How to plot 3d scalar field from a dataset using gnuplot

Question

I would like to visualize a 3D scalar field as given by a dataset which has the following format:

x y z f(x,y,z)

That is, my dataset consists of four columns where the first three columns denote a position and the fourth column the value of the scalar field at that position.

Is there a fast and easy way of generating a contour plot from such a dataset? I have been looking into gnuplot, but I have not been able to figure out how to create a simple contour plot from my dataset, though it looks to me it should be possible.

Answer 1

Gnuplot can handle only 3D-data, i.e. x, y, f(x, y). A fourth dimension can be applied only in form of a color information.