How to Make a Square Plot With Equal Axes in Matplotlib?

In this article, we are going to discuss how to illustrate a square plot with an equal axis using the matplotlib module.  We can depict a Square plot using matplotlib.axes.Axes.set_aspect() and matplotlib.pyplot.axis() methods.

Make a Square Plot With Equal Axes in Matplotlib

There are various ways to draw a square in Python using matplotlib. here we are explaining there are some methods with the help of that method we can draw a square in Python using matplotlib those are following.

• Using set_aspect() method
• Using axis() method
• Using add_patch() method

Using set_aspect() Method

Syntax: matplotlib.axes.Axes.set_aspect()

Parameters:

• aspect : This parameter accepts the following value {‘auto’, ‘equal’} or num.
• adjustable : This defines which parameter will be adjusted to meet the required aspect.
• anchor : This parameter is used to define where the Axes will be drawn if there is extra space due to aspect constraints.
• share: This parameter is used to apply the settings to all shared Axes.

Basic Matplotlib Square Plot

Example 1: We can generate a square plot using matplotlib.axes.Axes.set_aspect() method. We will assign equal as an aspect argument and box as an adjustable argument.

In this example, code uses NumPy and Matplotlib to create a simple plot. It generates a list of coordinates, creates a plot, and ensures the plot is a square by setting equal aspect ratios before displaying it.

Python3

# import required module
# import required modules
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# adjust coordinates
x = y = [i for i in range(0, 6)]

# depict illustration
fig = plt.figure()
ax = fig.add_subplot()
plt.plot(x, y)

# square plot
ax.set_aspect('equal', adjustable='box')
plt.show()

Output:

Example 2: The above example possibly yields a square plot when ranges for the two tomahawks are set to be the equivalent. To produce a square plot in the overall case, we need to physically set the viewpoint proportion utilizing the accompanying order:  

axes.set_aspect(1./axes.get_data_ratio())

In this example the code uses NumPy and Matplotlib to create a simple plot with adjusted coordinates. It generates a list of coordinates, creates a square plot, and then displays the illustration. Note: The aspect ratio adjustment is updated in the “square plot” section.

Python3

# import required modules
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# adjust coordinates
x = y = [i for i in range(0, 6)]

# depict illustration
fig = plt.figure()
ax = fig.add_subplot()
plt.plot(x, y)

# square plot
ax.set_aspect(1.0/ax.get_data_ratio(), adjustable='box')
plt.show()

Output:

Using axis() Method

Syntax: matplotlib.pyplot.axis()

Parameters:

• xmin, xmax, ymin, ymax:These parameters can be used to set the axis limits on the graph.
• emit:Its a bool value used to notify observers of the axis limit change.

Basic Matplotlib Square Plot

Example 1: In this example, we pass square as an argument to matplotlib.pyplot.axis(), it illustrates a square plot. The code utilizes NumPy and Matplotlib to create a basic plot with adjusted coordinates. It generates a list of coordinates, plots them, ensures the plot is a square, and then displays the illustration.

Python3

# import required module
# import required modules
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# adjust coordinates
x=y=[i for i in range(0,6)]

# plot coordinates
plt.plot(x,y)

# square plot
plt.axis('square')

# depict illustration
plt.show()

Output:

Example 2: Here is another example to illustrate a square plot using axis() method. In this example code utilizes Matplotlib to visualize the Rectified Linear Unit (ReLU) function. It defines x and computes corresponding y values using ReLU activation. The resulting plot is a square, and it includes axis labels, a green-colored plot, and a title indicating the ReLU function. 

Python3

# importing module
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# assigning x and y coordinates
x = [-5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = []

for i in range(len(x)):
    y.append(max(0, x[i]))

# depicting the visualization
plt.plot(x, y, color='green')
plt.xlabel('X')
plt.ylabel('Y')

# square plot
plt.axis('square')

# displaying the title
plt.title('ReLU Function')

Output:

Using add_patch() Method

Syntax : add_patch(p: matplotlib.patches.Patch) -> None

Parameters:

• p: `p` parameter is a `Patch` object (e.g., `Rectangle`, `Circle`) added to the Matplotlib Axes.

Return :

• None: The method doesn’t return anything

Basic Matplotlib Square Plot

Example 1: In this example code uses Matplotlib to create a square plot with an orange-outlined square using `add_patch()` method. The plot’s x and y-axis limits are set, and the aspect ratio is fixed to ensure the square appears as a square. The resulting plot is titled “Square Plot with add_patch()” and displayed.

Python3

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib.patches as patches

#Square plot with add_patch()
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
square = patches.Rectangle((0, 0), 1, 1, edgecolor='orange', facecolor='none')
ax.add_patch(square)
plt.xlim(-0.5, 1.5)
plt.ylim(-0.5, 1.5)
plt.gca().set_aspect('equal', adjustable='box')  # Ensures equal aspect ratio
plt.title('Square Plot with add_patch()')
plt.show()

Output:

Example 2: In this example code utilizes Matplotlib to generate a rectangular plot with a purple-outlined rectangle using `add_patch()`. The x and y-axis limits are defined to accommodate the rectangle’s shape, and the aspect ratio is fixed for an accurate representation. The resulting plot is titled “Square Plot with add_patch() – Different Scales” and displayed.

Python3

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib.patches as patches

#Square plot with add_patch() and different scales
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
square = patches.Rectangle((0, 0), 1, 2, edgecolor='purple', facecolor='none')
ax.add_patch(square)
plt.xlim(-0.5, 1.5)
plt.ylim(-0.5, 2.5)
plt.gca().set_aspect('equal', adjustable='box')  # Ensures equal aspect ratio
plt.title('Square Plot with add_patch() - Different Scales')
plt.show()

Output: