---

permalink: python/3d-surface-plots/

description: How to make 3D-surface plots in Python

name: 3D Surface Plots in Python | plotly

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thumbnail: thumbnail/3d-surface.jpg

layout: user-guide

name: 3D Surface Plots

language: python

title: 3D Surface Plots in Python | plotly

display_as: 3d_charts

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page_type: example_index

order: 6

---

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<h4 id="Topographical-3D-Surface-Plot">Topographical 3D Surface Plot<a class="anchor-link" href="#Topographical-3D-Surface-Plot">&#182;</a></h4>

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<div class="prompt input_prompt">In&nbsp;[2]:</div>

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<div class=" highlight hl-ipython2"><pre><span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">plotly.plotly</span> <span class="kn">as</span> <span class="nn">py</span>

<span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">plotly.graph_objs</span> <span class="kn">as</span> <span class="nn">go</span>

<span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">pandas</span> <span class="kn">as</span> <span class="nn">pd</span>

<span class="c"># Read data from a csv</span>

<span class="n">z_data</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">pd</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">read_csv</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">&#39;https://raw.githubusercontent.com/plotly/datasets/master/api_docs/mt_bruno_elevation.csv&#39;</span><span class="p">)</span>

<span class="n">data</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">[</span>

<span class="n">go</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">Surface</span><span class="p">(</span>

<span class="n">z</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">z_data</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">as_matrix</span><span class="p">()</span>

<span class="p">)</span>

<span class="p">]</span>

<span class="n">layout</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">go</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">Layout</span><span class="p">(</span>

<span class="n">title</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">&#39;Mt Bruno Elevation&#39;</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">autosize</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="bp">False</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">width</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">500</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">height</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">500</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">margin</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="nb">dict</span><span class="p">(</span>

<span class="n">l</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">65</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">r</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">50</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">b</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">65</span><span class="p">,</span>

<span class="n">t</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">90</span>

<span class="p">)</span>

<span class="p">)</span>

<span class="n">fig</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">go</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">Figure</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">data</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">data</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">layout</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">layout</span><span class="p">)</span>

<span class="n">py</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">iplot</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">fig</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">filename</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">&#39;elevations-3d-surface&#39;</span><span class="p">)</span>

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<div class="output_area"><div class="prompt output_prompt">Out[2]:</div>

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<iframe id="igraph" scrolling="no" style="border:none;" seamless="seamless" src="https://plot.ly/~demo_account/104.embed" height="500px" width="500px"></iframe>

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<h4 id="Multiple-3D-Surface-Plots">Multiple 3D Surface Plots<a class="anchor-link" href="#Multiple-3D-Surface-Plots">&#182;</a></h4>

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<div class="prompt input_prompt">In&nbsp;[3]:</div>

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<div class=" highlight hl-ipython2"><pre><span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">plotly.plotly</span> <span class="kn">as</span> <span class="nn">py</span>

<span class="kn">from</span> <span class="nn">plotly.graph_objs</span> <span class="kn">import</span> <span class="n">Surface</span>

<span class="n">z1</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">[</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.83</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.89</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.81</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.87</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.9</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.87</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.89</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.94</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.85</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.94</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.96</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.92</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.84</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.9</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.82</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.92</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.93</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.91</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.79</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.85</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.79</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.9</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.94</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.92</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.79</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.88</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.81</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.9</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.95</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.92</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.8</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.82</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.78</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.91</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.94</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.92</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.75</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.78</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.77</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.91</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.95</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.92</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.8</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.8</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.77</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.91</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.95</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.94</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.74</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.81</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.76</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.93</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.98</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.99</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.89</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.99</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.92</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.1</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.13</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.11</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.97</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.97</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.91</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.09</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.11</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.11</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">9.04</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.08</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.05</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.25</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.28</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.27</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mi">9</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.01</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mi">9</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.2</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.23</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.2</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.99</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.99</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.98</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.18</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.2</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.19</span><span class="p">],</span>

<span class="p">[</span><span class="mf">8.93</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.97</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">8.97</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.18</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.2</span><span class="p">,</span><span class="mf">9.18</span><span class="p">]</span>

<span class="p">]</span>

<span class="n">z2</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">[[</span><span class="n">zij</span><span class="o">+</span><span class="mi">1</span> <span class="k">for</span> <span class="n">zij</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="n">zi</span><span class="p">]</span> <span class="k">for</span> <span class="n">zi</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="n">z1</span><span class="p">]</span>

<span class="n">z3</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">[[</span><span class="n">zij</span><span class="o">-</span><span class="mi">1</span> <span class="k">for</span> <span class="n">zij</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="n">zi</span><span class="p">]</span> <span class="k">for</span> <span class="n">zi</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="n">z1</span><span class="p">]</span>

<span class="n">py</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">iplot</span><span class="p">([</span>

<span class="nb">dict</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">z</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">z1</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="nb">type</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">&#39;surface&#39;</span><span class="p">),</span>

<span class="nb">dict</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">z</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">z2</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">showscale</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="bp">False</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">opacity</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mf">0.9</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="nb">type</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">&#39;surface&#39;</span><span class="p">),</span>

<span class="nb">dict</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">z</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">z3</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">showscale</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="bp">False</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">opacity</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mf">0.9</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="nb">type</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">&#39;surface&#39;</span><span class="p">)],</span>

<span class="n">filename</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">&#39;python-docs/multiple-surfaces&#39;</span><span class="p">)</span>

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<iframe id="igraph" scrolling="no" style="border:none;" seamless="seamless" src="https://plot.ly/~demo_account/107.embed" height="525px" width="100%"></iframe>

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<h4 id="Reference">Reference<a class="anchor-link" href="#Reference">&#182;</a></h4>

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<p>See <a href="https://plot.ly/python/reference/#surface">https://plot.ly/python/reference/#surface</a> for more information!</p>

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