Hi, I’m new to Obsidian and was wondering if there was a way to draw math-related concepts like graphs of functions and transfer them into a note with other math-related text and equations. Some background information about me would be I am an incoming first-year engineering student and loved the linking feature of obsidian and want to transcribe my old notes before I go.
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I think the link for the above video doesn’t work, try typing “How to make Commutative Diagrams (Tikz-CD) in Obsidian.md” on youtube.
The timestamps of the youtube videos show other obsidian users have achieved a similar system that allows for what I’m looking for but they don’t go into detail about those things.
what I’m trying to achieve with obsidian is to be able to draw all the math drawings I would encounter in class as I would in a physical notebook and save them to a note where I would then write down any relevant formulas or equations and other information next to the image or under it.
Things I have tried
I used Excalidraw and thought it was great but am having trouble embedding it into a note like I would with regular text. is that even possible?
I guess what I’m asking is if any other Obsidian users have created a system that allows for everything I just said. The specific answer would probably be, do you have a good way of saving images of notes and things to Obsidian?
Could you elaborate on what kind of “math drawings” specifically you want to render? There are different solutions for commutative diagrams vs. graphs of functions vs flowcharts for instance.
Be advised, this is not for the faint of heart, as you’re able to produce quite large, complex equations with this syntax, but in the post below I’ve listed some equations related to another request, just to show some basic examples.
A 41 min video by Bryan Jenks could be well worth looking at for more information:
Note that MathJax is for equations and formulas, and it’ll not produce any graphs/diagrams… Some diagrams can be entered using Mermaid as suggested in another post, but for simple graphs of functions I’d simply do the sketch and scan/photo it, and embed that image.
Or use some online tools to plot the graph, like Wolfram|Alpha Examples: Plotting & Graphics, and then copy that image into Obsidian. I’ve so far not heard of any tool capable of producing a graph within the context of Obsidian.
I think the workflow you are looking for is not (yet) possible in obsidian only. Probably you have to combine different apps to achieve it.
There are multiple apps that kind of offer part of the workflow you are looking for:
Mathpix.com offers a snipping tool to convert handwritten equations or images to latex. Best conversion tool on the market. They also have their own markdown editor which allows you in real time to add handwritten equations which will be converted to latex and added in your note. Once you finish a note you can copy paste it in your obsidian notes.
Notability (iOS), note taking app that can convert handwritten equations to latex.
Nebo, another note taking app that offer conversion from handwritten equations to latex.
Hopefully this can help you to create a workflow that you are looking for.
