3D & GPU

3D surface plot

Use a 3D surface plot for a continuous value over two continuous dimensions — response surfaces, terrain, z = f(x, y) function plots — where the shape of the surface is the story. Supply a regular grid of [x, y, z] triples as inline data; when readers need to look up exact values, a heatmap of the same grid is easier to read. WebGL-rendered via echarts-gl and non-portable — a spec using it classifies as dvt Full.

Illustrative 2D stand-in — chart:surface renders a continuous WebGL surface in dvt itself; this heatmap shows the same z = f(x, y) grid as color.

Minimal dvt spec

The panel body for a 3d surface plot. Add an id and title of your own; the sample data is inline, so it renders the moment you paste it into a dvt dashboard. GL series are author-passthrough: the inline series[].data in the spec is what renders — dvt does not bind warehouse query rows into GL series yet, so keep the data inline.

chart:surface is an ECharts GL type: it renders via WebGL in the browser and requires the echarts-gl module, so the spec is not portable to plain-ECharts environments and classifies as dvt Full — the spec-portability profile, not a separate product edition. GL series have no upstream Apache-core option doc, so dvt passes GL options through validation as-is, and headless render and export (PNG posters, scheduled exports) are unverified for this family.

View spec

{
  "type": "chart:surface",
  "spec": {
    "grid3D": {},
    "xAxis3D": {
      "type": "value"
    },
    "yAxis3D": {
      "type": "value"
    },
    "zAxis3D": {
      "type": "value"
    },
    "series": [
      {
        "type": "surface",
        "dataShape": [
          3,
          3
        ],
        "data": [
          [
            -1,
            -1,
            1.2
          ],
          [
            0,
            -1,
            0.6
          ],
          [
            1,
            -1,
            1.2
          ],
          [
            -1,
            0,
            0.6
          ],
          [
            0,
            0,
            0.1
          ],
          [
            1,
            0,
            0.6
          ],
          [
            -1,
            1,
            1.2
          ],
          [
            0,
            1,
            0.6
          ],
          [
            1,
            1,
            1.2
          ]
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Customize

Every control in dvt's edit tray writes a field of this spec, and the reference below lists every control and ChartSpec field this type accepts.

chart:surface has no edit-tray controls. dvt passes its ECharts option through as authored, so anything the ECharts option surface accepts can be set under spec.

Chart spec fields

Field	What it does
`xAxis`	One axis, or an array of axes, via `AxisSpec`: type, name, min, max, scale, log, and label formatting.
`yAxis`	Same shape as `xAxis`, for the value axis: type, name, min, max, scale, log, and label formatting.
`series`	Per-series overrides: `type`, `dataField`, `name`, `stack`, `smooth`, `itemStyle`, `lineStyle`, `areaStyle`, `label`.
`legend`	Show or hide the legend, set its position, and format an aggregated value shown next to each entry.
`tooltip`	Choose which fields appear, a totals row, field order, a custom template, and crosshair behavior.
`grid`	A raw ECharts grid box (`left`, `right`, `top`, `bottom`, `containLabel`), passed through unmodified.
`funnelRate`	Show a conversion-rate label on a funnel: `step`, `overall`, `total`, or `none`, with a `precision`.
`label`	Data labels: `show`, `position`, `format`, a derived value (percent of total, delta), rotation, size, color.
`gridlines`	Toggle and style gridlines per axis: `show`, dashed or solid `style`, `width`, and `color`.
`banding`	Alternating background bands along one axis, to make long rows or columns easier to scan.
`plotArea`	Set the plot area's background fill and border color.
`gridPadding`	Explicit `left`, `right`, `top`, and `bottom` padding around the plot area, each a number or a string.
`density`	Overall plot density: `comfortable` (default spacing) or `compact` (tighter margins).
`palette`	Name a registered color scheme to apply to the series, instead of the default categorical colors.
`categoryColors`	Map specific category values to explicit colors, overriding the palette for just those categories.
`colorRules`	Apply a color to a data point the first time one of its ordered `when` conditions matches.
`colorScale`	A continuous color scale (`sequential`, `diverging`, or `piecewise`) with a scheme, domain, and buckets.
`annotations`	Fixed or computed reference lines, bands, points, or text, placed at an axis value or a stat of a field.
`trendline`	Overlay a fitted trend line: `true` for a default linear fit, or an object naming the method and order.
`footnotes`	Up to 50 footnote entries, each a marker plus explanatory text, rendered below the chart.
`sourceNote`	A single line of source-attribution text rendered below the chart.

Build it in dvt

Every chart type on this site is a few lines of the same declarative JSON spec. Read the full spec format, or connect an AI agent to your warehouse and build one live in the quickstart.

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