Embed 3D graphics in pdf from Matlab

Embedding 3D graphics in pdf from

Matlab
able to view and navigate 3D plots/graphics
enhance your documents/presentations
Embed 3D graphics in pdf from Matlab

Figure: Some surface plots.

Embed 3D graphics in pdf from Matlab

(sdtest9wend2R50.u3d) (eudiswend2R50.u3d)
Embed 3D graphics in pdf from Matlab

Universal 3D(U3D)

compressed file format standard for 3D computer graphics

data
file name extension filename.u3d
supported by the pdf format
interactively visualized by Acrobat Reader (since version 7)
Embed 3D graphics in pdf from Matlab

Matlab Figures U3D file format LATEX code

What we need:
u3d pre and mesh2pdf packages for Matlab from
Mathworks;1 2

movie15 package for LATEX from any ctan site;3

1
http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/
25383-matlab-mesh-to-pdf-with-3d-interactive-object
2
http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/
27245-generate-vertices-faces-and-color-for-u3d-format
3
http:
//www.ctan.org/tex-archive/help/Catalogue/entries/movie15.html
which provide interface to embed movies, sounds and 3D objects into PDF.
Embed 3D graphics in pdf from Matlab

Generate 3D graphics in Matlab in a normal figure window

>>[X,Y,Z]=peaks(30);
>>surf(X,Y,0.3*Z);
Create a structure of faces and vertices of the 3D surface
>>fvc=u3d pre;
Generate the graphics information
>>mesh to latex(filename,fvc.vertices, ...
uint32(fvc.faces),fvc.facevertexcdata);
filename.u3d - a u3d file
filename.tex - an example of LATEX code
Embed 3D graphics in pdf from Matlab

Example of filename.tex:
\ begin { center }
\ i n c l u d e m o v i e [ p o s t e r , t o o l b a r , l a b e l=f i l e n a m e . u3d ,
t e x t =( f i l e n a m e . u3d ) , 3 Daac =7 , 3 D r o l l =0,
3 Dc2c =0.000000 1 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 , 3 Droo =8 6.60254 0 ,
3Dcoo=0 0 0 , 3 D l i g h t s=CAD, ] { \ l i n e w i d t h }
{\ l i n e w i d t h }{ f i l e n a m e . u3d }
\ end { c e n t e r }

Copy the code from filename.tex and paste into your LATEX
document where you want the 3D graphic.
Remember to add into the preamble \usepackage[3d]{movie15}
Embed 3D graphics in pdf from Matlab

(peaksurf.u3d)

0
Z

2
0 2
0
X 2 2
Y

Figure: Drag your mouse over the graphic.

Embed 3D graphics in pdf from Matlab

(try4.u3d)

0
Z

2
0 2
0
X 2 2
Y

Figure: Drag your mouse over the graphic.

Embed 3D graphics in pdf from Matlab

Nothing is perfect... always!

Weakness of the current mesh2pdf and u3d pre packages:

Only works for surf,mesh,isosurface figures in Matlab,
not for scatter3 figure
can we label it? adding text? (axis?)