{ "cells": [ { "cell_type": "markdown", "metadata": {}, "source": [ "\n# Plot multiple lines using a LineCollection\n\nMatplotlib can efficiently draw multiple lines at once using a `~.LineCollection`.\n" ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": null, "metadata": { "collapsed": false }, "outputs": [], "source": [ "import matplotlib.pyplot as plt\nimport numpy as np\n\nfrom matplotlib.collections import LineCollection\n\ncolors = [\"indigo\", \"blue\", \"green\", \"yellow\", \"orange\", \"red\"]\n\n# create a list of half-circles with varying radii\ntheta = np.linspace(0, np.pi, 36)\nradii = np.linspace(4, 5, num=len(colors))\narcs = [np.column_stack([r * np.cos(theta), r * np.sin(theta)]) for r in radii]\n\nfig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(6.4, 3.2))\n# set axes limits manually because Collections do not take part in autoscaling\nax.set_xlim(-6, 6)\nax.set_ylim(0, 6)\nax.set_aspect(\"equal\") # to make the arcs look circular\n\n# create a LineCollection with the half-circles\n# its properties can be set per line by passing a sequence (here used for *colors*)\n# or they can be set for all lines by passing a scalar (here used for *linewidths*)\nline_collection = LineCollection(arcs, colors=colors, linewidths=4)\nax.add_collection(line_collection)\n\nplt.show()" ] }, { "cell_type": "markdown", "metadata": {}, "source": [ "Instead of passing a list of colors (``colors=colors``), we can alternatively use\ncolormapping. The lines are then color-coded based on an additional array of values\npassed to the *array* parameter. In the below example, we color the lines based on\ntheir radius by passing ``array=radii``.\n\n" ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": null, "metadata": { "collapsed": false }, "outputs": [], "source": [ "num_arcs = 15\ntheta = np.linspace(0, np.pi, 36)\nradii = np.linspace(4, 5.5, num=num_arcs)\narcs = [np.column_stack([r * np.cos(theta), r * np.sin(theta)]) for r in radii]\n\nfig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(6.4, 3))\n# set axes limits manually because Collections do not take part in autoscaling\nax.set_xlim(-6, 6)\nax.set_ylim(0, 6)\nax.set_aspect(\"equal\") # to make the arcs look circular\n\n# create a LineCollection with the half-circles and color mapping\nline_collection = LineCollection(arcs, array=radii, cmap=\"rainbow\")\nax.add_collection(line_collection)\n\nfig.colorbar(line_collection, label=\"Radius\")\nax.set_title(\"Line Collection with mapped colors\")\n\nplt.show()" ] }, { "cell_type": "markdown", "metadata": {}, "source": [ ".. admonition:: References\n\n The use of the following functions, methods, classes and modules is shown\n in this example:\n\n - `matplotlib.collections.LineCollection`\n - `matplotlib.collections.Collection.set_array`\n - `matplotlib.axes.Axes.add_collection`\n - `matplotlib.figure.Figure.colorbar` / `matplotlib.pyplot.colorbar`\n\n" ] } ], "metadata": { "kernelspec": { "display_name": "Python 3", "language": "python", "name": "python3" }, "language_info": { "codemirror_mode": { "name": "ipython", "version": 3 }, "file_extension": ".py", "mimetype": "text/x-python", "name": "python", "nbconvert_exporter": "python", "pygments_lexer": "ipython3", "version": "3.13.2" } }, "nbformat": 4, "nbformat_minor": 0 }