View angle control in MATLAB

Introduction

View angle control lets you change the direction you look at a 3D plot. It helps you see data from different sides to understand it better.

You want to see a 3D scatter plot from the top to check point distribution.

You need to rotate a 3D surface plot to find hidden patterns.

You want to compare two 3D plots from the same angle for consistency.

You want to create a presentation with a specific view of your 3D data.

Syntax

MATLAB

view(az, el)

% az = azimuth angle in degrees (horizontal rotation)
% el = elevation angle in degrees (vertical rotation)

The view function sets the camera angle for 3D plots.

Azimuth rotates around the z-axis, elevation tilts up or down.

Examples

View from directly above (top-down view).

MATLAB

view(0, 90);

View rotated 45 degrees horizontally and 30 degrees up.

MATLAB

view(45, 30);

View from the back side of the plot.

MATLAB

view(180, 0);

Sample Program

This code creates a 3D surface plot using the peaks function. Then it sets the view angle to 45 degrees azimuth and 30 degrees elevation to show the plot from a tilted side view.

MATLAB

x = peaks(30);
figure;
surf(x);
view(45, 30);
title('3D Surface Plot with View Angle 45, 30');

Important Notes

You can change the view anytime after plotting to explore your data.

Use view(3) to reset to the default 3D view.

Use view(2) for a 2D top-down view.

Summary

View angle control changes how you look at 3D plots.

Use view(az, el) with azimuth and elevation angles in degrees.

It helps you understand 3D data better by seeing it from different sides.