Plotting¶
Open the Plotting dialog with File → Plotting Dialog, or it opens automatically after a successful analysis.
The plotting dialog provides interactive data visualisation for all analysis outputs: aspect ratios, growth rates, site analysis, and any imported CSV data.
Plot Types¶
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Scatter | X/Y scatter with optional colour variable |
| Line | Connected line plot |
| Histogram | Distribution of a single variable |
| Heatmap | 2D density or value map |
| Time series | Line plot with time on the X-axis |
| 3D Scatter | 3D scatter plot with an optional fourth variable mapped to colour |
3D Scatter / 4D Mode¶
When the data has three or more numeric columns, the 3D Scatter plot type becomes available.
- X / Y / Z axes — select three data columns for the spatial dimensions
- Colour by — an optional fourth variable mapped to the colourmap, creating a "4D" view
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
| Elevation slider | Rotate the view vertically |
| Azimuth slider | Rotate the view horizontally |
| Invert X / Y / Z | Flip individual axes |
If no colour variable is selected, points are coloured by the Z-axis values.
Data Selection¶
Use the dropdown menus to select: - X axis — column for the horizontal axis - Y axis — column for the vertical axis - Colour by — column mapped to the colourmap (for scatter plots)
The available columns depend on which analysis was performed.
Colourmap¶
When using Colour by, a colourmap maps the chosen column's values to colours. The same colourmaps available in the 3D viewport are available here (Viridis, Plasma, Inferno, etc.).
Multiple Permutations¶
For Aspect Ratio and CDA analyses, the plotting dialog can generate plots for all combinations of selected variables. This produces a series of plots that can be browsed or exported together.
Hierarchical Clustering¶
In Site Analysis mode, the plotting dialog supports hierarchical clustering to group sites by the similarity of their interaction patterns. Clusters are shown as colour-coded groups in scatter plots.
Trendlines¶
Add a trendline to any scatter or line plot: - Linear fit — straight line through the data - Polynomial fit — configurable degree polynomial
The trendline equation and R² value are shown in the plot legend.
Data Filtering¶
Click the Filter button to open the Data Filter dialog. Filters apply in real time and update the plot immediately.
The filter status bar shows how many records are shown vs. total.
Labels & Title¶
Click Labels to open the label customization dialog: - Custom plot title - Custom X axis label - Custom Y axis label - Custom colorbar label - Or click Use Defaults to restore automatic labels
Smoothing (Growth Rate Mode)¶
When plotting growth rate data, a Smoothing button opens the smoothing/interpolation dialog. See Growth Rate Analysis → Smoothing.
Interactive Features¶
- Zoom / Pan / Home — standard matplotlib navigation toolbar
- Click a point — highlights the corresponding site in the 3D viewport (when in Site Analysis mode)
- Hover tooltip — shows data values for the point under the cursor
Exporting Plots¶
Click Save on the navigation toolbar, or use the plot save dialog: - Format: PNG, PDF, EPS, SVG - Resolution: Configurable DPI (default 300 for publication quality) - Filename and location: Choose where to save
Plots are also automatically saved to aspects_output/CGPlots/ after each analysis.
Importing CSV Data¶
You can plot any CSV file directly without running an analysis:
- File → Import CSV for Plotting — browse for a file
- File → Import CSV from Clipboard (Ctrl+Shift+C) — paste CSV text
The columns are automatically detected and populated in the X/Y/Colour dropdowns.