3D Charts - TeeChart VCL/FMX Samples

Overview

TeeChart VCL provides powerful 3D visualization capabilities for displaying multi-dimensional data. The 3D chart types include Surface, Contour, Tower, Point3D, and various other specialized series with full 3D rendering, rotation, and interactive exploration.

Surface Series

Surface charts display three-dimensional data as a continuous surface, ideal for visualizing mathematical functions, terrain, or any Z=f(X,Y) relationship.

Fast Surface Rendering

Location: TeeNew/Surface_FastBrush.pas

unit Surface_FastBrush;

type
  TSurfaceFastBrush = class(TBaseForm)
    Series1: TSurfaceSeries;
    ChartTool1: TRotateTool;
    CheckBox1: TCheckBox;  // FastBrush toggle
  end;

procedure TSurfaceFastBrush.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
  inherited;
  Chart1.View3D := True;
  
  // Generate surface data
  Series1.FillSampleValues(30);
  
  // Performance optimizations
  Series1.Pen.Hide;                    // Hide grid lines
  Series1.FastBrush := True;           // Fast rendering mode
  
  // Speed tricks for static data
  Series1.FillGridIndex;               // Pre-calculate grid
  Series1.ReuseGridIndex := True;      // Reuse calculations
  
  // Chart optimizations
  Chart1.Title.Hide;
  Chart1.Legend.Hide;
  Chart1.ClipPoints := False;
  Chart1.Axes.FastCalc := True;        // Bypass overflow checks
  Chart1.BevelOuter := bvNone;
  Chart1.BufferedDisplay := True;
end;

procedure TSurfaceFastBrush.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  StartTime, EndTime: Cardinal;
  t: Integer;
begin
  // Performance test - rotate 360 degrees
  StartTime := GetTickCount;
  
  for t := 0 to 360 do
  begin
    Chart1.View3DOptions.Rotation := t;
    Chart1.Repaint;
  end;
  
  EndTime := GetTickCount;
  LabelTime.Caption := Format('Time: %.3f sec', [(EndTime - StartTime) * 0.001]);
end;

Performance Features:

FastBrush mode for rapid rendering
Grid index caching
Optimized rotation
Buffered display

Surface Customization

Surface Appearance

// Smoothing and interpolation
Series1.IrregularGrid := True;      // For non-uniform data
Series1.Smoothing := True;
Series1.SmoothingFactor := 0.5;

// Color mapping
Series1.UseColorRange := True;
Series1.UsePalette := True;
Series1.PaletteStyle := psPale;     // Color palette

// Transparency
Series1.Transparency := 30;

Grid Lines

// Grid configuration
Series1.Pen.Visible := True;
Series1.Pen.Color := clBlack;
Series1.Pen.Width := 1;

// Hide specific cells
Series1.HideCells := True;
Series1.HideCell(5, 10);           // Hide cell at X=5, Z=10

Lighting Effects

// 3D lighting
Chart1.View3DOptions.Lighting := True;
Chart1.View3DOptions.LightStyle := lsRealistic;
Chart1.View3DOptions.LightIntensity := 75;

Surface Samples

Surface_FastBrush

High-performance surface rendering

Surface_HideCells

Selective cell visibility

Surface_IrregularGrid

Non-uniform grid surfaces

Surface_Palette

Color palette customization

Surface_SideLines

Side wall line rendering

Surface_Smoothing

Surface smoothing techniques

Contour Series

Contour charts display 3D data as 2D contour lines, similar to topographic maps.

Basic Contour Chart

Location: TeeNew/Contour_Levels.pas

unit Contour_Levels;

type
  TContourLevels = class(TBaseForm)
    Series1: TContourSeries;
  end;

procedure TContourLevels.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
  inherited;
  
  // Generate contour data
  Series1.FillSampleValues(30);
  
  // Contour level configuration
  Series1.NumLevels := 10;              // Number of contour lines
  Series1.AutoLevels := True;           // Auto-calculate levels
  
  // Or manual levels:
  // Series1.AutoLevels := False;
  // Series1.Levels.Clear;
  // Series1.Levels.Add(10);
  // Series1.Levels.Add(20);
  // Series1.Levels.Add(30);
  
  // Appearance
  Series1.Pen.Width := 2;
  Series1.UsePalette := True;
end;

Contour with Smooth Segments

Location: TeeNew/Contour_SmoothSegments.pas

procedure TContourSmooth.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
  inherited;
  
  Series1.FillSampleValues(50);
  
  // Smooth contour lines
  Series1.Smoothing := True;
  Series1.SmoothingFactor := 0.7;       // 0.0 to 1.0
  
  // Segment count for smoothness
  Series1.SegmentCount := 100;          // More segments = smoother
  
  // Fill between contours
  Series1.FillLevels := True;
  Series1.Transparency := 50;
end;

Polar Contour

Location: PolarContour/UPolarContour.pas Polar coordinate contour charts:

procedure TPolarContourForm.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
  inherited;
  
  // Set polar mode
  Chart1.View3D := False;
  Series1.Polar := True;
  
  // Add polar data (angle, radius, value)
  for angle := 0 to 359 do
    for radius := 1 to 10 do
      Series1.AddXYZ(angle, radius, 
        Sin(angle * Pi / 180) * Cos(radius));
end;

Contour Features

Contour_Palette

Custom color palettes for levels

Contour_OnBeforeDraw

Custom drawing events

Contour_View2D

2D vs 3D contour display

Contour_Foot

Foot-shaped contour demonstration

Point3D Series

3D scatter plots for displaying individual points in 3D space. Location: TeeNew/Point3D_BaseLine.pas

unit Point3D_BaseLine;

type
  TPoint3DForm = class(TBaseForm)
    Series1: TPoint3DSeries;
  end;

procedure TPoint3DForm.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
  inherited;
  
  Chart1.View3D := True;
  
  // Add 3D points
  Series1.AddXYZ(10, 20, 30, 'Point 1', clRed);
  Series1.AddXYZ(15, 25, 35, 'Point 2', clBlue);
  Series1.AddXYZ(20, 15, 40, 'Point 3', clGreen);
  
  // Pointer style
  Series1.Pointer.Style := psCircle;
  Series1.Pointer.HorizSize := 5;
  Series1.Pointer.VertSize := 5;
  
  // Connect points with lines
  Series1.LinePen.Visible := True;
  Series1.LinePen.Color := clBlack;
  
  // Base lines to axes
  Series1.LinesPen.Visible := True;     // Lines to base
end;

Point3D Event Handling

Location: TeeNew/Point3D_Event.pas

procedure TPoint3DEvent.Series1ClickPointer(Sender: TCustomSeries;
  ValueIndex, X, Y: Integer);
begin
  // Handle point click
  ShowMessage(Format('Clicked point %d: (%.1f, %.1f, %.1f)', [
    ValueIndex,
    Series1.XValues[ValueIndex],
    Series1.YValues[ValueIndex],
    Series1.ZValues[ValueIndex]
  ]));
  
  // Highlight selected point
  Series1.Pointer.HorizSize := 8;
  Series1.Pointer.VertSize := 8;
end;

Tower Series

Tower charts display 3D vertical bars or towers. Location: TeeNew/Tower_Series.pas

procedure TTowerForm.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
  inherited;
  
  Chart1.View3D := True;
  
  // Add tower data (X, Z, Y-height)
  Series1.AddXYZ(1, 1, 10, '', clRed);
  Series1.AddXYZ(1, 2, 15, '', clBlue);
  Series1.AddXYZ(2, 1, 20, '', clGreen);
  Series1.AddXYZ(2, 2, 25, '', clYellow);
  
  // Tower appearance
  Series1.Width := 5;                   // Tower width
  Series1.Depth := 5;                   // Tower depth
  Series1.Gradient.Visible := True;
end;

3D View Configuration

Control 3D perspective and rotation:

procedure Configure3DView;
begin
  with Chart1.View3DOptions do
  begin
    // Enable 3D
    Chart1.View3D := True;
    
    // Rotation and elevation
    Rotation := 345;                    // Horizontal rotation (degrees)
    Elevation := 345;                   // Vertical elevation (degrees)
    Tilt := 0;                          // Tilt angle
    
    // Perspective
    Perspective := 15;                  // 0=orthogonal, 100=max perspective
    Orthogonal := False;                // True for orthogonal projection
    
    // Zoom
    Zoom := 100;                        // Percentage
    ZoomFloat := 1.0;                   // Fine control
    
    // 3D walls
    Walls.Back.Visible := True;
    Walls.Left.Visible := True;
    Walls.Bottom.Visible := True;
  end;
end;

Interactive 3D Rotation

Add interactive rotation capability:

uses TeeTools;

procedure AddRotationTool;
var
  RotateTool: TRotateTool;
begin
  // Add rotate tool
  RotateTool := TRotateTool.Create(Self);
  RotateTool.ParentChart := Chart1;
  
  // Configure rotation
  RotateTool.InvertX := False;
  RotateTool.InvertY := False;
  RotateTool.Active := True;
  
  // Mouse drag to rotate
  // Right-click drag for elevation
  // Ctrl+drag for tilt
end;

Color Grids

Color grid series for heatmap-style visualization. Location: TeeNew/ColorGrid_Series.pas

procedure TColorGridForm.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
  inherited;
  
  // Create color grid
  Series1.IrregularGrid := False;
  
  // Add grid data
  for X := 0 to 10 do
    for Z := 0 to 10 do
      Series1.AddXYZ(X, Z, Random(100));
  
  // Color mapping
  Series1.UseColorRange := True;
  Series1.UsePalette := True;
  Series1.PaletteStyle := psRainbow;
  
  // View as 2D heatmap
  Chart1.View3D := False;
end;

Color Grid Features

ColorGrid_Bitmap

Display bitmap images as color grids

ColorGrid_Clicked

Handle cell click events

ColorGrid_Marks

Show values in grid cells

ColorGrid_Realtime

Real-time updating color grids

ColorGrid_Transparent

Transparent cells and overlays

OpenGL Acceleration

For maximum 3D performance, use OpenGL rendering: Location: TeeOpenGL component

uses TeeOpenGL;

procedure EnableOpenGL;
var
  OpenGL: TTeeOpenGL;
begin
  // Add OpenGL component
  OpenGL := TTeeOpenGL.Create(Self);
  OpenGL.Active := True;
  OpenGL.ParentChart := Chart1;
  
  // OpenGL settings
  OpenGL.Ambient := 0.3;
  OpenGL.AntiAliasLines := True;
  OpenGL.Shininess := 50;
end;

3D Effects and Enhancements

Lighting
Shadows
Walls

Chart1.View3DOptions.Lighting := True;
Chart1.View3DOptions.LightStyle := lsRealistic;
Chart1.View3DOptions.LightIntensity := 75;

Series1.Shadow.Visible := True;
Series1.Shadow.HorizSize := 5;
Series1.Shadow.VertSize := 5;
Series1.Shadow.Color := clGray;
Series1.Shadow.Transparency := 50;

Chart1.Walls.Back.Gradient.Visible := True;
Chart1.Walls.Left.Color := clWhite;
Chart1.Walls.Bottom.Transparent := True;

Performance Optimization

For large 3D datasets:

Disable Auto-Repaint

Chart1.AutoRepaint := False;
try
  // Add all data points
finally
  Chart1.AutoRepaint := True;
end;

Use FastBrush

SurfaceSeries.FastBrush := True;
SurfaceSeries.Pen.Hide;

Enable Grid Caching

SurfaceSeries.FillGridIndex;
SurfaceSeries.ReuseGridIndex := True;

Consider OpenGL

Use TeeOpenGL for hardware acceleration with large datasets

Standard Series

2D chart types and basics

Statistical Charts

Statistical analysis visualization

Maps

Geographic 3D visualization

Export

Export 3D charts to various formats

3D Sample List

Complete list of 3D samples in TeeNew:

Surface_FastBrush.pas - High-performance surfaces
Surface_HideCells.pas - Selective cell visibility
Surface_IrregularGrid.pas - Non-uniform grids
Surface_Palette.pas - Color palettes
Surface_SideLines.pas - Side wall rendering
Surface_Smoothing.pas - Surface smoothing
Contour_Levels.pas - Contour line levels
Contour_SmoothSegments.pas - Smooth contours
Contour_Palette.pas - Contour colors
Contour_View2D.pas - 2D contour view
Point3D_BaseLine.pas - 3D scatter plots
Point3D_Event.pas - 3D point interaction
Tower_Series.pas - 3D tower charts
ColorGrid_Series.pas - Color grid heatmaps
PolarContour/ - Polar contour charts
And more…

Get Started

VCL Samples

FMX Samples

Chart Types

Features

Advanced

​Overview

​Surface Series

​Fast Surface Rendering

​Surface Customization

​Surface Samples

Surface_FastBrush

Surface_HideCells

Surface_IrregularGrid

Surface_Palette

Surface_SideLines

Surface_Smoothing

​Contour Series

​Basic Contour Chart

​Contour with Smooth Segments

​Polar Contour

​Contour Features

Contour_Palette

Contour_OnBeforeDraw

Contour_View2D

Contour_Foot

​Point3D Series

​Point3D Event Handling

​Tower Series

​3D View Configuration

​Interactive 3D Rotation

​Color Grids

​Color Grid Features

​OpenGL Acceleration

​3D Effects and Enhancements

​Performance Optimization

​Related Samples