.scatter_3d()

The .scatter_3d() method in the plotly.express module creates a 3D scatter plot to visualize the relationships between three variables using markers in a three-dimensional space. The data points are plotted based on their values on the x, y, and z axes. It also allows customizing marker colors, sizes, and symbols.

Syntax

The x, y, and z parameters are required and accept values as a string, integer, Series, or array-like object, representing the data for each axis. Optional parameters, such as color, symbol, and size, customize the markers’ appearance. If data_frame is not provided, a DataFrame will be constructed from other arguments.

plotly.express.scatter_3d(data_frame=None, x=None, y=None, z=None, color=None, symbol=None, size=None, ...)

• data_frame: The Pandas DataFrame containing the data to visualize.
• x: The column name in data_frame, Series, or array-like object for x-axis data.
• y: The column name in data_frame, Series, or array-like object for y-axis data.
• z: The column name in data_frame, Series, or array-like object for z-axis data.
• color: The column name in data_frame, Series, or array-like object to specify marker colors.
• symbol: The column name in data_frame, Series, or array-like object for assigning marker symbols.
• size: The column name in data_frame, Series, or array-like object to assign marker sizes.

Note: The ellipsis in the syntax (…) indicates additional optional parameters that can be used to customize the plot further.

Examples

The examples below demonstrate how the .scatter() method creates a 2D scatter plot, while the .scatter_3d() method provides a more complex visualization in three dimensions, utilizing additional parameters for color and symbol customization.

Example 1

The following example demonstrates the use of the .scatter() method:

# Defining 'x' and 'y' as array-like objects
import plotly.express as px
x = [1, 3, 5, 7, 9]
y = [4, 6, 5, 8, 2]

# Creating a scatter plot
fig = px.scatter(x = x, y = y)

# Displaying the plot
fig.show()

The output for the above code is as follows:

Example 2

This example illustrates the use of the .scatter_3d() method, showcasing its capability to utilize more parameters for enhanced visualization:

import plotly.express as px

# Sample Data
x = [1, 3, 5, 7, 9]
y = [4, 6, 5, 8, 2]
z = [7, 2, 9, 4, 8]
color = ['red', 'green', 'blue', 'purple', 'orange']
symbol = ['circle', 'square', 'diamond', 'star', 'triangle-up']

# Creating a 3D scatter plot
fig = px.scatter_3d(x=x, y=y, z=z, color=color, symbol=symbol, title="3D Scatter Plot with Colors and Symbols")

# Displaying the plot
fig.show()

The above code produces the following output: