How can I create 3D surface plots using Matplotlib?

How can I create 3D surface plots using Matplotlib?

You can create 3D surface plots in Matplotlib using the plot_surface method from the Axes3D class. First, you'll need to import the necessary libraries.

What libraries do I need to import?

You'll need to import matplotlib.pyplot and numpy. You can also import mpl_toolkits.mplot3d for 3D plotting.

Can you show me a simple code example?

Sure! Here's a basic example:

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from mpl_toolkits.mplot3d import Axes3D

X = np.linspace(-5, 5, 100)
Y = np.linspace(-5, 5, 100)
X, Y = np.meshgrid(X, Y)
Z = np.sin(np.sqrt(X**2 + Y**2))

fig = plt.figure()
ax = fig.add_subplot(111, projection='3d')
ax.plot_surface(X, Y, Z, cmap='viridis')
plt.show()

What does the cmap parameter do?

The cmap parameter specifies the colormap used to color the surface. In this case, 'viridis' is a popular colormap that provides a visually appealing gradient.