Adding contour lines to a 3D plot?

Question

I am having trouble getting contour lines on a 3D plot (ListPlot3D). I have tried ListContourPlot3D, but that gives me a really weird looking graph with a ton of dfferent levels. What I would like is to get Contour lines on my ListPlot3D so it looks like a topo-map or something. As of now I have a contour map and a 3D plot - in essence I would like to combine them. Here is what the notebook currently looks like:

Answer 1

You are looking for MeshFunctions -> {#3 &}. The documentation for MeshFunctions lays out what values are accessible by a plot that uses MeshFunctions and its defaults in the Details section.

As to why ListContourPlot3D was not working for this: its purpose is entirely different. It is intended to draw contours for an $\mathbb{R}^3 \to \mathbb{R}$ function, such as $f(x, y, z) = x^2 + y^2 - z^2$.

Answer 2

Here is a method to obtain nice 2D contour plots using the Presentations Application (which I have a propriatary interest in). I don't have access to your data so I am using a regular function as an example.

<< Presentations`

Draw3DItems[
 {ContourDraw[Sin[x] + Sin[y], {x, -5, 5}, {y, -5, 5},
    ColorFunction -> ColorData["StarryNightColors"]] // 
   RaiseTo3D[Sin[#1] + Sin[#2] &]},
 NeutralLighting[0, .5, .1],
 NiceRotation,
 ImageSize -> 400]

The Presentations drawing commands allow us to deal directly with the graphics primitives and RaiseTo3D is a Presentations routine that does what it says. NaturalLighting is similar to the Mathematica Neutral Lighting, but gives much more control. NiceRotation gives mouse rotations without jumpings. Here is the graphic:

And in the notebook the contour lines even have Tooltips.