MATLAB Function Reference

meshgrid - Generate X and Y arrays for 3-D plots

Syntax

[X,Y] = meshgrid(x,y)
[X,Y] = meshgrid(x)
[X,Y,Z] = meshgrid(x,y,z)

Description

[X,Y] = meshgrid(x,y) transforms the domain specified by vectors x and y into arrays X and Y, which can be used to evaluate functions of two variables and three-dimensional mesh/surface plots. The rows of the output array X are copies of the vector x; columns of the output array Y are copies of the vector y.

[X,Y] = meshgrid(x) is the same as [X,Y] = meshgrid(x,x).

[X,Y,Z] = meshgrid(x,y,z) produces three-dimensional arrays used to evaluate functions of three variables and three-dimensional volumetric plots.

Remarks

The meshgrid function is similar to ndgrid except that the order of the first two input and output arguments is switched. That is, the statement

[X,Y,Z] = meshgrid(x,y,z)

produces the same result as

[Y,X,Z] = ndgrid(y,x,z)

Because of this, meshgrid is better suited to problems in two- or three-dimensional Cartesian space, while ndgrid is better suited to multidimensional problems that aren't spatially based.

meshgrid is limited to two- or three-dimensional Cartesian space.

Examples

[X,Y] = meshgrid(1:3,10:14)

X =

     1     2     3
     1     2     3
     1     2     3
     1     2     3
     1     2     3

Y =

    10    10    10
    11    11    11
    12    12    12
    13    13    13
    14    14    14

The following example shows how to use meshgrid to create a surface plot of a function.

[X,Y] = meshgrid(-2:.2:2, -2:.2:2);                                
Z = X .* exp(-X.^2 - Y.^2);                                        
surf(X,Y,Z)

See Also

griddata, mesh, ndgrid, slice, surf

mesh, meshc, meshz

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