The first Tools Seminar talk this semester was given on May 13 by Christoph Zimmer. Christoph gave an introduction to one of the most well-known LaTeX packages for creating all kinds of different graphics and images, namely TikZ and the related package PGFPLOTS. TikZ is an acronym that is recursively defined and stands for “TiKZ ist kein Zeichenprogramm”. Christoph presented the basic components that are needed to create images with TikZ, for example, the creation of nodes and edges. The basic commands for TikZ were illustrated with examples. One example resembled a mathematical graph with nodes and edges. In another example, Christoph presented a graphic that resembled a sunflower, consisting of different geometric shapes. After the presentation, the participants were encouraged to present and solve their own problems, with Christoph providing tips and help. A short discussion about the memory limitations of LaTeX ensured, that often prevents TikZ from creating surface plots with too many data points. One possible solution was to use LuaLaTeX for the compilation process since LuaLaTeX already comes with build in tweaks that lift LaTeX’s memory restriction.

Tools Seminar: Hands on TikZ