> This is not most efficient, but
>
> plot3d([cos(t), sin(t), t], [t,0,6*%pi], [u,-5,5], [gnuplot_pm3d,false])$
>
> produces a curve.
I think something is wrong with plot3d and nticks. The following code
should make a nicer curve:
plot3d([cos(t), sin(t), t], [t,0,6*%pi], [u,-5,5], [nticks,200])$
But it works with plot2d:
(%i1) plot2d([parametric,cos(t),sin(t)],[t,0,2*%pi])$
(%i2) plot2d([parametric,cos(t),sin(t)],[t,0,2*%pi],[nticks,200])$
This is a work around:
I have just commited a new version of the descriptive package, so that
it is now possible to join 3d points. It will be accesible in the next
hours here:
http://cvs.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.py/maxima/maxima/share/contrib/descriptive/
Download descriptive.mac and execute the following code:
load("....your path to/descriptive.mac")$
a: 1$ b: 1$
setofdistances: makelist(k/10,k,1,1000)$
points: makelist([a*cos(s/sqrt(a^2+b^2)),
a*sin(s/sqrt(a^2+b^2)),
b*s/sqrt(a^2+b^2)], s, setofdistances),numer$
dataplot(apply(matrix,points), joined=true)$
Hope this helps, Johan.
--
Mario Rodriguez Riotorto
www.biomates.net