3D plotting in Excel

**Andy Pope** · 04-28-2009, 06:17 AM

Excel does not do true 3d scatter plots.
You can fake it to some extent.

http://www.andypope.info/charts/3drotate.htm

Note Fernando's site is in Italian
http://www.prodomosua.eu/ppage02.html

**mjronline** · 04-28-2009, 06:26 AM

Originally Posted by Andy Pope

Excel does not do true 3d scatter plots.
You can fake it to some extent.

http://www.andypope.info/charts/3drotate.htm

Note Fernando's site is in Italian
http://www.prodomosua.eu/ppage02.html

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying that it's impossible to create that sphere in excel?

**Andy Pope** · 04-28-2009, 06:29 AM

It's not impossible just not easy.

As excel does not deal with xyz you need to take the 3 values and recalculate for 2d. This will give the appearence of 3d.

**mjronline** · 04-28-2009, 06:35 AM

Is that the method that was used in the link I posted in the first post?

Couldn't I just paste that code or something into excel?

**Andy Pope** · 04-28-2009, 06:49 AM

It says RGL sample application

http://rgl.neoscientists.org/about.shtml

It is not Excel, although Excel may have been used to generate the random data set.

**mjronline** · 04-28-2009, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by Andy Pope

It says RGL sample application

http://rgl.neoscientists.org/about.shtml

It is not Excel, although Excel may have been used to generate the random data set.

Ah ok, I didn't understand what an RGL sample application was. Wow, ok that makes it seem a whole lot harder now. Would it just be easier to create something like that in Photoshop instead?

**Andy Pope** · 04-28-2009, 08:20 AM

Why not use the application they used?
If you following the links I think you will find it's a free/open source application.

Photoshop would require you to create each coloured dot, clone/copy, and then position. Not sure it's the right tool.