Since we are talking about wishes for 3-D graphics, one of the problems
with 3-D is that one cannot see 'behind' the surface. Short of having
a dynamic rotator, one cheap way to achieve such a (static) view from
behind is to place mirrors in judicious places. The mathematics is
straightforward. Has anyone seen such software? Stata-9 ?
m.p.
Nick Cox wrote:
Hoetker, Glenn
First, let me say that the new graphics capabilities are stunning.
Slow, but stunning. Thank you to everyone who contributed to them!
I had hoped that the improvements might include decent tools for
graphing 3D surfaces. Nothing fancy, just being able to show how Y
varies over combinations of X1 and X2. There are a few
user-contributed
ado files, but nothing that easily produces
publication-quality graphics
(certainly not at the level that version 8 does for other types of
graphics.)
Is this something that the new graphics capabilities would
make easy to
develop (either by Stata or a user)? Or, am I going to
have to deepen
my acquaintance with GnuPlot (which is a great tool and
only moderately
user-hostile-I just prefer to limit the number of tools I
have to use
for a project).
Poor Stata Corp! No sooner have they
issued a new release packed with extraordinary
things that the wishlist for the next release(s)
starts anew.
So let me join in!
I endorse a call for 3-D graphics -- and I
echo the view, which I take to be tacit here,
that this means primarily graphics for data
triples, not bars or cones or whatever on
a sloping surface with arty effects. (Other
applications readily accessible to most Stata users allow
that kind of thing in any case.)
Speculating on how difficult this might be is
challenges Stata Corp to be open on how
difficult it really will be -- and to do the difficult
at one and the impossible next week.
My wild guess is this, and this is an inverted
pyramid of conjecture resting on a small base
of knowledge:
1. A nicer version of Bill Gould's -gr3-
(in my experience the most useful of the
non-official add-ons) will be relatively easy,
under a day's work for Stata Corp's graphics
programmers.
2. Perspective views of surfaces are nearer,
but a way off.
3. Contour plots are nearer, but a way further
off.
In both cases the algorithms exist, but someone's got
to code them. There's an extra issue whether
the coding really needs to be in C for speed.
I don't know, but that what place it beyond users.
1. certainly is ado-able. It's been ado-ne
before, of course.
Nick
[email protected]
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--
______________________________________________________________________
Marcello Pagano
Biostatistics Department Tel: 1-617-432-4911
Harvard School of Public Health Fax: 1-617-739-1781
655 Huntington Avenue email:[email protected]
Boston, MA 02115 http://biosun1.harvard.edu/~bio200
USA
eppur si muove
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