`plot3` — Create 3-D line plots in MATLAB and RunMat.

plot3 creates line plots in 3-D space from matching x, y, and z inputs. Returned handle behavior and plotting integration follow MATLAB semantics.

Syntax

h = plot3(X, Y, Z)
h = plot3(X, Y, Z, LineSpec)
h = plot3(X, Y, Z, Name, Value, ...)
h = plot3(ax, X, Y, Z)
h = plot3(ax, X, Y, Z, LineSpec)
h = plot3(ax, X, Y, Z, Name, Value, ...)
h = plot3(X1, Y1, Z1, ..., Xn, Yn, Zn)
h = plot3(ax, X1, Y1, Z1, ..., Xn, Yn, Zn)

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Default	Description
`X`	`NumericArray`	Yes	—	X data.
`Y`	`NumericArray`	Yes	—	Y data.
`Z`	`NumericArray`	Yes	—	Z data.
`lineSpec`	`StyleSpec`	Yes	—	Line style/color shorthand.
`props`	`Any`	Variadic	—	Name/value style properties.
`ax`	`AxesHandle`	Yes	—	Target axes handle.
`series`	`Any`	Variadic	—	Interleaved X/Y/Z series triplets with optional per-series style tokens.

Returns

Name	Type	Description
`h`	`NumericScalar`	Handle to the first 3-D line object in the rendered series.

Errors

Identifier	When	Message
`RunMat:plot3:InvalidArgument`	Input data, series grammar, axes targeting, or style arguments are invalid.	`plot3: invalid argument`
`RunMat:plot3:Internal`	Internal 3-D line construction or rendering fails unexpectedly.	`plot3: internal operation failed`

How `plot3` works

plot3(x, y, z) requires matching element counts in all three inputs.
The builtin returns a 3-D line handle that can be inspected and updated through get and set.
Multiple 3-D series in one call create multiple line objects and return the handle for the first created series.
plot3 is camera-aware and naturally pairs with view and zlabel in the subplot-local 3-D state model.
GPU-backed 3-D line rendering is used when the shared plotting device can consume exported buffers directly.

Does RunMat run `plot3` on the GPU?

The dedicated 3-D line pipeline is separate from 2-D plot, which keeps camera-aware rendering and bounds handling explicit.

Subview state, labels, and line object behavior remain identical across GPU and host fallback paths.

Plot replay/export can read back preserved GPU source buffers from the line object when host coordinate vectors were not materialized at construction time.

GPU memory and residency

plot3 preserves GPU residency for multi-point GPU coordinate inputs when the 3-D line pipeline can consume exported buffers directly. Single-point GPU inputs gather once because they render through the scatter-style point fallback rather than the line-segment packer.

Examples

Create a 3-D helix

t = linspace(0, 6*pi, 300);
plot3(cos(t), sin(t), t);

Plot multiple 3-D trajectories and label them

t = linspace(0, 4*pi, 200);
h1 = plot3(cos(t), sin(t), t);
set(h1, 'DisplayName', 'helix A');
hold on;
h2 = plot3(cos(t), sin(t), -t);
set(h2, 'DisplayName', 'helix B');
legend;

Control the camera and z-axis after plotting

t = linspace(0, 4*pi, 150);
h = plot3(cos(t), sin(t), t);
zlabel('Height');
view(45, 20);
get(h, 'Type')

Expected output:

ans =
    'line'

Rendered plot3 example

t = linspace(0, 8*pi, 600);
radius = 1 + 0.12*cos(5*t);
x = radius.*cos(t);
y = radius.*sin(t);
z = linspace(0, 6, 600) + 0.12*sin(3*t);

h = plot3(x, y, z);
set(h, 'LineWidth', 2);
title('Helical Sensor Trajectory');
xlabel('x (m)');
ylabel('y (m)');
zlabel('z (m)');
view(38, 26);
grid on;
axis equal;

Helical sensor trajectory rendered as a connected MATLAB plot3 path in RunMat — Expected output:

Compare this result with other chart types in the MATLAB Plot Gallery.

Using `plot3` with coding agents

Open a RunMat example with live inputs, then ask the agent to explain how plot3 changes the result.

Run a small plot3 example, explain the result, then change one input and compare the output.

FAQ

How do I plot a 3-D trajectory from parametric equations?⌄

Generate a parameter vector t, compute x(t), y(t), z(t), and pass all three to plot3. The line connects points in parameter order.

t = linspace(0, 10*pi, 500);
plot3(sin(t), cos(t), t);
zlabel('z');

Can I overlay plot3 lines with scatter3 points?⌄

Yes — use hold on between calls. Both plot3 and scatter3 share the same 3-D axes and camera state, so they compose directly.

t = linspace(0, 4*pi, 200);
plot3(cos(t), sin(t), t);
hold on;
scatter3(cos(t(1:20:end)), sin(t(1:20:end)), t(1:20:end));

How do I control the camera angle on a plot3 figure?⌄

Call view(az, el) after plotting. az is the azimuth (horizontal rotation) and el is the elevation (vertical tilt), both in degrees. view(3) gives the default 3-D perspective. Camera state is subplot-local, so each subplot can have its own angle.

More plotting resources

Open-source implementation

Unlike proprietary runtimes, every RunMat function is open-source. Read exactly how plot3 is executed, line by line, in Rust.

View the source for plot3 in Rust on GitHub
Learn how the RunMat runtime works
Found a bug? Open an issue with a minimal reproduction.

About RunMat

RunMat is an open-source runtime that executes MATLAB-syntax code blazing on any GPU. It is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license.

RunMat automatically optimizes your math for GPU execution on Apple, Nvidia, and AMD hardware. No code changes needed. Simulations that took hours now take minutes.
Start running code in seconds. RunMat runs in the browser, on the desktop, or from the CLI. No license server, no IT ticket.

Getting started · Benchmarks · Pricing

`plot3` — Create 3-D line plots in MATLAB and RunMat.

plot3 creates line plots in 3-D space from matching x, y, and z inputs. Returned handle behavior and plotting integration follow MATLAB semantics.

Syntax

h = plot3(X, Y, Z)
h = plot3(X, Y, Z, LineSpec)
h = plot3(X, Y, Z, Name, Value, ...)
h = plot3(ax, X, Y, Z)
h = plot3(ax, X, Y, Z, LineSpec)
h = plot3(ax, X, Y, Z, Name, Value, ...)
h = plot3(X1, Y1, Z1, ..., Xn, Yn, Zn)
h = plot3(ax, X1, Y1, Z1, ..., Xn, Yn, Zn)

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Default	Description
`X`	`NumericArray`	Yes	—	X data.
`Y`	`NumericArray`	Yes	—	Y data.
`Z`	`NumericArray`	Yes	—	Z data.
`lineSpec`	`StyleSpec`	Yes	—	Line style/color shorthand.
`props`	`Any`	Variadic	—	Name/value style properties.
`ax`	`AxesHandle`	Yes	—	Target axes handle.
`series`	`Any`	Variadic	—	Interleaved X/Y/Z series triplets with optional per-series style tokens.

Returns

Name	Type	Description
`h`	`NumericScalar`	Handle to the first 3-D line object in the rendered series.

Errors

Identifier	When	Message
`RunMat:plot3:InvalidArgument`	Input data, series grammar, axes targeting, or style arguments are invalid.	`plot3: invalid argument`
`RunMat:plot3:Internal`	Internal 3-D line construction or rendering fails unexpectedly.	`plot3: internal operation failed`

How `plot3` works

plot3(x, y, z) requires matching element counts in all three inputs.
The builtin returns a 3-D line handle that can be inspected and updated through get and set.
Multiple 3-D series in one call create multiple line objects and return the handle for the first created series.
plot3 is camera-aware and naturally pairs with view and zlabel in the subplot-local 3-D state model.
GPU-backed 3-D line rendering is used when the shared plotting device can consume exported buffers directly.

Does RunMat run `plot3` on the GPU?

The dedicated 3-D line pipeline is separate from 2-D plot, which keeps camera-aware rendering and bounds handling explicit.

Subview state, labels, and line object behavior remain identical across GPU and host fallback paths.

Plot replay/export can read back preserved GPU source buffers from the line object when host coordinate vectors were not materialized at construction time.

GPU memory and residency

Examples

Create a 3-D helix

t = linspace(0, 6*pi, 300);
plot3(cos(t), sin(t), t);

Plot multiple 3-D trajectories and label them

t = linspace(0, 4*pi, 200);
h1 = plot3(cos(t), sin(t), t);
set(h1, 'DisplayName', 'helix A');
hold on;
h2 = plot3(cos(t), sin(t), -t);
set(h2, 'DisplayName', 'helix B');
legend;

Control the camera and z-axis after plotting

t = linspace(0, 4*pi, 150);
h = plot3(cos(t), sin(t), t);
zlabel('Height');
view(45, 20);
get(h, 'Type')

Expected output:

ans =
    'line'

Rendered plot3 example

t = linspace(0, 8*pi, 600);
radius = 1 + 0.12*cos(5*t);
x = radius.*cos(t);
y = radius.*sin(t);
z = linspace(0, 6, 600) + 0.12*sin(3*t);

h = plot3(x, y, z);
set(h, 'LineWidth', 2);
title('Helical Sensor Trajectory');
xlabel('x (m)');
ylabel('y (m)');
zlabel('z (m)');
view(38, 26);
grid on;
axis equal;

Compare this result with other chart types in the MATLAB Plot Gallery.

Using `plot3` with coding agents

Open a RunMat example with live inputs, then ask the agent to explain how plot3 changes the result.

Run a small plot3 example, explain the result, then change one input and compare the output.

FAQ

How do I plot a 3-D trajectory from parametric equations?⌄

Generate a parameter vector t, compute x(t), y(t), z(t), and pass all three to plot3. The line connects points in parameter order.

t = linspace(0, 10*pi, 500);
plot3(sin(t), cos(t), t);
zlabel('z');

Can I overlay plot3 lines with scatter3 points?⌄

Yes — use hold on between calls. Both plot3 and scatter3 share the same 3-D axes and camera state, so they compose directly.

t = linspace(0, 4*pi, 200);
plot3(cos(t), sin(t), t);
hold on;
scatter3(cos(t(1:20:end)), sin(t(1:20:end)), t(1:20:end));

How do I control the camera angle on a plot3 figure?⌄

2D Charts

area · bar · errorbar · heatmap · hist · histogram · loglog · pie · plot · scatter · semilogx · semilogy · stairs · stem

3D & Surface

contour · contour3 · contourf · mesh · meshc · quiver · scatter3 · surf · surfc

Images

image · imagesc · imshow

Axes & Layout

axis · box · grid · sgtitle · subplot · title · view · zlabel

Appearance

colorbar · colormap · legend · shading

Handle Access

gca · gcf · get · set

Other

More plotting resources

Open-source implementation

Unlike proprietary runtimes, every RunMat function is open-source. Read exactly how plot3 is executed, line by line, in Rust.

View the source for plot3 in Rust on GitHub
Learn how the RunMat runtime works
Found a bug? Open an issue with a minimal reproduction.

About RunMat

RunMat is an open-source runtime that executes MATLAB-syntax code blazing on any GPU. It is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license.

RunMat automatically optimizes your math for GPU execution on Apple, Nvidia, and AMD hardware. No code changes needed. Simulations that took hours now take minutes.
Start running code in seconds. RunMat runs in the browser, on the desktop, or from the CLI. No license server, no IT ticket.

Getting started · Benchmarks · Pricing

plot3 — Create 3-D line plots in MATLAB and RunMat.

Syntax

Inputs

Returns

Errors

How plot3 works

Does RunMat run plot3 on the GPU?

GPU memory and residency

Examples

Create a 3-D helix

Plot multiple 3-D trajectories and label them

Control the camera and z-axis after plotting

Rendered plot3 example

Using plot3 with coding agents

FAQ

Related Plotting functions

2D Charts

3D & Surface

Images

Axes & Layout

Appearance

Handle Access

Other

More plotting resources

Open-source implementation

About RunMat

Download RunMat

plot3 — Create 3-D line plots in MATLAB and RunMat.

Syntax

Inputs

Returns

Errors

How plot3 works

Does RunMat run plot3 on the GPU?

GPU memory and residency

Examples

Create a 3-D helix

Plot multiple 3-D trajectories and label them

Control the camera and z-axis after plotting

Rendered plot3 example

Using plot3 with coding agents

FAQ

Related Plotting functions

2D Charts

3D & Surface

Images

Axes & Layout

Appearance

Handle Access

Other

More plotting resources

Open-source implementation

About RunMat

Download RunMat

`plot3` — Create 3-D line plots in MATLAB and RunMat.

How `plot3` works

Does RunMat run `plot3` on the GPU?

Using `plot3` with coding agents

`plot3` — Create 3-D line plots in MATLAB and RunMat.

How `plot3` works

Does RunMat run `plot3` on the GPU?

Using `plot3` with coding agents