How to use matplotlib blitting to add matplot.patches to an matplotlib plot in wxPython? - python-3.x

Question

I am making a plot using the matplotlib library and showing it in my wxPython GUI. I am plotting a massive amount of data points from a LIDAR instrument. The thing is, I would like to draw rectangles in this plot to indicate interesting areas. But when I draw a rectangle on the same axes as the plot, the whole plot gets replotted which takes lots of time. This is because of the self.canvas.draw(), a function which replots everything.
The code gets displayed as follows in the GUI:
Printscreen of GUI
Here is a minimal working example of the problem. U can draw rectangles by holding the right mouse button. Once you plot the NetCDF data using the button on the left, the drawing of rectangles gets really slow. I tried some things with blitting using the examples provided by ImportanceOfBeingErnest but after a lot of tries, I still have not managed to get it to work.
To make the minimal working example work, you will have to specify the path to the NetCDF file under the plot_Data() function. I provided the NetCDF file which to download here:
Download NetCDF file
How can I blit the self.square to the self.canvas in the onselect function?
import netCDF4 as nc
import matplotlib
matplotlib.use('WXAgg')
from matplotlib.figure import Figure
from matplotlib.backends.backend_wxagg import FigureCanvasWxAgg as FigureCanvas
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib.colors as colors
import matplotlib.widgets
import time
import wx
class rightPanel(wx.Panel):
def __init__(self, parent):
wx.Panel.__init__(self, parent, style=wx.SUNKEN_BORDER)
self.initiate_Matplotlib_Plot_Canvas()
self.add_Matplotlib_Widgets()
def initiate_Matplotlib_Plot_Canvas(self):
self.figure = Figure()
self.axes = self.figure.add_subplot(111)
self.colorbar = None
self.canvas = FigureCanvas(self, -1, self.figure)
self.sizer = wx.BoxSizer(wx.VERTICAL)
self.sizer.Add(self.canvas, proportion=1, flag=wx.ALL | wx.GROW)
self.SetSizer(self.sizer)
self.Fit()
self.canvas.draw()
def add_Matplotlib_Widgets(self):
self.rectangleSelector = matplotlib.widgets.RectangleSelector(self.axes, self.onselect,
drawtype="box", useblit=True,
button=[3], interactive=False
)
def onselect(self, eclick, erelease):
tstart = time.time()
x1, y1 = eclick.xdata, eclick.ydata
x2, y2 = erelease.xdata, erelease.ydata
height = y2-y1
width = x2-x1
self.square = matplotlib.patches.Rectangle((x1,y1), width,
height, angle=0.0, edgecolor='red',
fill=False
#blit=True gives Unknown property blit
)
self.axes.add_patch(self.square)
self.canvas.draw()
# =============================================================================
# self.background = self.canvas.copy_from_bbox(self.axes.bbox)
#
#
# self.canvas.restore_region(self.background)
#
# self.axes.draw_artist(self.square)
#
# self.canvas.blit(self.axes.bbox)
# =============================================================================
tend = time.time()
print("Took " + str(tend-tstart) + " sec")
def plot_Data(self):
"""This function gets called by the leftPanel onUpdatePlot. This updates
the plot to the set variables from the widgets"""
path = "C:\\Users\\TEST_DATA\\cesar_uvlidar_backscatter_la1_t30s_v1.0_20100501.nc"
nc_data = self.NetCDF_READ(path)
print("plotting......")
vmin_value = 10**2
vmax_value = 10**-5
combo_value = nc_data['perp_beta']
self.axes.clear()
plot_object = self.axes.pcolormesh(combo_value.T, cmap='rainbow',
norm=colors.LogNorm(vmin=vmin_value, vmax=vmax_value))
self.axes.set_title("Insert title here")
if self.colorbar is None:
self.colorbar = self.figure.colorbar(plot_object)
else:
self.colorbar.update_normal(plot_object)
self.colorbar.update_normal(plot_object)
print('canvas draw..............')
self.canvas.draw()
print("plotting succesfull")
###############################################################################
###############################################################################
"""BELOW HERE IS JUST DATA MANAGEMENT AND FRAME/PANEL INIT"""
###############################################################################
###############################################################################
def NetCDF_READ(self, path):
in_nc = nc.Dataset(path)
list_of_keys = in_nc.variables.keys()
nc_data = {} #Create an empty dictionary to store NetCDF variables
for item in list_of_keys:
variable_shape = in_nc.variables[item].shape
variable_dimensions = len(variable_shape)
if variable_dimensions > 1:
nc_data[item] = in_nc.variables[item][...] #Adding netCDF variables to dictonary
return nc_data
class leftPanel(wx.Panel):
def __init__(self, parent, mainPanel):
wx.Panel.__init__(self, parent)
button = wx.Button(self, -1, label="PRESS TO PLOT")
button.Bind(wx.EVT_BUTTON, self.onButton)
self.mainPanel = mainPanel
def onButton(self, event):
self.mainPanel.rightPanel.plot_Data()
class MainPanel(wx.Panel):
def __init__(self, parent):
"""Initializing the mainPanel. This class is called by the frame."""
wx.Panel.__init__(self, parent)
self.SetBackgroundColour('red')
"""Acquire the width and height of the monitor"""
width, height = wx.GetDisplaySize()
"""Split mainpanel into two sections"""
self.vSplitter = wx.SplitterWindow(self, size=(width,(height-100)))
self.leftPanel = leftPanel(self.vSplitter, self)
self.rightPanel = rightPanel(self.vSplitter)
self.vSplitter.SplitVertically(self.leftPanel, self.rightPanel,102)
class UV_Lidar(wx.Frame):
"""Uppermost class. This class contains everything and calls everything.
It is the container around the mainClass, which on its turn is the container around
the leftPanel class and the rightPanel class. This class generates the menubar, menu items,
toolbar and toolbar items"""
def __init__(self, parent, id):
print("UV-lidar> Initializing GUI...")
wx.Frame.__init__(self, parent, id, 'UV-lidar application')
self.Bind(wx.EVT_CLOSE, self.OnCloseWindow)
self.mainPanel = MainPanel(self)
def OnCloseWindow(self, event):
self.Destroy()
if __name__ == '__main__':
app = wx.App()
frame = UV_Lidar(parent=None, id=-1)
frame.Show()
print("UV-lidar> ")
print("UV-lidar> Initializing GUI OK")
app.MainLoop()

Answer 1

I have found the solution myself:
In order to blit a matplotlib patch, you will have to first add the patch to the axes. Then draw the patch on the axes and then you can blit the patch to the canvas.
square = matplotlib.patches.Rectangle((x1,y1), width,
height, angle=0.0, edgecolor='red',
fill=False)
self.axes.add_patch(square)
self.axes.draw_artist(square)
self.canvas.blit(self.axes.bbox)
If you do not want to use self.canvas.draw but still use matplotlib widgets which have useblit=True, you can save the plot as a background image: self.background = self.canvas.copy_from_bbox(self.axes.bbox) and restore it later by using: self.canvas.restore_region(self.background). This is a lot faster than drawing everything over!
When using the matplotlib's RectangleSelector widget with useblit=True, it will create another background instance variable, which interferes with your own background instance variable. To fix this problem, you will have to set the background instance variable of the RectangleSelector widget to be equal to your own background instance variable. However, this should only be done after the RectangleSelector widget is no longer active. Otherwise it will save some of the drawing animation to the background. So once the RectangleSelector has become inactive, you can update its background using: self.rectangleSelector.background = self.background
The code that had to be edited is given below. wx.CallLater(0, lambda: self.tbd(square)) is used so that the background instance variable of the RectangleSelector widget is updated only when it has become inactive.
def add_Matplotlib_Widgets(self):
"""Calling these instances creates another self.background in memory. Because the widget classes
restores their self-made background after the widget closes it interferes with the restoring of
our leftPanel self.background. In order to compesate for this problem, all background instances
should be equal to eachother. They are made equal in the update_All_Background_Instances(self)
function"""
"""Creating a widget that serves as the selector to draw a square on the plot"""
self.rectangleSelector = matplotlib.widgets.RectangleSelector(self.axes, self.onselect,
drawtype="box", useblit=True,
button=[3], interactive=False
)
def onselect(self, eclick, erelease):
self.tstart = time.time()
x1, y1 = eclick.xdata, eclick.ydata
x2, y2 = erelease.xdata, erelease.ydata
height = y2-y1
width = x2-x1
square = matplotlib.patches.Rectangle((x1,y1), width,
height, angle=0.0, edgecolor='red',
fill=False
#blit=True gives Unknown property blit
)
"""In order to keep the right background and not save any rectangle drawing animations
on the background, the RectangleSelector widget has to be closed first before saving
or restoring the background"""
wx.CallLater(0, lambda: self.tbd(square))
def tbd(self, square):
"""leftPanel background is restored"""
self.canvas.restore_region(self.background)
self.axes.add_patch(square)
self.axes.draw_artist(square)
self.canvas.blit(self.axes.bbox)
"""leftPanel background is updated"""
self.background = self.canvas.copy_from_bbox(self.axes.bbox)
"""Setting all backgrounds equal to the leftPanel self.background"""
self.update_All_Background_Instances()
print('Took '+ str(time.time()-self.tstart) + ' s')
def update_All_Background_Instances(self):
"""This function sets all of the background instance variables equal
to the lefPanel self.background instance variable"""
self.rectangleSelector.background = self.background