is a scrollbar that controls the Size in Frame of the graph. The minimum size of the graph in the frame is 0.75 and the maximum is 1.25. To preserve a length reference for fitted points and residuals, graphs are not rescaled in the frame to account for the additional space often required for large Z view angles. When such high Z view angles are used, the graph size can be reduced using this option.

XY Mesh

This portion of the dialog is used to specify the X Mesh Count and the Y Mesh Count. A mesh of 35x35 results in 1225 vertices where Z must be computed and 1156 major polygons which must be filled. Note that both the vertex count and the number of major polygons can be halved by dropping to a 25x25 mesh. The maximum mesh supported of 300x300 produces 90,000 vertices and 89,401 major polygons. A high mesh offers the best possible resolution in laser printer output. For such printing, it is recommended that the mesh count be adjusted just prior to printing, and reduced afterward. Very high mesh counts may also assist in revealing regions of a surface that are unstable or undefined. Right clicking the spin button or edit field will offer a menu of available mesh sizes.

The Square option allows both the X and Y mesh counts to be simultaneously set.

The Hide Mesh option is used in gradient and shaded plots. When this option is selected, the mesh lines are drawn with the color of the polygon being filled.

Illumination Angular Shifts

The XY Illumination Angular Shift and Z Illumination Angular Shift options apply only to shaded plots. The light source illuminating the surface is specified relative to the viewer. Again, if you imagine the surface and data being fixed in space and that you, as the viewer, freely move about a large boom that extends a significant distance from the surface, the illumination angular shifts reflect the degree to which this source is shifted from this boom. The default shifts of 30 degrees XY and 15 degrees Z are similar to what you might find holding a flashlight to your right side, above your head, and pointed at the surface. Note that surfaces are considered transparent in shaded plots. This means that light can reach a surface element from behind as well as through other elements. Right clicking the spin button or edit field will offer a menu of available angular shifts.

Perspective

Five different levels of Perspective are available from 1 to 5. A value of 0 removes all perspective.

Backplanes

There are four Backplanes options. The None option does not draw any kind of XY, YZ, or XZ plane in the graph. The Outline option will draw the three backplanes, but will not fill them with color. The Full/Open and Full/Closed options draw the three backplanes and fill them with the colors specified for these planes. To change these colors, use the 3D Graph Colors option in the main graph and choose the 3D Graph Customize Colors button. The foreground of the box is not drawn in the Full/Open option.

Contour Plots

There are two Add Contour options. The Top option draws a contour plot in the XY plane at Zmax and the Bottom option will draw a contour plot in the XY plane at Zmin. You may have both drawn if you wish. The type of contour plot drawn will depend on the type of graph currently selected. Gradient and shaded plots will have a gradient contour, the colors and their count matching those in the main graph. The standard mesh plot will have the standard line contour with a filled background while the contour for the wire plot will consist only of the contour lines.

Labels

You have full control of the Labels that are drawn in the graph. The All selection turns on and off all of the individual labels. You may individually control the display of the titles 1, 2, 3, 4-5, and the display of the axis labels X, Y, Z1, Z2. You may choose to have horizontal X and Y labels or these can be rotated with the Rotate X and Rotate Y options.

Grids

You also have full control of the Grids that are drawn in the graph. The All selection turns on and off all of the individual grids. You may individually control the grids in the XZ plane X, Z, in the YZ plane Y, Z, and in the XY plane X, Y. The density of the grid is controlled with the Level option. A level of 0 draws a simple line. A level of 1 alternates drawing a dot at every other position along the line. A level of 2 draws one dot for every 2 empty spaces. The highest level of space is 10. When the grid level is set to a level other than 0, the drawing of the grids may not be instantaneous since there is no internal Windows support (and thus no video accelerator or graphics coprocessor support) for this type of line. Since such grids are advantageous primarily in black & white printed output, you may wish to set such grids prior to printing and restore a grid of 0 once the printing is complete.

Saving and Reading View Configurations

You can Save the current view configuration to disk. While the program automatically saves the current view configuration for each of the program's graphs across sessions, you will need to save a view if you wish to have more than one view readily available for a specific type of graph. Files are saved in binary with V3D extensions. To read a previously saved 3D view configuration, use the Read option.

Restoring Defaults

The Reset button restores the program's 3D View defaults for the current graph.

Intellimouse Rotation

If you have a Microsoft Intellimouse (a mouse with a third wheel-type button), you can change view angles using this wheel button. Clicking the wheel button will toggle the angle being changed between the X,Y angle and the Z angle. Simple rotation of the wheel produces coarse angular shifts (each quadrant for X,Y angle and between 0, 20, and 90 degrees for the z angle). Intermediate shifts will occur if the Shift button is depressed while rotating the wheel. Fine shifts will occur if the Control button is depressed.