Surface Plot from raw X-Y-Z data?

[matonking]

Hello,

I'm trying to create a surface plot using X, Y & Z data from an analysis. I'm aware that it's technically not enough data to produce a surface plot but I can't even create a scatter plot of the data!

In MATLAB you can easily get around this by using the following code:

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This essentially works by utilizing the function "meshgrid" to create an arbitrary xg,yg mesh of sample points. Then in "griddata" it relates the created meshgrid data to your sample points to define a surface by interpolating between them.

Is there a way of utilizing a similar method within excel to create such a plot?

[MrShorty]

Excel does not even have built in support for 3D scatter/surface plots at all. Excel is, therefore, not going to have a "fill in the gaps" routine for limited 3D scatter/surface data.

We have occasionally talked about different ways to "mock up" a 3D scatter/surface plot in Excel. I'm sure within those strategies, if you knew the math/geometry behind your desired "interpolation" algorithm, you could include such an algorithm in your mock up of a 3D scatter plot. Unless you make it, there is not going to be a built in utility for this sort of thing in Excel.

[matonking]

Excel does not even have built in support for 3D scatter/surface plots at all. Excel is, therefore, not going to have a "fill in the gaps" routine for limited 3D scatter/surface data.

We have occasionally talked about different ways to "mock up" a 3D scatter/surface plot in Excel. I'm sure within those strategies, if you knew the math/geometry behind your desired "interpolation" algorithm, you could include such an algorithm in your mock up of a 3D scatter plot. Unless you make it, there is not going to be a built in utility for this sort of thing in Excel.

Okay, thanks for the clarification. I do find it odd that excel doesn't have this functionality as I'm yet to find another program that doesn't. I'm relatively new to excel so I doubt I'll even know where to start with coding for it.

I was just hoping some excel wizards had created a VBA routine for it.

[MrShorty]

I don't know if I find it "odd" that microsoft has failed to add this functionality to Excel. I think it is more of a "we don't want to go to the effort of programming this feature into Excel until enough people request the feature and there are relatively few Excel users who even know what a 3D scatter chart is (I am surprised how often Excel users don't correctly distinguish between 2D line and scatter charts) let alone know how to correctly use a 3D scatter chart, so we are not going to bother, yet."

Andy Pope has a nice 3D scatter plot simulator. http://andypope.info/charts/3drotate.htm
I believe there are other applications out there (some free, some pay). You might put something like "3D scatter chart in Excel" into your favorite internet search engine.