[Matplotlib-users] transparent background for encapsulated postscript output

[Michael H. <mh...@us...>]

I am using Basemap, and trying to create two maps:

One large-scale map, and a small-scale inset map of the world  
centered on the location of the large-scale map.  My ultimate goal is  
to create a figure where the inset map is inserted into a corner of  
the large-scale map.  I can see two ways of doing this:

1) Create both as encapsulated postscript images separately, and put  
them together in a later "compositing" process. (I'm doing this  
already).
2) Create both as basemap instances, and then draw the smaller one on  
top of the large-scale one.  I have no idea how to do this.

A problem I have encountered with the first method is that my image  
background is set to white by default.  I've tried to make it  
transparent by doing the following:

fig = figure(figsize=(5,5),frameon=False) #turn the frame off completely
fig.figurePatch.set_alpha(0.0) #tried setting this to 1.0 and 0.0,  
neither works

Method #2 would be cleaner, if I could do what I wanted to do in  
terms of transparencies, but if not, I'll take method #1.

Does anyone know if it is possible to set the image background  
transparent for encapsulated postscript output?

Thanks,

Mike




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Michael Hearne
mh...@us...
(303) 273-8620
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
1711 Illinois St. Golden CO 80401
Senior Software Engineer
Synergetics, Inc.
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