This dialog is used when you enter the New -> New Surface 3D Plot command. It allows to create a new function of two variables. The only available coordinate system is the cartesian one: z = f(x,y).
You can then enter the X, Y and Z scales and you can define the mesh parameters.
You can also create parametric surfaces.
The only parameters allowed are the latitude and the longitude: u
and v
.
Here's, for example, how you can plot a sphere having a radius equal to one:
Like in the case of functions, you can supply the drawing domain for the two angle parameters and you can define the mesh parameters. The more rows/columns you request for, the better the resolution of the output image, but also the larger the memory consumption and the lower the speed of your computer.
Also, you can provide information about the rotational symmetry of the
parametric surface to the drawing routines, using the two Periodic
box options
(one for each parameter).