matplotlib - two (or more) graphs in one plot with different x-axis AND y-axis scales in python

Question

I want 3 graphs on one axes object, for example:

#example x- and y-data
x_values1=[1,2,3,4,5]
y_values1=[1,2,3,4,5]

x_values2=[-1000,-800,-600,-400,-200]
y_values2=[10,20,39,40,50]

x_values3=[150,200,250,300,350]
y_values3=[10,20,30,40,50]


#make axes
fig=plt.figure()
ax=fig.add_subplot(111)

now I want to add all three data sets to ax. But they shouldn't share any x- or y-axis (since then because of the diffenrent scales one would be way smaller thant the other. I need something like ax.twinx(), ax.twiny(), but both the x- and y-axis need to be independent.

I want to do this, because I want to put the two attached plots (and a third one, that is similar to the second one) in one plot ("put them on top of each other"). Plot1 Plot2

I then would put the x/y-labels (and/or ticks, limits) of the second plot on the right/top and the x/y-limits of another plot in the bottom/left. I dont need x/y-labels of the 3. plot.

How do I do this?

Answer 1

The idea would be to create three subplots at the same position. In order to make sure, they will be recognized as different plots, their properties need to differ - and the easiest way to achieve this is simply to provide a different label, ax=fig.add_subplot(111, label="1").

The rest is simply adjusting all the axes parameters, such that the resulting plot looks appealing. It's a little bit of work to set all the parameters, but the following should do what you need.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x_values1=[1,2,3,4,5]
y_values1=[1,2,2,4,1]

x_values2=[-1000,-800,-600,-400,-200]
y_values2=[10,20,39,40,50]

x_values3=[150,200,250,300,350]
y_values3=[10,20,30,40,50]


fig=plt.figure()
ax=fig.add_subplot(111, label="1")
ax2=fig.add_subplot(111, label="2", frame_on=False)
ax3=fig.add_subplot(111, label="3", frame_on=False)

ax.plot(x_values1, y_values1, color="C0")
ax.set_xlabel("x label 1", color="C0")
ax.set_ylabel("y label 1", color="C0")
ax.tick_params(axis='x', colors="C0")
ax.tick_params(axis='y', colors="C0")

ax2.scatter(x_values2, y_values2, color="C1")
ax2.xaxis.tick_top()
ax2.yaxis.tick_right()
ax2.set_xlabel('x label 2', color="C1") 
ax2.set_ylabel('y label 2', color="C1")       
ax2.xaxis.set_label_position('top') 
ax2.yaxis.set_label_position('right') 
ax2.tick_params(axis='x', colors="C1")
ax2.tick_params(axis='y', colors="C1")

ax3.plot(x_values3, y_values3, color="C3")
ax3.set_xticks([])
ax3.set_yticks([])

plt.show()