The PlotBuilder command allows you to build and display 2-D and 3-D plots interactively. This command only functions within the Standard Worksheet interface.

To generate a plot interactively, use the PlotBuilder(expr) command. A panel then appears from the right side of the Maple window. The panel contains embedded components that allow you to select the type of plot and to specify plot options.

A plot is displayed within a PlotComponent in the worksheet's main window, with an initial selection of the plot type. You can select a different plot type in the panel.  The plot is updated upon changing the interactive controls related to plot options.

The type of plot can always be changed from within the panel, by reselecting from the list of choices at the top of the panel.

The set of displayed controls depends dynamically on the valid plotting options for the currently selected plot type. Selecting some specific plot options choices may cause some related controls to change. For example, when the control for Style is set to point then the control for Thickness becomes hidden and is replaced by controls for Symbol and Symbol Size.

The embedded controls in the panel have tooltip descriptions to facilitate their use.

The return value from this command is NULL. The panel contains controls that allow you to save the current plot to a name. Subsequent changes to the displayed plot are not automatically resaved.

The panel contains a Show Command button that toggles (on or off) the display of the plotting command in a text area beneath the displayed plot. This command can be copied and reused elsewhere in the worksheet. Plotting options whose controls are set to their respective default values are not included in the plotting command, with the exception of the computational ranges for the independent variables.

If you want to revisit the Plot Builder to modify the plot and the Context Panel is not currently open, click the plot region and the panel reappears.

When the panel reappears its components are in the same state as when they were last changed. This includes the case of restarting the kernel engine or closing and reopening the worksheet.

More than one such interactive plot can exist in a single worksheet, but only one instance can be created within any single execution group or document block.

The interactive plot builder can also be launched from the Assistants menu or from the Context Panel for an expression.  For additional instructions, see worksheet/interactive/plot.

Combining different types of plots can be accomplished by first using the interactive plot builder to produce and assign them separately, then using the plots:-display command to show them together.

$\mathrm{PlotBuilder}\left(\sin \left(x\right)+1\right)$

$\mathrm{PlotBuilder}\left(\left[\sin \left(x\right)\,\cos \left(x\right)\right]\right)$

$\mathrm{PlotBuilder}\left(\sin \left(x\right)y\right)$

$\mathrm{PlotBuilder}\left(\left[\cos \left(x\right)-2\cos \left(\frac{y}{2}\right)\,\sin \left(x\right)-2\sin \left(\frac{y}{2}\right)\,y\right]\right)$

$\mathrm{PlotBuilder}\left(\left[\sin \left(x\right)\,\cos \left(x\right)\,x^3\right]\right)$

$\mathrm{PlotBuilder}\left(\sin \left(x\right)\le y^2\right)$

$\mathrm{PlotBuilder}\left(\sin \left(x\right)+z\le y^2\right)$

The PlotBuilder command was introduced in Maple 2017.

For more information on Maple 2017 changes, see Updates in Maple 2017.

The PlotBuilder command was updated in Maple 2023.