What is simplest way to draw 3d plot (with 30000 points) in WinForms or WPF?

Question

What is simplest way to draw 3d plot in WinForms or WPF?

I have an array with 30000 points (from external 3D Scanner). Now I need to connect this points and make something as 3D Picture (topography).

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Are the points just 3d points (x,y and z)? You can use the 3D classes in WPF to create full 3D scenes quite easily, checkout the Viewport3D and MeshGeometry3D classes to create a simple scene. There are also plenty of tutorials out there on how to create a 3d scene programatically...

HTH

Answer 2

If you have the 3D points, consider Viewport3D, otherwise if you have 2D points (so the 3D scanner already processes the surface and returns static images) you can use WriteableBitmap (very simple and straight forward).

Answer 3

You have a large number of points and performance may be an issue. WinForms uses GDI while WPF uses DirectX. In many situations WPF will have better performance. However, if you have a complex scene you may find that WPF is too slow. Another alternative is XNA which is more suited for games and other applications where graphics performance is important.

You will probably find that WPF has the simplest programming model where you declare the scene and the framework takes care of the rest. In WinForms and XNA you have to draw the scene yourself.