Re: [Matplotlib-users] plot_surface does not work

[Ethan G. <eth...@gm...>]

> This is because the default rstride and cstride arguments is 10, IIRC.  Since your array is only 12x12, the surface plotting is barely plotting anything.  Try calling:
> 
> ax.plot_surface(x, y, a, rstride=1, cstride=1)


You know, this has tripped me up a few times too.  I don't use plot_surface often enough to always remember this, and it is not the first parameter I think to check when debugging a program.  Is there a reason the default rstride and cstride aren't 1 other than possible memory constraints for large arrays?  

I suppose changing the defaults might break programs that rely on this behavior, but if this API ever gets revamped, consider this a request to make 1 be the default instead.  I would think that the default should be that the obvious command "just works" while plots that may require too much memory can be tweaked to work faster (I'm assuming that is the reason for the default of 10). 

thanks
Ethan