quiver aspect ratio

Recently I noticed that the quiver plots all make the arrows as if the plot had aspect ratio 1. See, for example, the documentation for quiver:

In all cases the arrow aspect ratio is 1, so that if *U*==*V* the
    angle of the arrow on the plot is 45 degrees CCW from the *x*-axis.

This seems to make the plot pretty useless if the aspect ratio is not 1, since then the slopes of the arrows do not match up with the coordinate axes. What is the reason for this design decision? Does it have to do with the arrows distorting if the aspect ratio is not 1? At one time, there was talk of adding a line version of quiver (as opposed to the patch version there now). See http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.python.matplotlib.devel/1885. Has that happened? I suppose a line version would allow different aspect ratios.

Is there an easy way to get a correct quiver plot (i.e., correct slopes) now if the aspect ratio is not 1?

Thanks,

Jason

Recently I noticed that the quiver plots all make the arrows as if the plot had aspect ratio 1. See, for example, the documentation for quiver:

In all cases the arrow aspect ratio is 1, so that if *U*==*V* the
    angle of the arrow on the plot is 45 degrees CCW from the *x*-axis.

This seems to make the plot pretty useless if the aspect ratio is not 1, since then the slopes of the arrows do not match up with the coordinate axes. What is the reason for this design decision? Does it have to do with the arrows distorting if the aspect ratio is not 1? At one time,

No, the design suits my applications: I want to plot arrows indicating ocean current vectors as a function of position in the horizontal, or as a function of depth and time. But I don't think the design is limiting. See below.

there was talk of adding a line version of quiver (as opposed to the patch version there now). See http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.python.matplotlib.devel/1885. Has that happened? I suppose a line version would allow different aspect ratios.

No, in this respect it would be no different. And no, a line version has not been added.

Is there an easy way to get a correct quiver plot (i.e., correct slopes) now if the aspect ratio is not 1?

Please provide a script that illustrates what you think is the problem. Exactly what is it that you want to do, and don't know how to do with quiver as it is?

Note that you have full control over U and V; you can make the arrows point any direction you want, and be any length you want. And you can locate them anywhere you want.

Basemap illustrates how quiver can be used with curvilinear coordinates; the U and V are adjusted to align the arrows with the coordinates.

It is possible that quiver needs more modification to work properly and flexibly with the new transforms implementation; in fact I know of a bug that this introduced, and I will commit a correction shortly. I have not looked into quiver behavior with transforms-based projections. They might indeed call for a design change.

Eric

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jason-sage@...2130... wrote:

First off, in rereading my message, it sounded more abrasive than I
intended. I should have asked more questions and complained less; sorry.

Eric Firing wrote:

Is there an easy way to get a correct quiver plot (i.e., correct slopes) now if the aspect ratio is not 1?

Please provide a script that illustrates what you think is the problem. Exactly what is it that you want to do, and don't know how to do with quiver as it is?

One application I'd like to use it for is direction field plots for
first order linear differential equations (i.e., y' = some function of x
and y). Given the function y'(x,y), I plot a quiver where U is a vector
of ones and V is a vector of y'(corresponding x and y coordinates), so
for the arrow based at point (x,y), the arrow has slope corresponding to
the slope of the solution that passes through (x,y).

However, when the aspect ratio is not one, a solution will have a
different slope (because the slope is measured in coordinates
corresponding to the axes) than the slope of the arrow.

Here is a small example, modified from the quiver examples in matplotlib.

from pylab import *

X,Y = meshgrid( arange(0,1,.2),arange(0,1,.2) )
def yprime(x,y):
    return 1

U,V = meshgrid([1]*len(X), [1]*len(Y))

figure()
Q = quiver(X,Y,U, V)

# This is a solution to the differential equation y'=1, but it doesn't
# look like it because the slopes do not respect the aspect ratio of
# the plot. What should happen is the arrows should point along the
# line.
plot([0,1],[0,1])

axis([0,1,0,0.5])

title("Slope Field for dy/dx=1")
show()

In looking at the basemap examples (specifically quiver_demo.py), it
looks like you specifically rotate the vectors to match up with map
coordinates; is that right? Applying to the situation above, do I need
to rotate my vectors to respect the aspect ratio? What's the easiest
way to get quiver(X,Y,U,V) to behave so that the vectors plotted would,
for each coordinate (x,y) and corresponding (u,v), be parallel to the
vector between (x,y) and (x+u, y+v) (where (x, y) and (u,v) are taken as
coordinates in the axis coordinate system).

Please let me know if I'm not clear in what I'm asking.

Thanks,

Jason

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jason-sage@...2130... wrote:

Note that you have full control over U and V; you can make the arrows point any direction you want, and be any length you want. And you can locate them anywhere you want.

Basemap illustrates how quiver can be used with curvilinear coordinates; the U and V are adjusted to align the arrows with the coordinates.

It is possible that quiver needs more modification to work properly and flexibly with the new transforms implementation; in fact I know of a bug that this introduced, and I will commit a correction shortly. I have not looked into quiver behavior with transforms-based projections. They might indeed call for a design change.

Eric