continuously re-plot using plot3 with same axis

I'm using the code given here to plot a box. My goal is to plot a box, keep it on the screen for ~.1 second, and then re-plot a different box and repeat this whole process a bunch of times (using a for loop and the hold on / hold off features).

However, when I use plot3, for every new plot, a new axis and scaling is formed. Is there a way to keep the same axis and scaling for all plots, and only re-plot the points/graph, NOT the entire figure?

Answer 1

[John BG]

In C Moler experiments

http://uk.mathworks.com/moler/?s_tid=srchtitle

chap5 there is a basic example how to animate objects depicted like the box you mention

    function wiggler(X)
    % WIGGLE  Dynamic matrix multiplication.
    %   wiggle(X) wiggles the 2-by-n matrix X.
    %   Eg: wiggle(house)
     clf
    shg
     thetamax = uicontrol('style','slider','max',1.0, ... 
        'units','normalized','position',[.25 .01 .25 .04]);
    delta = uicontrol('style','slider','max',.05, ...
    'units','normalized','position',[.60 .01 .25 .04]);
     t = 0;
    stop = uicontrol('string','stop','style','toggle');
    while ~get(stop,'value')
       theta = (4*abs(t-round(t))-1) * get(thetamax,'value');
       G = [cos(theta) sin(theta); -sin(theta) cos(theta)];
       dot_to_dot(G*X);
       drawnow
       t = t + get(delta,'value');
    end
    set(stop,'string','close','value',0,'callback','close(gcf)')

the update you did not mention is the command drawnow

the shape

X = [0;1;1;0;0];
Y = [0;0;1;1;0];
Z = [0;0;0;0;0];

the input to a 3D wiggler would be

X=[X';Y';Z']

to run this 2D wiggler

X(3,:)=[]
wiggler(X)

The 3D version of the G matrix in this 2D wiggler is rotation matrix

product of Yaw Pitch and Roll

now the HGtransform: a must read/watch/understand is: http://blogs.mathworks.com/videos/2011/02/02/animating-an-objects-trajectory-in-matlab-with-hgtransform/?s_tid=srchtitle

Rotation

% test2_hgtransf_rotate

ax = axes('XLim',[-1.5 1.5],'YLim',[-1.5 1.5], 'ZLim',[-1.5 1.5])
view(3); grid on; % axis equal  % 'equal' left axis static in R2012, however in R2014 same option makes axis move
axis manual;       % axis steady, instead of axis equal

[x y z] = cylinder([.3 0])                                          % generating all surfaces to assemble
h(1) = surface(x,y,z,'FaceColor','red') 
h(2) = surface(x,y,-z,'FaceColor','green') 
h(3) = surface(z,x,y,'FaceColor','blue') 
h(4) = surface(-z,x,y,'FaceColor','cyan') 
h(5) = surface(y,z,x,'FaceColor','magenta') 
h(6) = surface(y,-z,x,'FaceColor','yellow') 

t = hgtransform('Parent',ax)                 % showing parts
set(h,'Parent',t)

set(gcf,'Renderer','opengl')                    % assembling parts and show
drawnow

Rz=eye(4);                                              
Sxy=Rz;    % translation vector

for r = 1:.1:2*pi                              % CCW: COUNTER CLOCK WISE
 Rz = makehgtform('zrotate',r)
      Sxy = makehgtform('scale',r)
     set(t,'Matrix',Rz)                                % apply translation and rotation with Rz*Sxy
    drawnow
end

% pause(1)
% 
% for r = 1:-.1:-2*pi                            % CW: CLOCK WISE
%  Rz = makehgtform('zrotate',r)
%     set(t,'Matrix',Rz)                         
%     drawnow
% end
% 
% set(t,'Matrix',eye(4))                               % normalizing orientation and size to 1

Translation, this example does not keep the axis steady, but it's a translation

% test3_hgtransf_translating

ax = axes('XLim',[-2 1],'YLim',[-2 1],'ZLim',[-1 1]) 
view(3); grid on; axis equal

[x y z] = cylinder([.3 0]);
h(1) = surface(x,y,z,'FaceColor','red');
h(2) = surface(x,y,-z,'FaceColor','green');
h(3) = surface(z,x,y,'FaceColor','blue');
h(4) = surface(-z,x,y,'FaceColor','cyan');
h(5) = surface(y,z,x,'FaceColor','magenta');
h(6) = surface(y,-z,x,'FaceColor','yellow');

t1 = hgtransform('Parent',ax);
t2 = hgtransform('Parent',ax);
set(gcf,'Renderer','opengl')

Scaling

ax = axes('XLim',[-1.5 1.5],'YLim',[-1.5 1.5], 'ZLim',[-1.5 1.5])
view(3); grid on; axis equal

[x y z] = cylinder([.3 0])                                          % generating all surfaces to assemble
h(1) = surface(x,y,z,'FaceColor','red') 
h(2) = surface(x,y,-z,'FaceColor','green') 
h(3) = surface(z,x,y,'FaceColor','blue') 
h(4) = surface(-z,x,y,'FaceColor','cyan') 
h(5) = surface(y,z,x,'FaceColor','magenta') 
h(6) = surface(y,-z,x,'FaceColor','yellow') 

t = hgtransform('Parent',ax)                                    % showing parts
set(h,'Parent',t)

set(gcf,'Renderer','opengl')                                       % assembling parts and show
drawnow

Sxy=eye(4);

for r = 1:.1:6
    Sxy = makehgtform('scale',r/4)
    set(t,'Matrix',Sxy)
    drawnow
end

pause(1)

for r = 6:-.1:1
    Sxy = makehgtform('scale',r/4)
    set(t,'Matrix',Sxy)
    drawnow
end

set(t,'Matrix',eye(4))     

    set(h,'Parent',t1);h2=copyobj(h,t2)

    Txy=makehgtform('translate',[-1.5 -1.5 0])
    set(t2,'Matrix',Txy)
    pause(2)
    delete(t1)
    drawnow

If you find this answer of any help solving your question, please click on the thumbs-up vote link,

thanks in advance

John

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Answer 2

[Elliot]

Thanks John but I already have a method for the animations and determining all the points and everything like that. The only thing wrong currently is that a new figure window pops up, with a new axis scale, and sometimes a new orientation for every new plot. Is there a way to keep the same axis, figure window, scaling, etc. and only re-plot points on the plot?