# Placing a ContourPlot under a Plot3D **URL:** \ **Category:** Staff Picks\ **Tags:** graphics-and-visualization, staff-pick\ **Created:** [July 18, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/placing-a-contourplot-under-a-plot3d/10965 "2017-07-18T17:33:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vitaliyk](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/wolfram/user_avatar/community.wolfram.com/vitaliyk/32/45591_2.png) [@Vitaliyk](https://community.wolfram.com/u/Vitaliyk)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/placing-a-contourplot-under-a-plot3d/10965/1 "2017-07-18T17:33:30Z")
![PlacingaContourPlotunderaPlot3D.jpg](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wolfram/original/3X/f/2/f255cd9c982aebc23b1904bf94383b4908addc88.jpeg) Placing a ContourPlot under a Plot3D could be a useful visualization. One strategy is quite simple: texture-map 2D plot on a rectangle under your 3D surface. I took a liberty with some styling that I like - you can always come back to yours. ``` contourPotentialPlot1 = ContourPlot[-3600. h^2 + 0.02974 h^4 - 5391.90 s^2 + 0.275 h^2 s^2 + 0.125 s^4, {h, -400, 400}, {s, -300, 300}, PlotRange -> {-1.4*10^8, 2*10^7}, Contours -> 15, Axes -> False, PlotPoints -> 30, PlotRangePadding -> 0, Frame -> False, ColorFunction -> "DarkRainbow"]; potential1 = Plot3D[-3600. h^2 + 0.02974 h^4 - 5391.90 s^2 + 0.275 h^2 s^2 + 0.125 s^4, {h, -400, 400}, {s, -300, 300}, PlotRange -> {-1.4*10^8, 2*10^7}, ClippingStyle -> None, MeshFunctions -> {#3 &}, Mesh -> 15, MeshStyle -> Opacity[.5], MeshShading -> {{Opacity[.3], Blue}, {Opacity[.8], Orange}}, Lighting -> "Neutral"]; level = -1.2 10^8; gr = Graphics3D[{Texture[contourPotentialPlot1], EdgeForm[], Polygon[{{-400, -300, level}, {400, -300, level}, {400, 300, level}, {-400, 300, level}}, VertexTextureCoordinates -> {{0, 0}, {1, 0}, {1, 1}, {0, 1}}]}, Lighting -> "Neutral"]; Show[potential1, gr, PlotRange -> All, BoxRatios -> {1, 1, .6}, FaceGrids -> {Back, Left}] ``` ![13631.jpg](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wolfram/original/3X/a/f/af220ac7d9dcf8d21801487cd8000a251eeea537.jpeg) You can see I used `PlotRangePadding -> 0` option in `ContourPlot`. It is to remove white space around the graphics to make texture mapping more precise. If you need utmost precision you can take another path. Extract graphics primitives from `ContourPlot` and make them 3D graphics primitives. If you need to color the bare contours - you could replace `Line` by `Polygon` and do some tricks with `FaceForm` based on a contour location. ``` level = -1.2 10^8; pts = Append[#, level] & /@ contourPotentialPlot1[[1, 1]]; cts = Cases[contourPotentialPlot1, Line[l_], Infinity]; cts3D = Graphics3D[GraphicsComplex[pts, {Opacity[.5], cts}]]; Show[potential1, cts3D, PlotRange -> All, BoxRatios -> {1, 1, .6}, FaceGrids -> {Bottom, Back, Left}] ``` ![43692.png](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wolfram/original/3X/1/6/16665a2f8df37d23582f9b320d36df33c34945da.png) ---
**Author:** ![mroge02](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/wolfram/user_avatar/community.wolfram.com/mroge02/32/28775_2.png) [@mroge02](https://community.wolfram.com/u/mroge02)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/placing-a-contourplot-under-a-plot3d/10965/2 "2017-07-18T19:08:48Z")
Here’s an alternative way in which the “contour plot” takes its contours styling directly from the plot and its mesh lines (which need to be from `MeshFunctions -> {#3 &}`): ``` Show[ potential1, DeleteCases[ potential1 /. GraphicsComplex[pts_, rest___] :> GraphicsComplex[ PadRight[pts[[All, ;; 2]], {Automatic, 3}, Rescale[PlotRange[potential1][[3]], (* the whole Rescale[..] code can be replaced by any number/level *) {0, 1}, {-0.05, 1} (* project 5% lower than original plot range - change as desired *) ][[1]]], rest], Verbatim[Rule][VertexNormals, _], Infinity], PlotRange -> All] ``` ![25901Example.png](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wolfram/original/3X/0/f/0f948fb1eb25371acedb9a8f6b1fa6d767676b19.png) ---
**Author:** ![christospapahristodoulou](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/wolfram/user_avatar/community.wolfram.com/christospapahristodoulou/32/20809_2.png) [@christospapahristodoulou](https://community.wolfram.com/u/christospapahristodoulou)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 7:30am UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/placing-a-contourplot-under-a-plot3d/10965/3 "2017-08-02T07:30:48Z")
Vitaliy & Michael, Thanks very much for your excelent suggestions! I am very gratefull! Christos ---
**Author:** ![binoushousam](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/wolfram/user_avatar/community.wolfram.com/binoushousam/32/2533_2.png) [@binoushousam](https://community.wolfram.com/u/binoushousam)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2025, 9:21am UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/placing-a-contourplot-under-a-plot3d/10965/4 "2025-11-01T09:21:36Z")
thank you very much for sharing this code! ---
**Author:** ![gianlucagorni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ec9cab/32.png) [@gianlucagorni](https://community.wolfram.com/u/gianlucagorni)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2025, 7:22pm UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/placing-a-contourplot-under-a-plot3d/10965/5 "2025-11-01T19:22:10Z")
Another way, using `Scale`: ``` Show[potential1, Graphics3D[Scale[potential1[[1]], {1, 1, 0}, {0, 0, -2*10^8}]], PlotRange -> All] ``` ---
**Author:** ![wolframcommunity](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/wolfram/user_avatar/community.wolfram.com/wolframcommunity/32/8335_2.png) [@wolframcommunity](https://community.wolfram.com/u/wolframcommunity)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/placing-a-contourplot-under-a-plot3d/10965/6 "2025-11-04T16:34:46Z")
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