diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index 021856a..3e88dc0 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -22,13 +22,9 @@ Depends:
     ggplot2 (>= 0.9.0)
 Imports:
     grid,
-    plyr
+    plyr,
+    reshape2
 Suggests:
     FactoMineR,
     pcaMethods,
     testthat
-Collate:
-    'autoplot-package.R'
-    'autoplot-pca.R'
-    'fortify-pca.R'
-    'helpers.R'
diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index 37c8749..ee831e3 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 S3method(autoplot,PCA)
+S3method(autoplot,list)
 S3method(autoplot,pcaRes)
 S3method(autoplot,prcomp)
 S3method(autoplot,rda)
@@ -8,6 +9,7 @@ S3method(eigenvalues,pcaRes)
 S3method(eigenvalues,prcomp)
 S3method(eigenvalues,rda)
 S3method(fortify,PCA)
+S3method(fortify,list)
 S3method(fortify,pca)
 S3method(fortify,pcaRes)
 S3method(fortify,prcomp)
diff --git a/R/autoplot-list.R b/R/autoplot-list.R
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2ced18a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/R/autoplot-list.R
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#' Automatic ggplot for a x, y, z list.
+#'
+#' Similar to \code{\link[graphics]{image}}
+#'
+#' @export
+#' @param model list with components x, y and z
+#' @param data not used by this method
+#' @param ... not used by this method
+#' @importFrom reshape2 melt
+#' @examples
+#' x <- seq(0, 1, by=0.1)
+#' y <- seq(0, 2, by=0.1)
+#' z <- outer(x, y, "+") 
+#' d <- list(x=x, y=y, z=z)
+#' image(d)
+#' autoplot(d)
+#' autoplot(d, mapping=aes(alpha=x))
+autoplot.list <- function(object, mapping=aes(), ...) {
+  d <- fortify(object)
+  
+  # add user mappings
+  mapping <- c(mapping, aes_string(x="x", y="y", fill="z"))
+  class(mapping) <- "uneval"
+  
+  p <- ggplot() + geom_tile(mapping=mapping, data=d)
+  return(p)
+}
diff --git a/R/fortify-list.R b/R/fortify-list.R
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2d7b1c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/R/fortify-list.R
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+#' Fortify method for x, y, z lists.
+#'
+#' This function turns a list with components x, y, z, such as those used
+#' by \code{\link[graphics]{image}} and \code{\link[graphics]{image}} into
+#' a data frame that can more easily be plotted with ggplot2.
+#'
+#' @export
+#' @param model list with components x, y and z
+#' @param data not used by this method
+#' @param ... not used by this method
+#' @importFrom reshape2 melt
+#' @examples
+#' x <- seq(0, 1, by=0.1)
+#' y <- seq(0, 2, by=0.1)
+#' z <- outer(x, y, "+") 
+#' d <- list(x=x, y=y, z=z)
+#' image(d)
+#' persp(d)
+#' head(fortify(d))
+#' ggplot(d) + geom_tile(aes(x=x, y=y, fill=z))
+fortify.list <- function(model, data, ...) {
+  if ( ! all(names(model) == c("x", "y", "z")) ) {
+    stop("ggplot only knows how to deal lists with components x, y, and z, as is suitable for image() or persp()")
+  }
+  if ( ! is.matrix(model$z) ) {
+    stop("element z of the list needs to be a matrix")
+  }
+  if ( length(model$x) != nrow(model$z) ) {
+    stop("element x of the list needs to be the same length at the number of rows of element z")
+  }
+  if ( length(model$y) != ncol(model$z) ) {
+    stop("element y of the list needs to be the same length at the number of columns of element z")
+  }
+  # convert to data.frame
+  d <- melt(model$z)
+  names(d) <- c("x", "y", "z")
+  # get coordinates
+  d$x <- model$x[d$x]
+  d$y <- model$y[d$y]
+  return(d)
+}
diff --git a/man/autoplot.list.Rd b/man/autoplot.list.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..929fc86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/autoplot.list.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2 (4.0.2): do not edit by hand
+\name{autoplot.list}
+\alias{autoplot.list}
+\title{Automatic ggplot for a x, y, z list.}
+\usage{
+\method{autoplot}{list}(object, mapping = aes(), ...)
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{model}{list with components x, y and z}
+
+\item{data}{not used by this method}
+
+\item{...}{not used by this method}
+}
+\description{
+Similar to \code{\link[graphics]{image}}
+}
+\examples{
+x <- seq(0, 1, by=0.1)
+y <- seq(0, 2, by=0.1)
+z <- outer(x, y, "+")
+d <- list(x=x, y=y, z=z)
+image(d)
+autoplot(d)
+autoplot(d, mapping=aes(alpha=x))
+}
+
diff --git a/man/fortify.list.Rd b/man/fortify.list.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e22bbb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/fortify.list.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2 (4.0.2): do not edit by hand
+\name{fortify.list}
+\alias{fortify.list}
+\title{Fortify method for x, y, z lists.}
+\usage{
+\method{fortify}{list}(model, data, ...)
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{model}{list with components x, y and z}
+
+\item{data}{not used by this method}
+
+\item{...}{not used by this method}
+}
+\description{
+This function turns a list with components x, y, z, such as those used
+by \code{\link[graphics]{image}} and \code{\link[graphics]{image}} into
+a data frame that can more easily be plotted with ggplot2.
+}
+\examples{
+x <- seq(0, 1, by=0.1)
+y <- seq(0, 2, by=0.1)
+z <- outer(x, y, "+")
+d <- list(x=x, y=y, z=z)
+image(d)
+persp(d)
+head(fortify(d))
+ggplot(d) + geom_tile(aes(x=x, y=y, fill=z))
+}
+