Get Axis range for 3D Ribbon Plot

[vix]

When I plot something in a 3D Ribbon Plot with autoscale enable, the scale ranges (minimum and maximum) are automatically set in the proper way.

But after that, I can't read their values.

See the attached example: if I read Axis Range Maximum, I get 10 that is the value tha £D graph had before I plot the data.

Probably I'm missing something...

[hanrock]

Hi vix,

The PropertyNode Range Maximum/Minimum are the overall range if you turn off autorange. You can not get the acutally plot range from VI server. Instead, you can get the range from input wire with an "Array Max & Min" node.

[vix]

I think that if you're right (and I can't get the plot range from the VI server) the LabVIEW help should be changed.

As a matter of fact it states:

Axis:Range:Range Maximum Property

Short Name: Range Maximum

Requires: Full Development System

Class: 3D Graph Properties

Sets the maximum value of the scale.

This property is similar to the Maximum option on the Axis page of the 3D Plot Properties dialog box.

Remarks

The following table lists the characteristics of this property.

Available in Run-Time Engine and Real-Time Operating System    Yes

Permissions                                                                             Read/Write

I suggest to change "Sets the maximum value of the scale" to "Gets and sets the maximum value of the scale only if autorange is disabled"

Back to my original problem, I know I can use an "Array Max & Min Node", but what I posted is a simple example. In my real application I need the scale range in a sub-vi and not in the vi where I plot the data into the graph...

[hanrock]

Yeah, your are correct. The corresponding help topic is unclear. Thanks for the feedback, vix.

[Ben]

I would expect a CAR to be filled to report this to R&D.

[Set mode = candid]

The 3D picture version of the 3D graphing stuff appears to be a "red-headed stepchild" and nobody is brave enough to log bugs or truely understand how they really work.

Does NI even have a 3D graph expert?

If they do why do we get such lame support for them?

No, those questions are serious and I would really like an answer.

[Set mode = whistle pas tthe graveyard]

Ben

[vix]

Hi Ben

I agrre with you and I think that 3D Graphs need a lot of bug fixing, but unfortunately it's quite difficult to understand how they work (or they should work)...

Moreover I don't know if NI wants to spend a lot of time over this controls, because I think their general performance should be improved too.

[hanrock]

I am the owner of the 3D Plots with the grey decoration. I subscribe the topics related these controls and collect bug/feedback to improve them in the future. Yeah, I create CARs for the bug I read from this forum. Sorry, I didn't standed up saying this is CARed or I cannot fix it for some reason. I dive more.

These controls are built by pure G code. So it has limitation if its sub-components control's property/event is not exported from VI server/event structure or XControl Framework does not support.

For the issue in this thread (range one), it can behave same as native XY Graph. For performance, do you mean it delays the interaction (rotate, click) or plot updates slow. I improved their performance somehow in LV2011. How big your input matrix is and what is the update frequency?

[vix]

Hi hanrock

nice to hear that you've been working hard to improve these great controls!

• for the issue in this thread (range one), do you mean that in LV 2012 it will behave like the native XY Graphs?
• for the performance side here is what I see (using LV 2011 SP1 on Win 7 64bit - 4GB of RAM - i5 processor):
• loading panels with 3D Graphs is extremely slow (compared to panels with a native XY Graph)
• rotate, zoom, move are really fast: you've done a good job
• plot update is quite slow (for a 2000 x 10 matrix of data), especially when the autoscale is changed
• one bug I saw:
• sometimes the cursor can't be dragged because the mouse cursor doesn't change to the "white finger" when it's over the cursor red point (difficult to reproduce 😞 )

[hanrock]

Hi vix,

• I filed myself a CAR on the range issue. I cannot guarantee the fix must go in LV2012 but I will try my best.
• For performance,
• I hate the loading speed as well. But there is nothing I can do. Each specific property (after the last separator) would introduce 2 VIs (read and write). That makes loading the single control cause to load more than 600 VIs.
• Drawing a 2000 x 10 matrix of data would not be slow. But if you try rotating while continuing updating the input in the loop, you would hit the no-responding. The value change for the XControl is in the same event structure of user interaction (mouse click, move). If the value changes too frequently, the event structure is over-burdened handling the value changes. Try putting a wait node in the loop to avoid input going to fast.

[Ben]

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@hanrock wrote:

I am the owner of the 3D Plots with the grey decoration. I subscribe the topics related these controls and collect bug/feedback to improve them in the future. Yeah, I create CARs for the bug I read from this forum. Sorry, I didn't standed up saying this is CARed or I cannot fix it for some reason. I dive more.

These controls are built by pure G code. So it has limitation if its sub-components control's property/event is not exported from VI server/event structure or XControl Framework does not support.

For the issue in this thread (range one), it can behave same as native XY Graph. For performance, do you mean it delays the interaction (rotate, click) or plot updates slow. I improved their performance somehow in LV2011. How big your input matrix is and what is the update frequency?

---

"... and there ws great rejoicing!" [Monty Python, after the minstrals death]

Well that is news to me.

I would like to invite you to post the CAR numbers so that we can track the bugs and fixes.

Simply posting those numbers will go a a long way toward changing my impression of the 3D graph issues. If you keep them secret we will be left to believe the issues are not being addressed, which has been the traditional viewpoint of users outside of NI. The Champions worked to change that attitude and to a large extent I feel the general outlook has been changing due to the public bug list that is no published for various LV versions.

The CAR numbers also give us a handle we can reach for when the apps we deliver to our customers screw up and we have to shrug our shoulders and tell them "When ever NI feels like it."

Trying to help more than I hurt and still fighting for the integrity of LabVIEW,

Ben