Ability to Choose color of each series in 3D plots

[Ashi]

I am using the 3D plot feature of DPlot to graph the change of a spectrum with time. Very similar to the following image:

http://sicyon.com/spectrino/screenshots/plot1.gif

However, what I am -actually- doing is comparing 2 sets of spectra across time. So I would like to make one set red, and one set blue (for example).

Unfortunately, I cannot find a way to edit the colors of individual data series directly!

Fortunately, found that just using the rainbow option with grayscale will probably be good enough for my meeting with my Boss's Boss on Monday...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/490 ... e24c_b.jpg

But, I would really like it if we can change the colors of the individual series by hand! And I hope that we'll get that capability before I have to submit this for publication, otherwise I will have to figure out how to do this in origin : P

[DPlotAdmin]

Looking at your second example... umm... how did you do that? Is that the product of copy/pasting into a paint program? Otherwise I'm at a loss.

[Ashi]

I will tell you how I did it, but only if you agree to add the feature

I am just kidding, the way I did it was like this, I made an excel file with the following format:

Z1 X1 Y1 Z2 X2 Y2
1 ..... ..... 2 ..... .....
1 ..... ..... 2 ..... .....
1 ..... ..... 2 ..... .....
1 ..... ..... 2 ..... .....


So x was "time" and z was "intensity"
Then I made it into an xyz scatter plot in dplot. From there I made the plot style the smallest symbols, with connecting lines. In order to get 2 spectra on the same Z, after the first series was done, I started with Z=1 again. So I had 14 series in that image, two sets of 7. If it is stlll not clear, just reply and I will email you the excel and dplot files.

Btw, a swap Z and X (or Y) would be useful too, it was strange having to put Z first.

[DPlotAdmin]

Ah! Fooled me

OK, on the Scatter Plot Options dialog under "Color Based on" select "Data set". Under Colors select Custom, then click the adjacent >> button. Set the number of colors to 2. The "low" color will be used for the first data set; the "high" color will be used for the second data set.

[Ashi]

Oh you are right! I did not think of just making them into two series instead of 14. However, in the future you should still give us the ability to assign the colors manually for multiple series!

[In the mean time, this will still look good for my meeting once I change it]

[DPlotAdmin]

Oh you are right! I did not think of just making them into two series instead of 14.

OK, I didn't understand that part, and that explains how you avoided a connecting line between each column. But 2 or 14, it doesn't matter. If you have 14 data sets, set the number of colors to 14.

[Ashi]

OH! I finally see what you mean!

Separate issue: When the color scheme is based on z values, the connecting lines are always black (unless there is an option I don't see).

Among other things, this means that printing in grayscale can look terrible unless you remove the lines (and of course, sometimes you want to keep the lines). I can see how this could be a problem since you might have to change a line color mid-line -- but even making the line the color of the previous point would be useful in some cases.

[DPlotAdmin]

That's a good point; I just never envisioned scatter plots being used this way. I'll add an option to set the line color to the color of the "from" symbol.