Package for fast plotting of many data points in Python?

[tt-industries]

Hi,

I am programming a oscilloscope module in Python. For this reason, I
want to plot very many data points as fast as possible. This can be
more than 100 000 at once. So far I have been using the ploting module
of wxPython. However, it becomes unstable for more than 25000 points.
Can someone recommend me a faster plotting library? It would be really
cool if one could embed this in wxPython. If someone has an idea I
would be very glad about answer.

With kind regards,

Daniel

 

[Stef Mientki]

Hi,

I am programming a oscilloscope module in Python. For this reason, I
want to plot very many data points as fast as possible. This can be
more than 100 000 at once. At once is impossible ;-)
So far I have been using the ploting module
of wxPython. which plotting module ?
However, it becomes unstable for more than 25000 points.

again what do you mean: 25000 points per ?
25000 points on a 1600 pixel width screen ?

Please try to be somewhat more specific.
cheers,
Stef

 

[Chris Rebert]

Hi,

I am programming a oscilloscope module in Python. For this reason, I
want to plot very many data points as fast as possible. This can be
more than 100 000 at once. So far I have been using the ploting module
of wxPython. However, it becomes unstable for more than 25000 points.
Can someone recommend me a faster plotting library? It would be really
cool if one could embed this in wxPython. If someone has an idea I
would be very glad about answer.

Don't know how fast it is or how well it integrates, but matplotlib is
probably worth considering:
http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Roy Smith]

I am programming a oscilloscope module in Python.

Sigh. I guess I'm showing my age, but I still can't get used to the idea
that the right tool to build an oscilloscope is no longer a soldering iron.

 

[lazy1]

Hello Daniel,

Can someone recommend me a faster plotting library?

I found out gnuplot to be blazing fast for many many points.
I usually just call it using subprocess but there are Python bindings
to it somewhere as well.

HTH,

 

[Jeremy Sanders]

Hi,

I am programming a oscilloscope module in Python. For this reason, I
want to plot very many data points as fast as possible. This can be
more than 100 000 at once. So far I have been using the ploting module
of wxPython. However, it becomes unstable for more than 25000 points.
Can someone recommend me a faster plotting library? It would be really
cool if one could embed this in wxPython. If someone has an idea I
would be very glad about answer.

Veusz can plot a line with that many points with that many points in a
couple of seconds on my system. It's a bit faster without antialiasing,
slower if you want to actually plot markers at each position.

Jeremy

 

[Daniel Platz]

Hi,

thanks for your repleys. I have tried matplotlib but it is extremely
slow. I think it is more optimized for good looking plots instead of
speed. I do not know the Python bindings of gnuplot and Veusz. To
clarify the issue again, by 25000 data points I mean 25000 pixels,
i.e. corresponding (x,y) pairs. Thus the mapping to one pixel on the
screen is not unique.

Now, that I have to implement this problem on my own I am very
impressed by the plotting capabilities of LabView which brings thounds
of data points on screen in an extremely short time.

Thanks for your help.

Best regards,

Daniel

 

[Guest]

thanks for your repleys. I have tried matplotlib but it is extremely
slow. I think it is more optimized for good looking plots instead of
speed. I do not know the Python bindings of gnuplot and Veusz. To
clarify the issue again, by 25000 data points I mean 25000 pixels,
i.e. corresponding (x,y) pairs. Thus the mapping to one pixel on the
screen is not unique.

Have you already tried out rpy?

Martin

 

[lcampagn]

There are a few python plotting libraries that are very fast with large data sets.
(see here: http://wiki.python.org/moin/NumericAndScientific/Plotting)
In particular: pyqwt, guiqwt, chaco, and pyqtgraph might all be suitable.

http://pyqwt.sourceforge.net/
http://code.google.com/p/guiqwt/
http://code.enthought.com/projects/chaco/
http://luke.campagnola.me/code/pyqtgraph/