How to convert a 2D image (which are pixel values plotted using 'imagesc') into a 3D surface plot?

How to convert a 2D image which are pixel values (plotted by 'imagesc' in 'colormap(gray)') representing the unit cell of a material into a 3D surface plot by placing multiple 2D images on top of one another?

I have tried a number of solutions provided in the MATLAB answers, however, nothing seems to work. For example, I have tried 'imread' and then 'surf', but it is displaying error in the 'surf'. Not sure whether I am doing right or not.

Can anyone provide some solution to the above problem?

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

IMG1 = imread('cameraman.tif');
IMG2 = imread('flamingos.jpg');
%size(IMG1), size(IMG2)
[X1, Y1] = meshgrid(1:size(IMG1,2), 1:size(IMG1,1));
[X2, Y2] = meshgrid(1:size(IMG2,2), 1:size(IMG2,1));
Z1 = 6*ones(size(X1));
Z2 = 5*ones(size(X2));
%size(X1), size(Y1), size(Z1)
%size(X2), size(Y2), size(Z2)
surf(X1, Y1, Z1, 'CData', IMG1, 'edgecolor', 'none');
hold on
surf(X2, Y2, Z2, 'CData', IMG2, 'edgecolor', 'none');
hold off
view(3)

The above is what you asked for. However, a lot of the time it is not what you would want. If you want a surface plot, you would typically want the image to follow the contours of a surface. The easiest way to do that is to use warp() https://www.mathworks.com/help/images/ref/warp.html

[Tanmoy Chatterjee]

Thanks. Seems like I haven't posed my question in the right way. I have attached a 2D figure. What I want is stacking up the same 2D figure on top of one another so as to create a z-dimension (thickness) and plotting it?

[Walter Roberson]

https://www.mathworks.com/help/images/explore-3-d-volumetric-data-with-volume-viewer-app.html

See also slice() and isosurface()

[Tanmoy Chatterjee]

Tried your code by varying the z direction, obtained the attached plot. I want a similar solid (continuous) surface plot instead of the attached discontinuous plot.

[Tanmoy Chatterjee]

Thanks. I did it using Autodesk Fusion 360.