What is 3D Scatter Plot?

3D Scatter Plot creates interactive three-dimensional scatter plots from your data. Rotate, zoom, and pan to spot patterns and clusters you'd miss in 2D. Color-code by group, adjust point sizes, and label your axes.

Paste CSV directly or upload a file with X, Y, Z numeric columns plus an optional group column for colour-coding. The plot renders with Plotly, so rotation, zoom, and pan stay smooth past 10,000 points. Five built-in palettes cover most needs; you can switch axis planes and grid lines off for a cleaner look in publications.

How to use

1. Paste your data as CSV with columns for X, Y, Z coordinates, or upload a CSV file. Optionally include a Group column for color-coded categories.
2. Customize axis labels, point size, color palette, and background. Toggle grid lines and axis planes for clearer depth perception.
3. Rotate the plot by dragging, zoom with scroll wheel, then export as a PNG image or download the interactive HTML file to share with others.

When to use

• Spotting clusters in three-variable data that disappear in any 2D pairwise plot.
• Visualising sensor readings (lat, lon, altitude) or motion-capture data over time.
• Presenting research results in a slide deck with an interactive HTML export instead of a flat image.

Result

A biologist pastes 200 rows of gene expression data (Gene A, Gene B, Gene C values) with tissue-type grouping. The 3D plot reveals two distinct clusters that weren't visible in any 2D projection.

FAQ

How many data points can the chart handle before it slows down?

Up to about 10,000 points renders smoothly on a recent laptop. Past that you'll see frame drops during rotation. For larger datasets, pre-aggregate or sample first; a few thousand representative points usually tells the same story as the full set.

What CSV format does the parser expect?

First row is column headers, comma-separated. Columns 1-3 are read as X, Y, Z numeric values. Any column 4+ named like 'group', 'category', or 'class' is used for colour grouping. Rows with non-numeric X/Y/Z are skipped silently.

Can I label individual points or add tooltips?

Hovering shows the underlying X, Y, Z values and group name if set. Per-point text labels aren't supported because they overlap badly in 3D. If you need labelled points, export the HTML and edit the Plotly source.

Why do my axes start at weird non-zero values?

The chart auto-scales each axis to the min and max of your data with a small padding margin. This shows variation better but can hide the origin. If you need axes anchored at zero, normalise your data before pasting.

Does the HTML export keep the data interactive after download?

Yes. The exported HTML keeps your data fully interactive: it still rotates, zooms, and pans, and the title and styling are baked in. It pulls the Plotly library from a CDN when the file opens, so it needs an internet connection rather than working offline. Only your data is embedded, so the file itself stays small.

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