Set radial axis on Matplotlib polar plots

Question

I\'m plotting an azimuth-elevation curve on a polar plot where the elevation is the radial component. By default, Matplotlib plots the radial value from 0 in the center to 9

Answer 1

I managed to put he radial axis inverted. I had to remap the radius, in order to match the new axis:

fig = figure()
ax = fig.add_subplot(1, 1, 1, polar=True)

def mapr(r):
   """Remap the radial axis."""
   return 90 - r

r = np.arange(0, 90, 0.01)
theta = 2 * np.pi * r / 90

ax.plot(theta, mapr(r))
ax.set_yticks(range(0, 90, 10))                   # Define the yticks
ax.set_yticklabels(map(str, range(90, 0, -10)))   # Change the labels

Note that is just a hack, the axis is still with the 0 in the center and 90 in the perimeter. You will have to use the mapping function for all the variables that you are plotting.