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ContourPlot3D[f,{x,xmin,xmax},{y,ymin,ymax},{z,zmin,zmax}]
produces a three-dimensional contour plot of f as a function of x, y, and z.
ContourPlot3D[f==g,{x,xmin,xmax},{y,ymin,ymax},{z,zmin,zmax}]
plots the contour surface for which .
ContourPlot3D[…,{x,y,z}∈reg]
takes the variables {x,y,z} to be in the geometric region reg.
Details and OptionsPlot several contour surfaces:
Plot contours over a ball with radius three:
Use styling to emphasize features:
Scope (16) Sampling (6)Plot over an implicitly defined region:
More points are sampled where the function changes quickly:
Areas where the function becomes nonreal are excluded:
Use PlotPoints and MaxRecursion to control adaptive sampling:
Use RegionFunction to show interior features:
Presentation (10)Show multiple implicit surfaces with explicit styles:
Use transparency to show interior features:
Fill with different colors between mesh lines:
Legend styles with contour values automatically:
Legend contours with expressions:
Use a theme with dark background in a high-contrast color scheme:
Reverse the scale on the axis:
Options (74) BoxRatios (1)Use Automatic to show the natural scale of the surface:
ColorFunctionScaling (2)Use unscaled values to color the contours:
Use an overlay density based on the coordinate values:
Contours (4)Use 5 equally spaced contours:
Use automatic contour selection:
Use specific contours with specific styles:
ContourStyle (8)Use distinct colors for each contour:
Use FaceForm to get different colors on the inside and outside:
Alternate styles for contour surfaces:
Use the same style for all the equations:
Use different styles for different equations:
ColorFunction has higher priority than ContourStyle:
MeshShading has higher priority than ContourStyle:
EvaluationMonitor (2)Show where ContourPlot3D samples a function:
Count how many times is evaluated:
MaxRecursion (1)Refine the contour where it changes quickly:
Mesh (6)Show the initial and final sampling meshes:
Use None to not draw any mesh:
Use 5 mesh levels in each direction:
Use 5 mesh levels in the direction and 10 in the direction:
Use mesh lines at specific values:
Use different styles for different mesh lines:
MeshFunctions (2)Use a mesh evenly spaced in the , , and directions:
Mesh with respect to radial distance:
MeshStyle (2)Use a dashed mesh in the direction:
Use a dashed mesh in the direction and a blue mesh in the direction:
NormalsFunction (3)Normals are automatically calculated:
Use None to get flat shading for all the polygons:
Vary the effective normals used on the surface:
PerformanceGoal (2)Generate a higher-quality plot:
Emphasize performance, possibly at the cost of quality:
PlotLegends (3)Use Placed to change legend placement:
Use SwatchLegend to modify the legend:
PlotPoints (1)Use more initial points to get a smoother contour:
PlotTheme (4)Use a theme with detailed grid lines, ticks, and legends:
Use a theme with minimal styling:
Create a thick surface for 3D printing:
RegionFunction (2)Remove a wedge to see hidden features:
RegionBoundaryStyle (4)Show the region being plotted:
Show the region defined by a region function:
Use None to not draw the region:
Use a custom RegionBoundaryStyle:
ScalingFunctions (4)By default, ContourPlot3D uses linear scales in all directions:
Use a log scale in the direction:
Reverse the coordinate direction of the axis:
Use a scale defined by a function, specifying the function and its inverse:
TextureCoordinateFunction (5)Textures use scaled and coordinates by default:
Use different textures for different surfaces:
Use textures to highlight how parameters map onto a surface:
TextureCoordinateScaling (1)Use scaled or unscaled coordinates for textures:
WorkingPrecision (2)Evaluate functions using machine-precision arithmetic:
Evaluate functions using arbitrary-precision arithmetic:
Applications (5)Ellipsoidal surfaces [more info]:
Conic surfaces [more info]:
Show a sphere and hyperboloids of one and two sheets:
Use Mesh to show that a hyperbolic paraboloid is a doubly ruled surface:
An implicitly defined torus [more info]:
An electrostatic potential built from a collection of point charges at positions :
Properties & Relations (8)ContourPlot3D samples more points where it needs to:
Plotting an implicit surface is the same as finding the zero contour of a related function:
The orientation of the contours depends on the form of the input:
Use ListContourPlot3D for plotting data:
Use RegionPlot3D for implicit regions in three dimensions:
Use Plot3D for surfaces:
Use ParametricPlot3D for parametric curves and regions in three dimensions:
Use ContourPlot and DensityPlot for contours and densities in two dimensions:
Possible Issues (3)Use increased settings for PlotPoints or MaxRecursion to capture features of a surface:
Use more initial points to capture more components of the contour surface:
For functions that are always non-negative, it is not possible to find the 0 contour:
Neat Examples (1)A transcendental periodic implicit surface:
Wolfram Research (2007), ContourPlot3D, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ContourPlot3D.html (updated 2022). TextWolfram Research (2007), ContourPlot3D, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ContourPlot3D.html (updated 2022).
CMSWolfram Language. 2007. "ContourPlot3D." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2022. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ContourPlot3D.html.
APAWolfram Language. (2007). ContourPlot3D. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ContourPlot3D.html
BibTeX@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_contourplot3d, author="Wolfram Research", title="{ContourPlot3D}", year="2022", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ContourPlot3D.html}", note=[Accessed: 12-July-2025 ]}
BibLaTeX@online{reference.wolfram_2025_contourplot3d, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={ContourPlot3D}, year={2022}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/ContourPlot3D.html}, note=[Accessed: 12-July-2025 ]}
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