Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/plot/processdata.m
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/plot/processdata.m	(revision 17596)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/plot/processdata.m	(revision 17597)
@@ -22,5 +22,5 @@
 end
 
-%special case for mesg 2dvertical
+%special case for mesh 2dvertical
 if strcmp(meshtype(md.mesh),'2Dvertical'),
 	[data datatype] = processdata(md.mesh,md,data,options);
Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/plot/processdata.py
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/plot/processdata.py	(revision 17596)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/plot/processdata.py	(revision 17597)
@@ -22,5 +22,5 @@
 
 	#needed later on
-	if md.mesh.numberofvertices2d:
+	if 'numberofvertices2d' in dir(md.mesh):
 		numberofvertices2d=md.mesh.numberofvertices2d
 		numberofelements2d=md.mesh.numberofelements2d
Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/plot/processmesh.py
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/plot/processmesh.py	(revision 17596)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/plot/processmesh.py	(revision 17597)
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 from math import isnan
 import MatlabFuncs as m
+import numpy as npy
 
 def processmesh(md,data,options):
@@ -22,23 +23,19 @@
 		if 'latlon' not in options.getfieldvalue('coord','xy').lower(): #convert to lower case for comparison
 			x=md.mesh.x
-			if not isnan(md.mesh.x2d): x2d=md.mesh.x2d
+			if 'x2d' in dir(md.mesh): x2d=md.mesh.x2d
 			y=md.mesh.y
-			if not isnan(md.mesh.y2d): y2d=md.mesh.y2d
+			if 'y2d' in dir(md.mesh): y2d=md.mesh.x2d
 		else:
 			x=md.mesh.long
 			y=md.mesh.lat
 
-		z_field=options.getfieldvalue('z',md.mesh.z)
-		#if isinstance(z_field,basestring): # how could z be a string?
-		#	z=md.(z_field)
-		if isinstance(z_field,(int,long,float)):  # isnumeric
-			z=z_field
+		if 'z' in dir(md.mesh):
+			z=md.mesh.z
 		else:
-			z=md.mesh.z
+			z=npy.zeros_like(md.mesh.x)
 		
-		if not isnan(md.mesh.elements2d): 
+		if 'elements2d' in dir(md.mesh): 
 			elements2d=md.mesh.elements2d
-			elements2d=elements2d-1
-		# subtract one since python indexes from zero
+			elements2d=elements2d-1  # subtract one since python indexes from zero
 		elements=md.mesh.elements
 		elements=elements-1