fill3 — Create MATLAB-compatible filled polygon patches in 3-D space.
fill3 creates filled polygon graphics objects from X, Y, and Z coordinate data. RunMat implements it as a thin wrapper over the shared patch machinery, so returned handles are patch graphics handles and common patch name-value properties apply.
How fill3 works
fill3(X, Y, Z, C)creates one or more 3-D filled polygons from matching coordinate arrays.- Vector coordinate inputs create one polygon.
- Matrix coordinate inputs create one polygon per column through the underlying
patchparser. - Multiple
X,Y,Z,Cgroups in one call create multiple patch objects and return a row vector of patch handles. - A single polygon group returns a scalar patch handle.
fill3initializes the target axes with the standard 3-D view, so even polygons in the z=0 plane render as 3-D patch content.- Trailing patch property name-value pairs are applied to every polygon group in the call.
- The returned patch handles work with
get,set,ishandle, andisgraphics. - Color strings and RGB triples are supported through the shared patch color parser.
- Indexed or interpolated CData behavior is currently limited by the underlying
patchimplementation; concrete color strings, RGB triples, and common patch properties are the supported color path.
Options
FaceColoraccepts color names, RGB triples,flat, ornonethroughpatch.EdgeColoraccepts color names, RGB triples, ornone.FaceAlphaandEdgeAlphaaccept numeric values from 0 to 1.LineWidth,DisplayName, andVisibleuse the shared plotting property model.- Explicit axes handles are accepted as the leading argument, matching other RunMat plotting builtins.
How RunMat runs fill3 on the GPU
fill3 shares patch rendering behavior, so host and gathered-GPU coordinate inputs produce the same patch objects and graphics handles.
Rendered geometry flows through the shared GPU plotting renderer after the patch objects are built.
A future direct GPU path should preserve the same X,Y,Z,C grouping and patch property semantics while replacing only the coordinate gathering and geometry packing stage.
GPU memory and residency
fill3 is a plotting sink and fusion barrier. GPU-resident coordinate inputs are gathered before patch construction because MATLAB-compatible parsing requires shape validation and polygon assembly.
Examples
Create a red square in the z=0 plane
x = [0 1 1 0];
y = [0 0 1 1];
z = [0 0 0 0];
h = fill3(x, y, z, 'r');
get(h, 'Type')Expected output:
ans =
'patch'Create two filled polygons in one call
x1 = [0 1 0];
y1 = [0 0 1];
z1 = [0 0 0];
x2 = [2 3 3 2];
y2 = [0 0 1 1];
z2 = [1 1 1 1];
h = fill3(x1, y1, z1, 'g', x2, y2, z2, [0 0 1]);Apply patch properties to a fill3 polygon
x = [0 1 0];
y = [0 0 1];
z = [0.25 0.5 0.75];
h = fill3(x, y, z, [0.25 0.5 0.75], 'EdgeColor', 'none', 'FaceAlpha', 0.5);Create one patch per matrix column
X = [0 2; 1 3; 1 3; 0 2];
Y = [0 0; 0 0; 1 1; 1 1];
Z = [0 1; 0 1; 0 1; 0 1];
fill3(X, Y, Z, 'cyan');
view(3);FAQ
What does fill3 return?⌄
fill3 returns patch graphics handles. A single polygon group returns one scalar handle; multiple groups return a row vector of handles.
How is fill3 related to patch?⌄
fill3 lowers its positional X,Y,Z,C inputs into the same patch object machinery. This keeps geometry validation, color parsing, property handling, rendering, and handle behavior consistent with patch.
Can I pass patch properties to fill3?⌄
Yes. Trailing name-value pairs such as 'EdgeColor', 'none', 'FaceAlpha', 0.5, and 'LineWidth', 2 are forwarded to the patch objects created by fill3.
Does fill3 support GPU-resident inputs?⌄
GPU-resident coordinate inputs are gathered through the shared patch path for validation and polygon construction, then the resulting geometry is rendered through RunMat's GPU plotting renderer.
Does fill3 support indexed CData?⌄
The current implementation is constrained by patch: color strings and RGB triples are supported, while full MATLAB indexed/interpolated CData behavior is deferred.
Related Plotting functions
More plotting resources
Open-source implementation
Unlike proprietary runtimes, every RunMat function is open-source. Read exactly how fill3 works, line by line, in Rust.
- View fill3.rs on GitHub
- Learn how the runtime works
- Found a bug? Open an issue with a minimal reproduction.
About RunMat
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