Skip to main content
The Plot panel renders numeric sensor data as time-series line charts. It is used to visualize continuous signals such as accelerometer readings, angular velocities, speed, temperature, and any other topic that produces numeric values over time.

​
Supported Data

The Plot panel works with any topic that contains numeric fields. Common sources include:
SchemaDataTypical Topics
sensor_msgs/ImuLinear acceleration, angular velocity, orientation/imu/data, /imu/raw
geometry_msgs/TwistLinear and angular velocity/cmd_vel, /vehicle/twist
geometry_msgs/Vector3Three-axis numeric data/acceleration, /magnetic_field
Float/Int messagesSingle numeric values/vehicle/speed, /battery/voltage

​
Auto-Detection

A topic is assigned to the Plot panel when:
  • Its schema name contains imu, twist, vector3, float, or int (matching schemas like sensor_msgs/Imu, geometry_msgs/Twist, geometry_msgs/Vector3), or
  • Its topic name contains imu, cmd_vel, battery, temperature, or sensor

​
Features

​
Multi-Axis Charts

Topics with multiple numeric fields (such as IMU data with X, Y, and Z axes) are plotted as separate lines on the same chart. Each axis is color-coded for easy identification. For IMU data, the plot typically shows:
SignalFieldsDescription
Linear accelerationx, y, zAccelerometer readings in m/s^2
Angular velocityx, y, zGyroscope readings in rad/s
Orientationx, y, z, wQuaternion components

​
Timeline Synchronization

The Plot panel is synchronized with all other panels through the shared timeline:
  • A cursor line on the chart marks the current playback position
  • Seeking on the timeline moves the cursor across the chart
  • Playing the recording scrolls the chart to follow the current time
  • Frame stepping moves the cursor to the next/previous data point
When you click on a specific point in the chart, the entire viewer (including camera images, point clouds, and other panels) seeks to that timestamp.

​
Zoom and Pan

ActionControl
Zoom time axisScroll horizontally or use pinch gesture
Zoom value axisScroll vertically with modifier key
PanClick and drag
Reset zoomDouble-click
Zooming in on the time axis reveals finer detail in the signal. Zooming in on the value axis adjusts the vertical scale to focus on a specific range.

​
Cursor Tracking

As you move the cursor over the chart, a tooltip displays the exact value and timestamp at the cursor position. This enables precise readout of sensor values at any point in the recording.

​
Common Use Cases

IMU analysis

Inspect accelerometer and gyroscope data to identify sudden movements, vibrations, or sensor anomalies.

Velocity profiling

Plot vehicle or robot speed over time to verify motion profiles and detect unexpected stops or accelerations.

Sensor correlation

View numeric signals alongside camera and point cloud panels to correlate events across sensor modalities.

Data quality checks

Spot dropout, noise spikes, and timing irregularities in sensor streams.
Click on any point in the Plot panel to seek the entire viewer to that timestamp. This makes it easy to jump from an IMU spike to the corresponding camera frame and point cloud.
  • Multi-Sensor Viewer — Overview of the synchronized multi-panel layout
  • Log Panel — Text log output correlated with the same timeline
  • Map Panel — Geographic visualization correlated with sensor data