Drawing Curves in Three-Dimensional Coordinate Systems

Plotting curves in three-dimensional coordinate systems is a common requirement in data visualization and engineering applications. MATLAB provides powerful 3D plotting capabilities that enable intuitive visualization of spatial curve trajectories.

To plot a 3D curve, you first need to define data points along all three coordinate axes. Parameter equations are typically used to represent the x, y, and z components of the curve, where coordinate values are generated through a parameter variable like time t. The plot3 function in MATLAB is specifically designed for 3D curve plotting, with its basic syntax requiring three vectors of equal length representing x, y, and z coordinates respectively.

For clearer curve visualization, you can adjust line colors, thicknesses, or add data point markers using properties like 'Color', 'LineWidth', and 'Marker'. The grid on command displays coordinate grids to facilitate spatial position observation. Additionally, the view function allows perspective adjustments to examine curve morphology from different angles by specifying azimuth and elevation parameters.

For complex curves such as helices or custom trajectories, coordinate points can be generated through mathematical formulas before plotting. After plotting, axis labels can be added using xlabel, ylabel, zlabel functions, while the title function adds plot titles. These steps help create professional 3D curve visualizations with proper annotations and customizable appearance settings.