PLOTMTV(L)

NAME
plotmtv - fast multi-purpose plotting program for X11-windows

SYNOPSIS

plotmtv
    [-Pprinter]
    [-3d] [-colorps] [-debug] [-landscape] [-nodate] [-noxplot] [-o postscript-file] [-plotall] [-print] [-printcmd print_command] [-scale scale] [-verbose]
    [-pbg background_color] [-pfg foreground_color]
    [-<X11 options>]
    data-file1 data-file2 ...

DESCRIPTION

PLOTMTV is a fast and convenient X11 program for visualization of scientific data. The program reads in data in the MTVDAT format and plots each dataset in the data-file in turn. Each plot comes with a simple but functional Graphical User Interface, which allows users to zoom in or pan to areas of interest on the plot, or to toggle between 2D and 3D plots. The plots may then be sent directly to a grayscale or color PostScript printer for hard-copy output.

PLOTMTV's capabilities include 2D line and scatter plots (x-vs-y), contour plots, 3D surface, line and scatter plots as well as vector plots. The Graphical User Interface allows interactive zoom and pan, toggling between 2D and 3D plots, rotating 3D plots, and some (limited) customization of the resultant plots. Through the GUI, one can also print the plot using the "Print" button, or save the Postscript plot to a file using the "Print to File" button.

The X11 plot in PLOTMTV can also be controlled from the keyboard. Pressing the "Q" key is a fast way of popping down the plot window. For the 3D plot, the viewing vector can be changed using the "H", "J", "K", "L" and "O" keys on the the keyboard; the plot on the screen can be rotated sideways using the "H" or "L" keys, rotated up or down using the "J" and "K" keys, and drawn with the original viewing vector using "O". The "A", "S", "D" and "F" keys will produce 90° rotations. "Z" will plot the image projected on the x-y plane (z=constant), "Y" will plot the image projected on the x-z plane (y=constant), and "X" will plot the image projected on the y-z plane (x=constant).

DATA FORMAT

PLOTMTV uses the MTVDAT data format, which is too long to describe in this document. The data format is described fully in The MTV Plot Data Format document.

OPTIONS

-Pprinter
    Specifies the printer to which to send the PostScript plot. The default uses the printer name from the environment variable $PRINTER.

    Note: PLOTMTV will send a PostScript file to the specified printer only if the size of the file is less than 1000Kbytes. This maximum file size is due to the limitations of the UNIX lpr(1) command.

-3d Plots in 3D instead of the default 2D.

-colorps
    Instructs the PostScript renderer to include colors in the PostScript description of the plot. By default, PLOTMTV produces gray-scale PostScript plots. The color PostScript file produced with this option may be printed out on a color PostScript printer. Be aware however that the same file will not print out correctly on a black-and-white PostScript printer. The color PostScript mode may also be set by setting the $MTV_PSCOLOR environment variable, i.e. "setenv MTV_PSCOLOR ON".

-debug
    Makes PLOTMTV extremely loquacious.

-landscape
    Prints the postscript plot in landscape mode (rotated).

-nodate
    Prints the postscript plot without a time/date stamp.

-noxplot
    Stops the program from starting up the X11 graphics routines. The normal mode of operation is start up PLOTMTV from an X-terminal or X-display and interact with the graphics using the Graphical User Interface. However, the "noxplot" option is also provided to allow the plots to be directly drawn in PostScript, thus bypassing the X11 plotting routines. This is particularly useful for batch-mode operation, where multiple plots can be sent to a printer without user intervention.

-plotall
    Plots all the datasets found in a single plot. Useful for combining data from different files.

-print
    Sends the POSTSCRIPT plot to the printer automatically. Usually this is used together with the "-noxplot" option to produce PostScript plots in batch, i.e. "plotmtv -noxplot -print datafile".

-printcmd print_command
    Specifies the print_command to be executed in sending a PostScript plot to the printer. The default is the UNIX "lpr -h" command.

-scale scale
    Sets a plot scale factor. This is used only for POSTSCRIPT plotting.

-v  Makes PLOTMTV more talkative.

-pfg foreground_color

-pbg background_color
    Sets the foreground and background colors in the PLOTMTV X11 Plot Window.

-display host:display.screen
    Opens a window on the given host and display

-iconic

-geom geometry

-rv

-bw border-width

-bd border-color

-fg foreground-color

-bg background-color

-fn font-name
    Sets input options for the X-window system.

data-file1 data-file2...
    Specifies the MTVDAT data-file(s).

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
PRINTER    printer name for hardcopy (e.g. "hpps")
MTV_PRINTER_CMD    name of the UNIX print command (e.g. "lpr -h")
MTV_PSCOLOR    for color PostScript (e.g. "ON")

HISTORY

PLOTMTV is based on the DRAWPLOT, CONTOUR and PDRAW programs from U.C. Berkeley (yes, I'm responsible for those too!). PLOTMTV essentially combines all the capabilities of the three packages into one single package.

BUGS/LIMITATIONS

The GUI is very limited. The 3D viewing stuff is quite limited too; hidden-surface removal is implemented as a simple painter's algorithm, so large 3D polygons don't get plotted (with hidden-surfaces) correctly. Also there are no perspective plots yet...

AUTHOR
Kenny K.H. Toh (ktoh@td2cad.intel.com)

FILES
dataplot.ps     default PostScript file

SEE ALSO
The MTV Plot Data Format