Hexbin Plume: every field and setting explained
Every field well and every Format pane setting of Hexbin Plume: bins, value, color scale, points, playback, zoom, ★ analytics, with their default values.
Lire en françaisThis page describes everything Hexbin Plume offers: the field wells, then each card of the Format pane, in the order they appear. The default value of each setting is in bold, premium features carry a ★. For a first guided visual, see getting started. This page describes version 1.1 (reorganized Format pane: new Gridlines card with the plot area, zoom sliders, free Symmetry and ratio card).
The visual's fields
| Field | Required? | How many | What goes in | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Details (one point each) | Recommended | 1 | An ID column | One point per value | Homes[Home] |
| Legend (category) | No | 1 | A text column | Dominant category of a bin, comparison of two groups ★ | Homes[City] |
| X axis | Yes | 1 | A measure | Horizontal position | Average area |
| Y axis | Yes | 1 | A measure | Vertical position | Average price |
| Value (per bin) | No | 1 | A measure | Computed in each bin (sum, average, median, minimum, maximum) | Average rent |
| Play axis ★ | No | 1 | A date, a year or an ordered category | One frame per value, play button | Homes[Year] |
| Small multiples ★ | No | 1 | A text column | One small chart per value, same axes, bins and colors | Homes[Type] |
| Tooltips | No | Several | Measures | Average of the measure in a bin's tooltip, value in a point's tooltip | Price per m² |
Details. Without this field, Power BI adds up the measures into a single point (or one point per legend value). With it, each ID becomes a point: that is what makes a real cloud.
Legend. Categories are sorted (alphabetically, numbers and dates in order) and keep their color from one filter to the next. Beyond 12, the least frequent ones are grouped into Others.
Play axis ★. Premium feature since 10/22/2026: watermark as soon as the field is filled, until you enter a key. Numbers and dates are sorted; text keeps Power BI's order (sort by column included). Selecting a bin applies to all the items of the bin, in every frame.
Volume. Power BI sends rows in batches of 30,000; the visual asks for more up to 300,000 rows.
Tooltips and Dynamic format: see the shared basics.
Format pane settings
The cards are described in the order of the Format pane, followed by those of the Analytics pane.
The cards shared by all Plume visuals (Plume Studio License, Style, Interactions (shared settings), Tooltips, Title, Source note, Frame, Language and numbers) are described once in the shared basics: they are not repeated here. The background and rounded corners are set in the Frame card, and the fx button (conditional formatting from a measure) is available on every color and every text.
Data colors
Chooses what the color of the bins shows.
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Coloring | What the color shows | Gradient by value · One color (intensity by value) · Dominant category (Legend field) · Dominant category and its share ★ · Difference between two categories ★ · Change between frames (play axis) ★ |
| Color | Single color (shows with One color) | empty |
| Color | Single color (shows with One color) | empty |
| Category A (empty = most frequent) | First group of the comparison (shows with Difference) | empty |
| Category B (empty = all the others) | Second group (shows with Difference) | empty |
| Compare with | Reference frame (shows with Change) | The previous frame · The first frame |
Without the required field (Legend for the category and the difference, Play axis for the change), the gradient applies and a message says so in edit mode.
Bins
The main card: shape and size of the bins, value computed in each bin, outline.
Shape and size group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Shape of the bins | Hexagons · Squares · Circles ★ · Triangles ★ |
| Orientation (appears if Shape = Hexagons or Circles) | Hexagons and circles | Pointy top · Flat top |
| Bin size | How the size is computed | Automatic (about one bin per 260 px², i.e. 450 on a medium visual, larger when there are few points), Radius (px), Number of columns · Radius (px) · Number of columns |
| Radius (px) (appears if Bin size = Radius (px)) | Shows with Radius (px) | 4 to 80, 14 |
| Columns (appears if Bin size = Number of columns) | Shows with Number of columns | 3 to 200, 24 |
| Spacing (px) | White space between two bins | 0 to 12, 1 |
| Corner rounding (%) | Rounded corners | 0 to 100, 0 |
Bin value group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Calculation | Value of each bin | Automatic (average of the Value field, otherwise number of points), Number of points, Share of points (%), Sum, Average, Median, Minimum, Maximum · Number of points · Share of points (%) · Sum · Average · Median · Minimum · Maximum |
| Minimum points per bin | Display threshold of a bin | 1 to 10000, 1 |
| Bins under the minimum | What happens to the others | Hidden · Drawn as points (isolated values) ★ |
Proportional size ★ group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Bin size by | Bin area proportional to… | Nothing (full bins) · The number of points ★ · The bin value ★ |
| Smallest bin size (%) (appears if Bin size by = The number of points or The bin value) | Shows with a proportional size | 5 to 100, 25 |
Outline and background group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Opacity (%) | Opacity of the bins | 10 to 100, 100 |
| Outline | Line around the bins | On / Off |
| Outline color (empty = background) (appears if Outline is on) | Shows with Outline | empty |
| Outline width (appears if Outline is on) | Shows with Outline | 0.5 to 6, 1 |
| Grid of empty bins | Outline of every bin of the grid | On / Off |
Color scale
This card sets the gradient that colors the bins by their value: scale type, bounds, center of a diverging scale.
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | How colors are spread | Linear · Square root (more shades for small values) · Logarithmic ★ · Equal-count classes ★ · Custom thresholds ★ |
| Number of classes (appears if Scale = Equal-count classes) | Shows with the classes | 2 to 9, 5 |
| Thresholds (appears if Scale = Custom thresholds) | Shows with the thresholds, separated by semicolons | empty |
| Diverging scale (around a center) ★ | Diverging palette of the style | On / Off |
| Center (appears if Diverging scale (around a center) ★ is on) | Shows with the diverging scale | Zero · Average of the bins · Median of the bins · Fixed value |
| Center value (appears if Center = Fixed value) | Shows with Fixed value | 0 |
| Minimum | Value at the start of the gradient; empty = the smallest bin. Can be driven by a measure (Dynamic format: colorScale.min) to keep the colors under a filter | empty |
| Maximum | Value at the end of the gradient; empty = the largest bin (same idea, colorScale.max) | empty |
| Ignore extreme values (2% on each side) ★ | The gradient goes from the 2nd to the 98th percentile | On / Off |
| Scale with a play axis | Shows with a play axis | Shared by all frames · Per frame |
The gradient comes from the style: small values take the shade closest to the background (pale on a light background, dark on a dark one). Style › Reverse gradients flips it.
Points
This card sets the raw points, drawn on top of the bins.
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show points | Raw points over the bins | Those of the hovered bin · When few remain (zoom) · Always · Never |
| Maximum visible points (appears if Show points = When few remain (zoom)) | Shows with When few remain | 50 to 20000, 1500 |
| Size (px) | Radius of the points | 1 to 12, 2.5 |
| Color (empty = text or category) | Color of the points | empty |
| Opacity (%) | Opacity of the points | 10 to 100, 70 |
Beyond 3,000 points shown, they are drawn on a canvas (not clickable one by one).
Data labels
This card writes text inside the bins (value, number of points, share, dominant category). It is turned on by the toggle in its header.
Labels group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Text in the bins | On / Off |
| Content | Text written | Bin value · Number of points · Share of points · Dominant category |
| Labeled bins | Which ones | Largest values (N) · All where the text fits |
| N (appears if Labeled bins = Largest values (N)) | Shows with Largest values | 1 to 500, 10 |
| Size | Label size | 6 to 24, 10 |
| Color (empty = automatic) | Text color; automatic = readable on the background | empty |
| Bold | Bold labels | On / Off |
| Text halo | Thin outline that separates the text from the points | On / Off |
| Hide overlapping labels | A text too wide for its bin is not written | On / Off |
Numbers group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Display units | Shortens large numbers | Auto · None · Thousands · Millions · Billions |
| Decimals (-1 = auto) | Digits after the decimal point | -1 to 6, -1 |
| Prefix | Text before the number | empty |
| Suffix (e.g. €) | Text after the number | empty |
X axis
This card sets the horizontal axis, graduated in numbers. On a logarithmic scale, zero or negative points are left out and reported in edit mode.
Values group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows the ticks | On / Off |
| Position | Axis location | Bottom · Top |
| Size | Tick size | 6 to 24, 9 |
| Color (empty = secondary text) | Tick color | empty |
| Display units | Shortens large numbers | Auto · None · Thousands · Millions · Billions |
| Decimals (-1 = auto) | Digits after the decimal point | -1 to 6, -1 |
| Prefix | Text before the number | empty |
| Suffix (e.g. €) | Text after the number | empty |
| Axis line | Draws the axis line | On / Off |
Range group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | Tick spacing | Linear · Logarithmic |
| Minimum | Start of the axis; empty = automatic | empty |
| Maximum | End of the axis; empty = automatic | empty |
| Always include zero (appears if Scale = Linear) | Starts the axis at zero | On / Off |
| Number of ticks (approx.) | Approximate number of ticks | 2 to 20, 5 |
| Invert axis | Large values go left | On / Off |
| Round range | Rounds the computed bounds to a round tick; when off, the axis stops at the extreme values | On / Off |
Axis title group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows an axis title | On / Off |
| Text (appears if Axis title › Show is on) | Title text; empty = measure name | empty |
Y axis
This card sets the vertical axis, with the same settings as the X axis.
Values group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows the ticks | On / Off |
| Position | Axis location | Left · Right |
| Size | Tick size | 6 to 24, 9 |
| Color (empty = secondary text) | Tick color | empty |
| Display units | Shortens large numbers | Auto · None · Thousands · Millions · Billions |
| Decimals (-1 = auto) | Digits after the decimal point | -1 to 6, -1 |
| Prefix | Text before the number | empty |
| Suffix (e.g. €) | Text after the number | empty |
| Axis line | Draws the axis line | On / Off |
Range group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | Tick spacing | Linear · Logarithmic |
| Minimum | Start of the axis; empty = automatic | empty |
| Maximum | End of the axis; empty = automatic | empty |
| Always include zero (appears if Scale = Linear) | Starts the axis at zero | On / Off |
| Number of ticks (approx.) | Approximate number of ticks | 2 to 20, 5 |
| Invert axis | Large values go down | On / Off |
| Round range | Rounds the computed bounds to a round tick; when off, the axis stops at the extreme values | On / Off |
Axis title group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows an axis title | On / Off |
| Text (appears if Axis title › Show is on) | Title text | empty |
Gridlines
This card groups the guide lines (they used to be in the X axis and Y axis cards), like the gridlines of the native visuals: Horizontal follows the Y axis ticks, Vertical the X axis ticks, and Plot area colors the background between the axes.
Horizontal group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Horizontal guide lines, at the Y axis ticks | On / Off |
| Color (empty = style grid) | Line color | empty |
| Width | Line width (px) | 0.5 to 6, 1 |
| Line style | Look of the lines | Solid · Dashed · Dotted |
| Zero line | Stronger line at zero | On / Off |
Vertical group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Vertical guide lines, at the X axis ticks | On / Off |
| Color (empty = style grid) | Line color | empty |
| Width | Line width (px) | 0.5 to 6, 1 |
| Line style | Look of the lines | Solid · Dashed · Dotted |
Plot area group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Background color (empty = none) | Background color of the plot area (between the axes) | empty |
| Transparency (%) | Transparency of that background | 0 to 100, 0 |
Legend
This card sets the legend. With a gradient, the legend is a bar with its bounds (or one swatch per class); with the dominant category, one swatch per category. It is turned on by the toggle in its header.
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Shows the legend | On / Off |
| Position | Location | Top · Bottom · Right · Left |
| Alignment (appears if Position = Top or Bottom) | Horizontal alignment | Start · Center · End |
| Legend title | Shows a title before the legend | On / Off |
| Title text (appears if Legend title is on) | Title text | empty |
| Size | Size of the series names | 6 to 24, 9 |
| Color (empty = secondary text) | Text color | empty |
| Click = select the series | Clicking a legend name selects the whole series and filters the report | On / Off |
Zoom
This card sets zooming: mouse rectangle, wheel, and sliders under the axes, like in the native visuals.
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| X axis zoom slider | Bar below the X axis: drag the window or its handles to zoom | On / Off |
| Y axis zoom slider | Bar to the right of the chart, same principle | On / Off |
| Shift + drag: zoom into a rectangle | Rectangle zoom; double-click or ⟲ to go back | On / Off |
| Mouse wheel: zoom | The wheel zooms instead of scrolling the page | On / Off |
| Semantic zoom: refine the bins | Bins keep their size on screen when zooming in | On / Off |
Marginal histograms ★
This card adds the distribution of X above the chart and of Y on its right, with the same classes as the bins. The selected share appears darker.
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show ★ | Draws the distributions | On / Off |
| Height (px) | Room taken by each distribution | 16 to 160, 40 |
| Color (empty = accent) | Histogram color | empty |
Contour lines ★
This card draws the smoothed density of the points as contour lines over the bins. It is turned on by the toggle in its header.
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show ★ | Draws the contour lines | On / Off |
| Number of lines | Number of contour lines | 2 to 15, 5 |
| Smoothing (px, 0 = automatic) | Radius of the density smoothing; larger = rounder lines | 0 to 120, 0 |
| Color (empty = text) | Line color | empty |
| Width | Line width | 0.5 to 4, 1.2 |
Small multiples ★
This card appears with the Small multiples ★ field: one small chart per value, with the same axes, bins and colors.
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Columns (0 = automatic) | Number of panels per row | 0 to 12, 0 |
| Minimum chart height (px) | Below this, the grid scrolls vertically | 60 to 600, 120 |
| Spacing (px) | Space between panels | 0 to 60, 12 |
| Title size | Title size | 6 to 24, 10 |
| Frame around each chart | Draws a border around each panel | On / Off |
Playback ★
This card appears with a field in Play axis ★: it is the shared Plume player (premium since 10/22/2026).
Playback group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Frame shown on opening | Starting frame | The last one (most recent) · The first one |
| Duration of a frame (ms) | At speed ×1 | 100 to 10000, 1000 |
| Loop | Starts over | On / Off |
| Play automatically on opening | Once, never when animations are reduced | On / Off |
| Animated transitions | Colors and sizes glide from one frame to the next | On / Off |
Play bar group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Play bar | Play button, slider and buttons of the play bar | On / Off |
| Bar position (appears if Play bar is on) | Location of the play bar | Bottom · Top |
| Tick marks (appears if Play bar is on) | Slider tick marks | Automatic · Every frame · None |
| Tick labels (appears if Play bar is on) | Values written under the slider tick marks | On / Off |
| Start and end buttons (appears if Play bar is on) | "Go to start" and "go to end" buttons | On / Off |
| Speed button (appears if Play bar is on) | ×0.5 / ×1 / ×2 / ×4 button (for the session) | On / Off |
Large value group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Current value in large type | Writes the current play axis value in large type, as a watermark | On / Off |
| Large value size (appears if Current value in large type is on) | Size of the large value | 12 to 160, 44 |
| Large value position (appears if Current value in large type is on) | Corner where the large value is written | Bottom right · Top right · Top left · Bottom left · Center |
More settings group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Accumulate frames | Each frame shows every point up to it | On / Off |
Interactions
The Interactions card has the settings shared by all visuals (Highlight on hover, Dimmed items opacity (%), see the shared basics) and adds these:
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Scale during cross-highlighting | When another visual sends a highlight, the axes and colors keep all the data (default) or refocus on the highlighted points. A filter removes points instead: then pin the axis bounds with a measure | All data (the scale stays) · Refocus on the highlighted points |
| Select by drawing a rectangle | Drag the mouse over the chart: every point in the rectangle is selected and filters the report (Ctrl to add) | On / Off |
| Selection shape (appears if Select by drawing a rectangle is on) | Shape drawn with the mouse | Rectangle · Lasso (freehand) |
| Outline the hovered bin | Outlines the bin under the mouse | On / Off |
Reference lines ★
Analytics pane: three lines (on the X or Y axis) and one band. The Line 1, Line 2 and Line 3 groups have the same settings; only the default for Value changes.
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Draws the line | On / Off |
| Axis | Axis the line is placed on | Y axis (horizontal) · X axis (vertical) |
| Value | How the line is computed, on the values of the chosen axis | Constant · Average · Median · Minimum · Maximum · Percentile; default: Average (line 1), Constant (line 2), Median (line 3) |
| Constant value (appears if Value = Constant) | Line value, in the unit of the measure | 0 |
| Percentile (appears if Value = Percentile) | Wanted percentile (90 = 90% of points below) | 1 to 99, 90 |
| Label | Text written on the line | empty |
| Show the value | Adds the value to the label | On / Off |
| Color (empty = accent) | Line color | empty |
| Line style | How the line is drawn | Solid · Dashed · Dotted |
| Width | Width | 0.5 to 6, 1.5 |
| Label position | Label location | End · Start · None |
Reference band group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Draws a colored band between two values (target zone) | On / Off |
| Axis | Axis of the band | Y axis · X axis |
| From | Low value of the band | 0 |
| To | High value of the band | 0 |
| Label | Band text | empty |
| Color (empty = accent) | Color | empty |
| Opacity (%) | Transparency | 2 to 60, 12 |
Trend ★
Analytics pane: a least-squares line computed on every point (not on the bins). The card is turned on by the toggle in its header.
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Draws the trend | On / Off |
| One trend per category | One line per value of the Legend field, in its color | On / Off |
| Show R² | Writes R²: from 0 (no relationship) to 1 (points exactly on the curve) | On / Off |
| Show the equation | Writes the equation of the curve (y = 0.0021x + 0.29…) | On / Off |
| Color (empty = text or category) | Color | empty |
| Line style | How it is drawn | Solid · Dashed · Dotted |
| Width | Width | 0.5 to 6, 1.5 |
Symmetry and ratio
Analytics pane, a free feature (parity with the native scatter chart): to compare X and Y in the same unit, shading on each side of the y = x diagonal and a ratio line from the origin (for example the average price per m²).
Symmetry shading group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Tints the two areas separated by the y = x diagonal: above it, Y is greater than X | On / Off |
| Color where Y > X (empty = favorable) | Tint of the upper area | empty |
| Color where Y < X (empty = unfavorable) | Tint of the lower zone | empty |
| Opacity (%) | Strength of the tints | 2 to 40, 8 |
| y = x diagonal | Draws the diagonal | On / Off |
Ratio line group
| Setting | What it does | Possible values (default in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| Show | Line from zero whose slope is the ratio | On / Off |
| Slope | How the slope is computed | Total Y ÷ total X · Fixed value |
| Fixed slope (appears if Slope = Fixed value) | Wanted slope | 1 |
| Color (empty = accent) | Line color | empty |
| Line style | How the line is drawn | Solid · Dashed · Dotted |
| Show the slope | Writes "Ratio = …" at the end of the line | On / Off |
Premium ★ features of this visual
| Feature | Where to set it |
|---|---|
| Dominant category and its share, difference between two categories, change between frames | Format › Data colors › Coloring |
| Circles, triangles | Format › Bins › Shape |
| Proportional size (count or value, bivariate hexbin) | Format › Bins › Proportional size |
| Play axis (player, transitions, accumulated frames) | Play axis field, Format › Playback |
| Log scale, equal-count classes, custom thresholds | Format › Color scale › Scale |
| Diverging scale, extreme values ignored | Format › Color scale |
| Bins under the minimum drawn as points | Format › Bins › Bin value |
| Small multiples | Small multiples field |
| Marginal histograms, contour lines | Format › Marginal histograms, Format › Contour lines |
| Reference lines, trend | Analytics pane (the Symmetry and ratio card is free) |
Learn more
- Getting started with Hexbin Plume: the data to prepare and a first visual step by step.
- Hexbin Plume how-to guides: recipes for common needs.
- Getting started with Plume visuals: installation, license, styles and shared settings.
- The visual's page: Hexbin Plume. A question: support.