Draw lines and contours with hatches on one side of the line in MATLAB.
These routines allow easy MATLAB plotting of lines or contours with hatches on one side. This line style is often used in optimization problems to represent a constraint, where one side of the line represents a no-go area. The format (angle, length, spacing) of the hatches can be tailored.
This package is also available through the Matlab File Exchange.
- hatchedline An extension of the plot command that draws with a hatched style.
- hatchedcontour Unwraps the contour C vector and draws then with a hatched style.
- ocontourc A replacement for contourc that guarantees contour orientation.
My need to generate quality graphics representing constrained optimization problems keeps coming back. Each time in a different language.
In January 2006, I first needed to produce quality graphics in Java to represent a constrained optimization problem. To accomplish this, I implemented a custom Graphics2D Stroke that would draw hatches along a line as the line itself was drawn. Consequently, anything drawn with Java's Graphics2D could use this custom line style. I recently released the Java version.
Most recently (March 2019), my team once again needed to visualize constrained design spaces; this time in Python and Matplotlib. So, in a bit of déjà vu, I wrote the same tool again. This time I submitted it to the upstream project, and after traversing their contribution process, it was accepted for inclusion in Matplotlib version 3.4.0 -- first released in March 2021.
Similar to the Java approach, it is implemented as a PathEffect in Matplotlib and should be applicable to any line drawn. Update your Matplotlib to 3.4.0 or newer and you'll have this capability. Check out their example gallery for some documentation and examples on using TickedStroke.
This software is Copyright (c) Rob McDonald 2006-2021 and is released under the terms specified in the license.