How do I make a scatter plot with spheres?

I am using SCATTER3 to generate my plot. I would like the circles to be spheres instead.

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

In order to produce a scatter plot with 3D objects like a ball you can use the SPHERE function to generate the object surface data and then use the X,Y and Z coordinates that you used with SCATTER3 function as the center coordinates of the each sphere. You may generate your plot using a script similar to the one found in the attached file 'my3dplot.m'.

The x,y and z vectors in this script can essentially be replaced with the 3D coordinates of your data. These coordinates will act as the center of the sphere defined by x1,y1 and z1.

To alter the size of each sphere, vary the scale factor by which x1,y1 and z1 are multiplied (SPHERE function generates unit spheres) .You can specify the sphere color through the use of the 'FaceColor' property when calling the SURF function.