Creating a 3-D Column Chart

The 3-D column chart is a variation of the 2-D column chart and serves effectively the same purpose i.e. it is mainly used to compare one item to another, or to compare different items over a period of time. 3-D column charts are effective in showing dramatic changes from one category to another. In this section of the tutorial we’re going to look at the production of a 3-D column chart based on the same data that we used to produce a 2-D column chart. Here’s the basic 3-D column chart that we’re going to produce:-

Data for the Column Chart

The data for the column chart has already been prepared and stored by Deltagraph. It is held in the Samples folder within the main Deltagraph folder (called Dg4 on the system that this tutorial was produced on). To load the data, proceed as follows:-

1. Select Open from the File menu.
2. Locate and open the Samples folder.
3. Open the file Business.Dg4.

When loaded, the data is displayed as follows (after using Name Page from the View menu to name the data page ‘3-D Column’.:-

Plotting the Column Chart

Firstly, select the Chart Gallery from the Data menu and, in the dialog box which is displayed, set Category to ‘Bars/Cols’, select ‘3-D’ for Kind, and select 3-D Column chart from the gallery, as follows:-

Now click on OK. The following Deltagraph window should be displayed:-

Now, moving the new floating window out of the way if necessary, then:-

1. Type ‘Timespan’ into cell A13, ‘Country’ into cell B13, and ‘Product X Sales’ into cell C13.

2. Then click on ‘Titles’ in the floating window, select cell A13 and click on ‘X Title’.

3. Similarly, select cell B13 and click on ‘Y Title’, and select cell C13 and click on ‘Z Title’.

The Deltagraph window should now look something like:-

Now, choose Select All from the Edit menu, and click on Plot in the floating window. The 3-D column chart should be drawn as follows:-

(Note when you click on Plot in the floating window, you may get the message:-

If so, click on OK and then select the data by choosing Select All from the Edit menu, select Chart Gallery from the Data menu, and click on OK. The chart should then be drawn as above).

3-D Column Chart Options

If (making sure that the 3-D column chart is selected) you select Options... from the Chart menu, the following dialog box should appear:-

The various parameters that can be set operate as follows:-

• Square Grids changes the grid pattern on the bottom plane of the chart into squares.
• Projected Ticks and Labels draws ticks and labels in perspective to the grid lines.
• Clip Data hides or "clips off" any data plotted outside the chart grids.
• Ticks and Labels Outside Walls extends the ticks slightly beyond the chart walls and places the labels outside the walls at the same perspective as the ticks.
• Back Planes turns any or all six back planes on (the default) or off. (Back planes are the "walls" of the chart. West, North, and Bottom planes represent the left, right, and bottom planes on a default chart. When you click in one of the check boxes the respective axis on the sample box is highlighted. (South, East, and Top planes in a default chart represent the invisible sides and top of the chart. The South, East, and Top plane options are only effective if the rotation of the chart has been changed using "3-D View" from the Chart menu).
• Bar Width controls the width of the chart’s data graphics (i.e. in this case, the columns), using the category and series axis grids as a boundary and based on a percentage of the base grid size. To change the width of the data graphics, you can either (1) drag the sizing handles vertically (resizes the graphics along the series axis) or horizontally (resizes the graphics along the category axis), or (2) enter a value between 1% and 100%, or (3) click the direction arrows to scroll through the options.
• Shape determines the shape of the data graphics (i.e. columns in this case). You can choose from bars, pyramids, monuments, and cylinders.
• Wall Thickness controls the thickness of one or all back planes on the chart, as measured in points (one point = 1/72 inch). To change the wall thickness, enter a point size in the "Thickness" text box or click the direction arrows to scroll through the values.

Click on the Show button to preview your changes without exiting the dialog. This allows you to experiment with different options and assess their effects without committing to a redrawing of the chart. If selected, the dialog box will shrink to its title bar. You can restore it by clicking on the zoom box (second from the right). You can drag the dialog box out of the way by dragging on its title bar.

When you have achieved the required effect, click on OK. If you want to exit from the dialog box without making any changes, click on Cancel.

Example

As an example of the effects of varying the options, try setting the Bar Width option as Series = 30% of base, and Category = 30% of base, and choosing Shape as Monuments, as follows:-

Now redraw the graph. It should look like:-

Try experimenting with the various options to see the sorts of effects produced.

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