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Why is Matplotlib So Slow?
When evaluating Python plotting libraries, it's important to consider performance. Matplotlib, a widely used library, can seem sluggish, raising questions about speeding it up or exploring alternative options. Let's dive into the issue and explore possible solutions.
The provided example showcases a plot with multiple subplots and data updates. With Matplotlib, this process involves redrawing everything, including axes boundaries and tick labels, resulting in slow performance.
Understanding the Bottlenecks
Two key factors contribute to the slowness:
Optimizing with Blitting
To address these bottlenecks, consider using blitting. Blitting involves updating only specific parts of the figure, reducing the rendering time. However, backend-specific code is needed for efficient implementation, which may require embedding Matplotlib plots within a GUI toolkit.
GUI-Neutral Blitting
A GUI-neutral blitting technique can provide reasonable performance without backend dependency:
Example Implementation:
<code class="python">import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import numpy as np x = np.arange(0, 2*np.pi, 0.1) y = np.sin(x) fig, axes = plt.subplots(nrows=6) styles = ['r-', 'g-', 'y-', 'm-', 'k-', 'c-'] def plot(ax, style): return ax.plot(x, y, style, animated=True)[0] lines = [plot(ax, style) for ax, style in zip(axes, styles)] # Capture Background backgrounds = [fig.canvas.copy_from_bbox(ax.bbox) for ax in axes] for i in xrange(1, 2000): for j, (line, ax, background) in enumerate(zip(lines, axes, backgrounds), start=1): fig.canvas.restore_region(background) line.set_ydata(np.sin(j*x + i/10.0)) ax.draw_artist(line) fig.canvas.blit(ax.bbox)</code>
Animation Module
Recent Matplotlib versions include an animations module, which simplifies blitting:
<code class="python">import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import matplotlib.animation as animation def animate(i): for j, line in enumerate(lines, start=1): line.set_ydata(np.sin(j*x + i/10.0)) ani = animation.FuncAnimation(fig, animate, xrange(1, 200), interval=0, blit=True)</code>
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