MATLAB: How to convert 2D graph to 3D

2d3d3d plotsairfoilgraphgraphicsplot

I writed a code that can give us a 2D wing airfoil with specific number points and coordinations of each one, is there any example or documentations about making my airfoil 3D by only extending it or by controlling the projection of it

Best Answer

I don’t have your wing section or your code creating it, so I created something that resembles it (the (2xN) ‘y’ matrix has the upper wing profile in the first row and the lower wing profile in the second row), then did the plot:
x = linspace(0, 1, 100);                                            % Create Data (Independent Variable)
y = [x.*exp(-8.0*x);  -x.*exp(-8.0*x)];                             % Create Data (Dependent Variable Matrix)
figure(1)
plot(x, y)                                                          % 2-D Wing Section
grid
figure(2)
surf([x; x], [y(1,:); y(1,:)], [zeros(size(x)); ones(size(x))])     % Upper Half Of 3-D Wing Section

hold on
surf([x; x], [y(2,:); y(2,:)], [zeros(size(x)); ones(size(x))])     % Lower Half Of 3-D Wing Section

hold off
grid on
The Plot —
You will have to adapt this to your own code, but it should not be difficult. You simply have to put your wing profiles in the rows of the ‘y’ matrix, and use the ‘x’ you used to plot your 2-D plot as the independent variable.
(I admit to a bit of cheating. I looked at the way the cylinder function creates its cylinder, then adapted that idea to plot your wing section.)
EDIT —
I found some code for a NACA airfoil, so adapted my earlier code to it. The airfoil is plotted horizontally in figure(2). Note the rotate calls after the plot.
Airfoil Code (Archive) —
c=1; %chord length
s=num2str(2412);
NACA=s; %4 digits
d1=str2double(s(1)); % pulls the first digit out of the scalar
d2=str2double(s(2));% pulls the second digit out of the scalar
d34=str2double(s(3:4)); % pulls the third and fourth digit out of the scalar
m=d1/100;
p=d2/10;
t=d34/100;
x=linspace(0, c, 250);
yt =5*t*c*(.2969*(sqrt(x/c))+-.1260*(x/c)+-.3516*(x/c).^2+.2843*(x/c).^3+-.1015*(x/c).^4);
for k = 1:length(x)
      if x(k) <= p*c
          yc(k)=m*(x(k)/p^2)*(2*p-(x(k)/c));
          dx(k)=(2*m)/p^2*(p-(x(k)/c));
      elseif x(k) > p*c
          yc(k)=m*((c-x(k))/(1-p)^2)*(1+(x(k)/c)-(2*p));
          dx(k)=((2*m)/(1-p)^2)*(p-(x(k)/c));
      end
      %upper and lower limits of the airfoil (xu,yu) ; (xl,yl)
      theta=atan(dx(k));
      xu(k)=x(k)-yt(k)*sin(theta);
      yu(k)=yc(k)+yt(k)*cos(theta);
      xl(k)=x(k)+yt(k)*sin(theta);
      yl(k)=yc(k)-yt(k)*cos(theta);
  end
  %plot of airfoil
  plot(xu,yu)
  hold on
  plot(xl,yl,'r')
  plot(x,yc,'g')
  axis equal
  grid
figure(2)
hu = mesh([xu; xu], [yu; yu], [zeros(size(xu)); ones(size(xu))]);     % Upper Half Of 3-D Wing Section
hold on
hl = mesh([xl; xl], [yl; yl], [zeros(size(xl)); ones(size(xl))]);     % Lower Half Of 3-D Wing Section
hold off
grid on
axis([0  1    -0.4  0.4    0  1])
rotate(hu,[1 0 0], 90)
rotate(hl,[1 0 0], 90)
title('NACA 2412 Airfoil')
The Second Plot —
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