Re: [Matplotlib-users] [SciPy-User] (no subject)

[Benjamin R. <ben...@ou...>]

On Tue, Jan 18, 2011 at 5:32 PM, Alex Liberzon <ale...@gm...>wrote:

> Hi,
>
> While moving from Matlab to Numpy/Scipy/Matplotlib I need sometimes to work
> with Matlab figures. It would be nice if we could load Matlab figures in
> Python, extract the data and some basic parameters of how it was looking in
> Matlab and create its "clone" in matplotlib. At present the Matlab figures
> are MAT files and in the near future it will be HDF5, both formats are
> loadable. However, I have not found any reference for such attempts to load
> and parse the FIG files. As a beginner I find it difficult to write a large
> piece of code. However, if there are other  interested users that can
> cooperate on such, I'd gladly contribute some hours for this task.
> Meanwhile, to show the proof-of-concept attempt is attached below. All your
> useful comments and suggestions are very welcome.
>
> Thank you,
> Alex
>
>
Alex,

That is very interesting.  I was not aware that matlab's figure files were
simply .mat files in disguise.  I would presume that it would be feasible to
produce some sort of importer in such a case (provided the documentation for
Matlab's figure format is complete enough).

I am wary of making such a function a core feature of Matplotlib, however,
because it would require creating a dependency to the scipy.io package.
However, I could see it being a toolkit package like Basemap.

Would you mind creating a feature request ticket at:

http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=80706

If you include this example code, and maybe some links to some documentation
on matlab's figure files, maybe something can grow from that.

Thanks!
Ben Root