# PGFPlots Line Plot at constant x

In this and this question, we learned how to draw real line plots in 3D axes in PGFPlots by supplying samples y=1 (samples y=0 seems to work as well) or y domain=0:0 to get rid of meshes/matrices.

However, I could not get it to work for the 'perpendicular' direction, when we try to plot a line plot in the X-Y-plane (where x=const., as opposed to the X-Z-plane (where y=const.). The result was not a line plot, but a 'fake' 3D plot, with the colormap still intact:

%!TEX TS-program = lualatex
\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{pgfplots}

\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{axis}[
xlabel={x},
ylabel={y},
zlabel={z},
domain=0:5*360,
y domain=0:5*360,
surf
]
% These work:
\addplot3[ultra thick, samples y=1] ({x}, {0}, {cos(x)});
\addplot3[ultra thick, samples y=1] ({x}, {0}, {cos(x)+4});

% This is in analogy to above, but does not work
% (Package pgfplots Warning: the current plot has no coordinates (or all have been filtered away)).
\addplot3[ultra thick, samples=1] ({5*360}, {y}, {cos(y)+2});

% These work, but don't give a line plot:
\addplot3[ultra thick, domain=5*360:5*360] ({x}, {y}, {cos(y)+2});
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}


yielding:

I do not know why \addplot3[ultra thick, samples=1] ({5*360}, {y}, {cos(y)+2}); does not work. How can we produce real line plots in the second direction as well?

This is somewhat similar to your own answer but arguably from a different perspective. You are considering parametric plots, in which x and y are just parameters or placeholders, and not to be confused with the x and y coordinates. To make this a bit clearer, I rename the parameter t. Effectively this is then practically the same as your answer (with surf removed and the plots made smooth). I also added a plot that does not go along any of the axes to reiterate the point.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\pgfplotsset{compat=1.16}

\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{axis}[
xlabel={$x$},
ylabel={$y$},
zlabel={$z$},
domain=0:5*360,
y domain=0:5*360,
samples=101,smooth
]
% These work:
\addplot3[ultra thick,variable=\t, samples y=0] ({t}, {0}, {cos(t)});
\addplot3[ultra thick,variable=\t, samples y=0] ({t}, {0}, {cos(t)+4});
\addplot3[ultra thick,variable=\t, samples y=0] ({5*360}, {t}, {cos(t)+2});
({900+800*cos(t)}, {900+800*sin(t)}, {cos(12*t)+1});
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}


• I was wondering why the line plot elements weren't joined at their ends. Omitting surf for those plots solved that, nice. And also yes, parametric plots confuse me a lot when we throw around xs and ys so much. Thanks for your answer. – Alex Povel Jul 12 '19 at 10:11

If we swap around the parametric functions we can rely on the working y samples=0 approach like so:

%!TEX TS-program = lualatex
\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{pgfplots}

\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{axis}[
xlabel={x},
ylabel={y},
zlabel={z},
domain=0:5*360,
y domain=0:5*360,
surf
]
% These work:
\addplot3[ultra thick, samples y=1] ({x}, {0}, {cos(x)});
\addplot3[ultra thick, samples y=1] ({x}, {0}, {cos(x)+4});

% Swapping around the parametric functions allows it to work:
\addplot3[ultra thick, samples y=1] ({5*360}, {x}, {cos(x)+2});
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}


yielding: