PSTricks

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PSTricks is a set of macros that allow the inclusion of PostScript drawings directly inside TeX or LaTeX code.

1 Basic usage
2 Extensions
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Basic usage

PSTricks example (scaled)

There is a wide list of commands available for making graphics. Coordinates in PSTricks are always represented in round parenthesis as the following example (scaled) illustrates.

\begin{pspicture}(0,0)(6,6)
 %\psgrid[gridcolor=lightgray,gridlabels=0pt]
  \psline[linecolor=red](1,1)(5,1)(1,4)(1,1)
  \pscurve[linecolor=green,linewidth=2pt,%
    showpoints=true](5,5)(3,2)(4,4)(2,3)
  \pscircle[linecolor=blue,linestyle=dashed](3,2.5){1}
\end{pspicture}

[edit] Extensions

PSTricks commands are low level, so many LaTeX packages have been made in order to ease the creation of several kinds of graphics that are commonly used on mathematical typesetting.

pst-plot provides commands for creating function graphs. Consider the following example

\begin{pspicture*}(-7.5,-3)(7.5,3)
  \psaxes[labels=none](0,0)(-7,-2)(7,2)
  \psplot[linecolor=blue, linewidth=1.5pt]%
    {-7}{7}{x 0.01745329252 div sin}
  \uput[45](3.1415926,0){$\pi$}
  \uput[90](-1.570796,0){$-\pi/2$}
  \uput[-90](1.570796,0){$\pi/2$}
  \uput[-135](-3.1415926,0){$-\pi$}
  \psline[linewidth=1pt,linecolor=red,linestyle=dotted]%
    (1.57079632,1)(1.57079632,0) 
  \psline[linewidth=1pt,linecolor=red,linestyle=dotted]%
    (-1.57079632,-1)(-1.57079632,0) 
\end{pspicture*}

Plotting sin(x) with pst-plot

The previous example also illustrate that TeX commands can be used as elements into the pictures. Since PostScript uses RPN style for mathematical operations, the argument to pst-plot must be supplied in the same form.

pstricks-add extends pst-plot enabling also polar graphs and allowing the use algebraic notation for plots instead of RPN.

pst-math provides trigonometric functions in radians (since PostScript defaults to using degrees) and hyperbolic trigonometric functions.

pst-plot3d is used for creating 3D graphics like the following: