A 3D contour plot displays contour lines or filled contour bands on a three-dimensional surface, showing isolines of a function of two variables in 3D space. Unlike 2D contour plots that flatten the visualization, 3D contour plots preserve the surface geometry while highlighting level curves, making it easier to understand both the overall shape and specific value regions simultaneously. This visualization combines the spatial intuition of 3D surfaces with the precision of contour-based value identification.
""" anyplot.ai
contour-3d: 3D Contour Plot
Library: seaborn 0.13.2 | Python 3.13.13
Quality: 86/100 | Created: 2026-05-16
"""
import os
import sys
# Remove script directory temporarily — local matplotlib.py would shadow the package
_here = sys.path.pop(0)
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
import seaborn as sns
sys.path.insert(0, _here)
THEME = os.getenv("ANYPLOT_THEME", "light")
PAGE_BG = "#FAF8F1" if THEME == "light" else "#1A1A17"
ELEVATED_BG = "#FFFDF6" if THEME == "light" else "#242420"
INK = "#1A1A17" if THEME == "light" else "#F0EFE8"
INK_SOFT = "#4A4A44" if THEME == "light" else "#B8B7B0"
sns.set_theme(
style="ticks",
rc={
"figure.facecolor": PAGE_BG,
"axes.facecolor": PAGE_BG,
"axes.edgecolor": INK_SOFT,
"axes.labelcolor": INK,
"text.color": INK,
"xtick.color": INK_SOFT,
"ytick.color": INK_SOFT,
"grid.color": INK,
"grid.alpha": 0.10,
"legend.facecolor": ELEVATED_BG,
"legend.edgecolor": INK_SOFT,
},
)
# Data — vibration displacement on a plate (physical science context)
x = np.linspace(-5, 5, 40)
y = np.linspace(-5, 5, 40)
X, Y = np.meshgrid(x, y)
Z_raw = np.exp(-(X**2 + Y**2) / 5) * np.cos(X) * np.sin(Y)
Z = Z_raw * 10 # scale to micrometers
# Seaborn's color palette API for the continuous colormap
cmap = sns.color_palette("viridis", as_cmap=True)
# Plot
fig = plt.figure(figsize=(16, 9), facecolor=PAGE_BG)
ax = fig.add_subplot(111, projection="3d")
ax.set_facecolor(PAGE_BG)
# 3D surface
surf = ax.plot_surface(X, Y, Z, cmap=cmap, alpha=0.85, edgecolor="none", linewidth=0, antialiased=True)
# On-surface contour lines
ax.contour(X, Y, Z, levels=12, colors=INK_SOFT, alpha=0.5, linewidths=1.5)
# Projected contours onto base plane — increased alpha and linewidth for visibility
z_min = Z.min() - 0.8
ax.contour(X, Y, Z, levels=12, zdir="z", offset=z_min, cmap=cmap, alpha=0.6, linewidths=2.0)
# Colorbar
cbar = fig.colorbar(surf, ax=ax, pad=0.1, fraction=0.046, aspect=30)
cbar.set_label("Displacement (μm)", fontsize=16, color=INK, labelpad=15)
cbar.ax.tick_params(labelsize=14, colors=INK_SOFT)
cbar.outline.set_edgecolor(INK_SOFT)
# Axis labels with physical units
ax.set_xlabel("x Position (cm)", fontsize=20, color=INK, labelpad=10)
ax.set_ylabel("y Position (cm)", fontsize=20, color=INK, labelpad=10)
ax.set_zlabel("Displacement (μm)", fontsize=20, color=INK, labelpad=10)
ax.set_title("contour-3d · seaborn · anyplot.ai", fontsize=24, fontweight="medium", color=INK, pad=20)
ax.tick_params(axis="both", labelsize=16, colors=INK_SOFT)
ax.xaxis.label.set_color(INK)
ax.yaxis.label.set_color(INK)
ax.zaxis.label.set_color(INK)
ax.grid(True, alpha=0.1, color=INK_SOFT, linewidth=0.8)
ax.view_init(elev=25, azim=45)
# Panes — edges only, no fill
ax.xaxis.pane.fill = False
ax.yaxis.pane.fill = False
ax.zaxis.pane.fill = False
ax.xaxis.pane.set_edgecolor(INK_SOFT)
ax.yaxis.pane.set_edgecolor(INK_SOFT)
ax.zaxis.pane.set_edgecolor(INK_SOFT)
ax.xaxis.pane.set_alpha(0.1)
ax.yaxis.pane.set_alpha(0.1)
ax.zaxis.pane.set_alpha(0.1)
# Peak annotation — identify and label the maximum displacement point
peak_idx = np.unravel_index(np.argmax(Z), Z.shape)
peak_x, peak_y, peak_z = X[peak_idx], Y[peak_idx], Z[peak_idx]
ax.text(
peak_x,
peak_y,
peak_z + 0.6,
f"Peak: {peak_z:.1f} μm",
fontsize=14,
color=INK,
bbox={"facecolor": ELEVATED_BG, "edgecolor": INK_SOFT, "alpha": 0.9, "boxstyle": "round,pad=0.3"},
ha="center",
)
plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig(f"plot-{THEME}.png", dpi=300, bbox_inches="tight", facecolor=PAGE_BG)
Part of 3D Contour Plot on anyplot.ai.