PGFPlotsX and color map

Specific Domains Visualization
,
1

I want to use a different color map than “hot”. When I try to use the “viridis” color map, I get an error.
It isn’t clear to me why it should be so, since the latex code matches what I can find in the PGF manual.

@pgf ax = Axis({
    view = (0, 90),
    height = "11cm",
    width = "14cm",
    xlabel = "Frequency",
    ylabel = "Angle",
    grid="major",
    colormap_name="hot",
    enlargelimits = false
}, 
Plot3({surf,shader="interp",samples=1,patch_type="rectangle"}, Table(frequencies, phis, scatp))
)

This works when color map is “hot”, but fails with

julia> include("acousticcolor.jl")! Missing number, treated as zero.
<to be read again>\pgfpl@cm@viridis@size
l.4562 \end{axis}
ERROR: LoadError: The latex command `lualatex julia0jx0Ch.tex` failed
...

The generated latex code reads:

\begin{axis}[view={0}{90}, height={11cm}, width={14cm}, xlabel={Frequency}, ylabel={Angle}, grid={major}, colormap name={viridis}, enlargelimits={false}]
    \addplot3[surf, shader={interp}, samples={1}, patch type={rectangle}]
        table[row sep={\\}]
...

Any hints will be appreciated.

2

You did not include an MWE, so the only thing I can confirm is that both versions below work fine for me:

using PGFPlotsX
x = 1:5
z = x .+ x'
@pgf Axis({"colormap/viridis"}, Plot3({surf}, Table(x, x, z)))
@pgf Axis({colormap_name = "viridis"}, Plot3({surf}, Table(x, x, z)))

producing
x

1 Like
3

Thanks for the example. It fails for me.

julia> include("try.jl")
! Package pgfplots Error: The colormap `viridis' is undefined! Maybe you misspe
lled it?.

See the pgfplots package documentation for explanation.
Type  H <return>  for immediate help.
 ...

l.47 \end{axis}

Error showing value of type Axis:
ERROR: The latex command `lualatex juliaef4Hf8.tex` failed

Perhaps I need to update the pgfplots package?

4
1 Like
5

Thanks for the pointer. I’m still working on the update of PGF plots, since my Ubuntu TeX Live doesn’t want to do it. Oh well.

6

I erased texlive (sudo apt-get remove texlive), and the newly installed texlive now lives in /usr/local/texlive/2018, so that I get for which lualatex => /usr/local/texlive/2018/bin/x86_64-linux/lualatex. So I presume that’s what is found when I do build PGFPlotsX. Unfortunately the plotting with the viridis color map still fails with the same error. I tried updating: sudo /usr/local/texlive/2018/bin/x86_64-linux/tlmgr update --all claims no update is available. So if pgfplots is up-to-date, why is the color map still not found? Any ideas?

7

A restart of the Linux machine, and the viridis colormap now displays. However, this time it is the “jet” colormap that is not found!

8

This thing is VERY fiddly: to get the jet color map to work I have to do "colormap/jet", colormap_name="jet" does not work. On the other hand colormap_name="viridis" works fine.

9

I am afraid that is a pgfplots thing we can do little about.

I am surprised that Ubuntu TeXLive does not work for you, are you on 18.04?

1 Like
10

Of course, my “fiddly” comment was directed at pgfplots (no ‘X’ ;)). I will try to debug the pgfplots colormaps a bit by looking at the generated latex. When something doesn’t work for me, it is usually MODF ( my own damn fault). For what it’s worth, here is my opinion: pgfplots and PGFPlotsX are extremely impressive software, which produce astonishing graphics in camera-ready quality. Many thanks to the authors!

The texlive installation business must have to do with the fact that I am running it as a Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). I am currently on Ubuntu 14.04. (I know, I should upgrade, and I will at some point.)

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