Gnuplot 6 comes with pie
Gnuplot 6.0 was released in December 2023, bringing a host of significant improvements and new capabilities to the open-source graphing tool. Here we survey the major new features, including filled contours in 3D, adaptive plotting resolution, watchpoints, clipping of surfaces, sector plots for making things like pie charts, and new syntax for conditionals in gnuplot's scripting language. In addition, there are detailed examples of the features described.
Gnuplot is a self-contained C program for creating scientific and technical visualizations. It remains popular with scientists and engineers because of its speed, power, and flexibility. It interoperates nicely with LaTeX, which makes it adept at preparing graphics for publication. While there are interface libraries for all popular languages, it can also be controlled over a socket, which means it can be integrated into programs written in nearly anything, and it contains its own scripting language.
Gnuplot uses sophisticated algorithms for 3D plotting that allow controlling attributes such as translucency, hidden-line removal, and lighting. Every element of its plots can be individually styled; for example, text for plot labels can use any installed font. Gnuplot can produce output for anything from antiquated graphics terminals to interactive web pages. Let's examine the major new features in gnuplot v6.0.