Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!lll-winken!iggy.GW.Vitalink.COM!widener!netnews.upenn.edu!eniac.seas.upenn.edu!jeffe From: jeffe@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (George Jefferson ) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps Subject: Re: Wings vs. Excel (was Excel Contour Maps) Message-ID: <41151@netnews.upenn.edu> Date: 14 Apr 91 20:57:19 GMT References: <1991Apr9.211914.7246@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> <1991Apr10.212728.5934@cc.helsinki.fi> <1991Apr11.013943.26293@gn.ecn.purdue.edu> <1991Apr12.232924.10786@aeras.uucp> Sender: news@netnews.upenn.edu Reply-To: jeffe@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (George Jefferson ) Organization: University of Pennsylvania Lines: 40 Nntp-Posting-Host: eniac.seas.upenn.edu :>Wingz does read Excel files and will do wireframe, contour, and surface plots :>as well as 3D bar, pie, and line charts. The quality is not what I would call 'scientific'. For the 3d/contour stuff not only does your data need to be on a regularly spaced grid, it must be over a rectangular area. Also it wont do a plot with contour _lines_, just shaded areas. :transfer between Excel and Wings, you have to save the Excel document in : ".SYLK" format (Lotus 1-2-3, I believe) first, then open it in Wings. ..or text-only : :Another problem is the way they want the information tabulated. To do :a sales chart in Excel you would input: : :whereas in Wings you would input: : :to get the same chart! Otherwise, Wings uses the Sales and Cost figures as :the time input, and you get a really goofy chart. : Excell could handle the data in either arrangement, though I agree Wingz needs more flexability. :numbers, make the chart, hide the numbers, print the chart, (and if I need :to change the numbers) show the numbers, change the numbers, hide the :numbers, print the chart, etc., etc. What a pain. : surely there must be people out there who have created some pretty slick Wingz macro's to handle some of these problems. Anyone care to share them? -- -george george@mech.seas.upenn.edu