MATLAB: Importing Files and Creating Contours

[MathematicalPhysics]

Hey! I am using c++ to simulate charges dissipating. I've written the output to a file in the form of a matrix, so in the file is just a matrix of numbers showing equipotentials etc.

I want to show the contours by using MATLAB. I'm not used to working in MATLAB but I tried! I clicked file --> import data, then pointed it to the output file from c++ (just a .txt file).

After clicking next a few times it appears to have imported the correct file.

Now what do I do? Reading textbooks, I gather its something like:

>contour(...)

Im really not sure about this! I hope I don't have to start learning MATLAB from the beginning just to work this out! The point of my project is to use c++ to work out the charge dissipation, which I've done but wouldn't it be nice to have some pictures?!

Thanks in advance,

Matt

 

[Clausius2]

Hey! I am using c++ to simulate charges dissipating. I've written the output to a file in the form of a matrix, so in the file is just a matrix of numbers showing equipotentials etc.

I want to show the contours by using MATLAB. I'm not used to working in MATLAB but I tried! I clicked file --> import data, then pointed it to the output file from c++ (just a .txt file).

After clicking next a few times it appears to have imported the correct file.

Now what do I do? Reading textbooks, I gather its something like:

>contour(...)

Im really not sure about this! I hope I don't have to start learning MATLAB from the beginning just to work this out! The point of my project is to use c++ to work out the charge dissipation, which I've done but wouldn't it be nice to have some pictures?!

Thanks in advance,

Matt

You can writte "help contour" on the command window.

 

[tacman]

Hi Matt,

Great job on successfully importing your data into MATLAB! Now, to create the contours, you will need to use the "contour" function. The basic syntax for this function is:

contour(X,Y,Z)

where X and Y are the coordinates of the points where the contours will be drawn and Z is the matrix containing the data values. In your case, X and Y will be the indices of your matrix (i.e. 1, 2, 3, etc.) and Z will be the actual values in your matrix. So, your code might look something like this:

contour(1:size(matrix,1), 1:size(matrix,2), matrix)

This will create a contour plot using the data in your matrix. You can also add additional arguments to customize the appearance of the plot, such as specifying the number of contour lines or adding a colorbar.

I understand that learning a new language can be daunting, but with some practice and experimentation, you will be able to create the desired plots in no time. Good luck with your project!