- quit</code></pre><p>You can select one of the examples using the <code><UP></code> and <code><DOWN></code> keys. Press <code><ENTER></code> to run the selected example.</p><h2 id="Plotting-Backends"><a class="docs-heading-anchor" href="#Plotting-Backends">Plotting Backends</a><a id="Plotting-Backends-1"></a><a class="docs-heading-anchor-permalink" href="#Plotting-Backends" title="Permalink"></a></h2><p>The examples in this package support three plotting backends. Here is a comparison to help you choose:</p><h3 id="GLMakie"><a class="docs-heading-anchor" href="#GLMakie">GLMakie</a><a id="GLMakie-1"></a><a class="docs-heading-anchor-permalink" href="#GLMakie" title="Permalink"></a></h3><p><strong>Advantages:</strong></p><ul><li>Interactive plots: zoom, pan, rotate 3D scenes in a native window.</li><li>Hardware-accelerated rendering via OpenGL — fast for large datasets.</li><li>Supports animations and live-updating plots.</li></ul><p><strong>Disadvantages:</strong></p><ul><li>Requires a display server (does not work in headless/server environments without a virtual framebuffer).</li><li>Heavier dependency: needs OpenGL drivers and a GPU.</li><li>Longer initial load time compared to ControlPlots</li></ul><h3 id="CairoMakie"><a class="docs-heading-anchor" href="#CairoMakie">CairoMakie</a><a id="CairoMakie-1"></a><a class="docs-heading-anchor-permalink" href="#CairoMakie" title="Permalink"></a></h3><p><strong>Advantages:</strong></p><ul><li>Fully software-rendered — works in headless environments (CI, servers, SSH sessions).</li><li>Produces high-quality vector output (SVG, PDF) suitable for publication for 2D plots. The quality of 3D plots is not yet suitable for publications, though.</li></ul><p><strong>Disadvantages:</strong></p><ul><li>Plots are static — no interactive zoom or pan.</li><li>Slower for very large or complex scenes because rendering is done in software.</li><li>3D support is limited compared to GLMakie.</li><li>Longer initial load time compared to ControlPlots</li></ul><h3 id="ControlPlots-(based-on-PyPlot-/-Matplotlib)"><a class="docs-heading-anchor" href="#ControlPlots-(based-on-PyPlot-/-Matplotlib)">ControlPlots (based on PyPlot / Matplotlib)</a><a id="ControlPlots-(based-on-PyPlot-/-Matplotlib)-1"></a><a class="docs-heading-anchor-permalink" href="#ControlPlots-(based-on-PyPlot-/-Matplotlib)" title="Permalink"></a></h3><p><strong>Advantages:</strong></p><ul><li>Simple API, easy to learn for students</li><li>In addition, the Matplotlib API for users coming from Python/Matplotlib is supported.</li><li>Works in headless environments; can save to PNG, SVG, PDF, etc.</li><li>Very lightweight Julia-side dependency (delegates work to Python).</li></ul><p><strong>Disadvantages:</strong></p><ul><li>Requires a working Python installation with Matplotlib (via <code>PyCall</code>).</li><li>Might crash when multithreading is enabled. Start Julia with <code>-t 1,0</code> to avoid problems.</li><li>No native Makie ecosystem integration (e.g. cannot use <code>Makie.Observable</code> for live updates).</li><li>Interactivity is limited and depends on the Matplotlib backend in use.</li><li>Extra setup complexity when Python or Matplotlib are not already installed.</li></ul><table><tr><th style="text-align: right">Feature</th><th style="text-align: right">GLMakie</th><th style="text-align: right">CairoMakie</th><th style="text-align: right">ControlPlots</th></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right">Interactive (zoom/pan)</td><td style="text-align: right">yes</td><td style="text-align: right">no</td><td style="text-align: right">yes</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right">Headless / server</td><td style="text-align: right">no*</td><td style="text-align: right">yes</td><td style="text-align: right">yes</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right">Vector output (PDF/SVG)</td><td style="text-align: right">no</td><td style="text-align: right">yes</td><td style="text-align: right">yes</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right">GPU required</td><td style="text-align: right">yes</td><td style="text-align: right">no</td><td style="text-align: right">no</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right">3D support</td><td style="text-align: right">full</td><td style="text-align: right">limited</td><td style="text-align: right">limited</td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: right">Load time</td><td style="text-align: right">slow</td><td style="text-align: right">medium</td><td style="text-align: right">fast</td></tr></table><p>* GLMakie can run headless with a virtual framebuffer (e.g. <code>Xvfb</code>), but this requires additional setup.</p></article><nav class="docs-footer"><a class="docs-footer-prevpage" href="../explanation/">« How it works</a><a class="docs-footer-nextpage" href="../functions/">Exported Functions »</a><div class="flexbox-break"></div><p class="footer-message">Powered by <a href="https://github.com/JuliaDocs/Documenter.jl">Documenter.jl</a> and the <a href="https://julialang.org/">Julia Programming Language</a>.</p></nav></div><div class="modal" id="documenter-settings"><div class="modal-background"></div><div class="modal-card"><header class="modal-card-head"><p class="modal-card-title">Settings</p><button class="delete"></button></header><section class="modal-card-body"><p><label class="label">Theme</label><div class="select"><select id="documenter-themepicker"><option value="auto">Automatic (OS)</option><option value="documenter-light">documenter-light</option><option value="documenter-dark">documenter-dark</option><option value="catppuccin-latte">catppuccin-latte</option><option value="catppuccin-frappe">catppuccin-frappe</option><option value="catppuccin-macchiato">catppuccin-macchiato</option><option value="catppuccin-mocha">catppuccin-mocha</option></select></div></p><hr/><p>This document was generated with <a href="https://github.com/JuliaDocs/Documenter.jl">Documenter.jl</a> version 1.17.0 on <span class="colophon-date" title="Friday 12 June 2026 14:33">Friday 12 June 2026</span>. 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