Here’s one approach using PGFPlots, based on the 2D version at Plotting Population Regression Function:
\documentclass[tikz,border=10pt]{standalone}\usepackage{pgfplots}\pgfplotsset{compat=1.12}\begin{document}\begin{tikzpicture}[ % Define Normal Probability Functiondeclare function={normal(\x,\m,\s) = 1/(2*\s*sqrt(pi))*exp(-(\x-\m)^2/(2*\s^2));}]\begin{axis}[no markers,domain=0:12,zmin=0, zmax=1,xmin=0, xmax=3,samples=200,samples y=0,axis lines=middle,xtick={0.5,1.5,2.5},xmajorgrids,xticklabels={},ytick=\empty,xticklabels={$x_1$, $x_2$, $x_3$},ztick=\empty,xlabel=$x$, xlabel style={at={(rel axis cs:1,0,0)}, anchor=west},ylabel=$y$, ylabel style={at={(rel axis cs:0,1,0)}, anchor=south west},zlabel=Probability density, zlabel style={at={(rel axis cs:0,0,0.5)}, rotate=90, anchor=south},set layers]\addplot3 [samples=2, samples y=0, domain=0:3] (x, {1.5*(x-0.5)+3}, 0);\addplot3 [cyan!50!black, thick] (0.5, x, {normal(x, 3, 0.5)});\addplot3 [cyan!50!black, thick] (1.5, x, {normal(x, 4.5, 1)});\addplot3 [cyan!50!black, thick] (2.5, x, {normal(x, 6, 1.5)});\pgfplotsextra{\begin{pgfonlayer}{axis background}\draw [on layer=axis background] (0.5, 3, 0) -- (0.5, 3, {normal(0,0,0.5)}) (0.5,0,0) -- (0.5,12,0);\draw (1.5, 4.5, 0) -- (1.5, 4.5, {normal(0,0,1)}) (1.5,0,0) -- (1.5,12,0);\draw (2.5, 6, 0) -- (2.5, 6, {normal(0,0,1.5)}) (2.5,0,0) -- (2.5,12,0);\end{pgfonlayer}}\end{axis}\end{tikzpicture}\end{document}
Here’s a version with a different viewpoint and dots that are randomly distributed using a normal distribution with a varying standard deviation (using the approach used in Gaussian Sample):
\documentclass[tikz,border=10pt]{standalone}\usepackage{pgfplots}\pgfplotsset{compat=1.12}\makeatletter\pgfdeclareplotmark{dot}{%\fill circle [x radius=0.02, y radius=0.08];}%\makeatother\begin{document}\begin{tikzpicture}[ % Define Normal Probability Functiondeclare function={normal(\x,\m,\s) = 1/(2*\s*sqrt(pi))*exp(-(\x-\m)^2/(2*\s^2));},declare function={invgauss(\a,\b) = sqrt(-2*ln(\a))*cos(deg(2*pi*\b));}]\begin{axis}[%no markers,domain=0:12,zmin=0, zmax=1,xmin=0, xmax=3,samples=200,samples y=0,view={40}{30},axis lines=middle,enlarge y limits=false,xtick={0.5,1.5,2.5},xmajorgrids,xticklabels={},ytick=\empty,xticklabels={$x_1$, $x_2$, $x_3$},ztick=\empty,xlabel=$x$, xlabel style={at={(rel axis cs:1,0,0)}, anchor=west},ylabel=$y$, ylabel style={at={(rel axis cs:0,1,0)}, anchor=south west},zlabel=Probability density, zlabel style={at={(rel axis cs:0,0,0.5)}, rotate=90, anchor=south},set layers, mark=cube]\addplot3 [gray!50, only marks, mark=dot, mark layer=like plot, samples=200, domain=0.1:2.9, on layer=axis background] (x, {1.5*(x-0.5)+3+invgauss(rnd,rnd)*x}, 0);\addplot3 [samples=2, samples y=0, domain=0:3] (x, {1.5*(x-0.5)+3}, 0);\addplot3 [cyan!50!black, thick] (0.5, x, {normal(x, 3, 0.5)});\addplot3 [cyan!50!black, thick] (1.5, x, {normal(x, 4.5, 1)});\addplot3 [cyan!50!black, thick] (2.5, x, {normal(x, 6, 1.5)});\pgfplotsextra{\begin{pgfonlayer}{axis background}\draw [gray, on layer=axis background] (0.5, 3, 0) -- (0.5, 3, {normal(0,0,0.5)}) (0.5,0,0) -- (0.5,12,0)(1.5, 4.5, 0) -- (1.5, 4.5, {normal(0,0,1)}) (1.5,0,0) -- (1.5,12,0)(2.5, 6, 0) -- (2.5, 6, {normal(0,0,1.5)}) (2.5,0,0) -- (2.5,12,0);\end{pgfonlayer}}\end{axis}\end{tikzpicture}\end{document}
And using a phenomenon that’s discrete in x:
\documentclass[tikz,border=10pt]{standalone}\usepackage{pgfplots}\pgfplotsset{compat=1.12}\makeatletter\pgfdeclareplotmark{dot}{%\fill circle [x radius=0.08, y radius=0.32];}%\makeatother\begin{document}\begin{tikzpicture}[ % Define Normal Probability Functiondeclare function={normal(\x,\m,\s) = 1/(2*\s*sqrt(pi))*exp(-(\x-\m)^2/(2*\s^2));},declare function={invgauss(\a,\b) = sqrt(-2*ln(\a))*cos(deg(2*pi*\b));}]\begin{axis}[%no markers,domain=0:12,zmin=0, zmax=1,xmin=0, xmax=3,samples=200,samples y=0,view={40}{30},axis lines=middle,enlarge y limits=false,xtick={0.5,1.5,2.5},xmajorgrids,xticklabels={},ytick=\empty,xticklabels={$x_1$, $x_2$, $x_3$},ztick=\empty,xlabel=$x$, xlabel style={at={(rel axis cs:1,0,0)}, anchor=west},ylabel=$y$, ylabel style={at={(rel axis cs:0,1,0)}, anchor=south west},zlabel=Probability density, zlabel style={at={(rel axis cs:0,0,0.5)}, rotate=90, anchor=south},set layers, mark=cube]\pgfplotsinvokeforeach{0.5,1.5,2.5}{\addplot3 [draw=none, fill=black, opacity=0.25, only marks, mark=dot, mark layer=like plot, samples=30, domain=0.1:2.9, on layer=axis background] (#1, {1.5*(#1-0.5)+3+invgauss(rnd,rnd)*#1}, 0);}\addplot3 [samples=2, samples y=0, domain=0:3] (x, {1.5*(x-0.5)+3}, 0);\addplot3 [cyan!50!black, thick] (0.5, x, {normal(x, 3, 0.5)});\addplot3 [cyan!50!black, thick] (1.5, x, {normal(x, 4.5, 1)});\addplot3 [cyan!50!black, thick] (2.5, x, {normal(x, 6, 1.5)});\pgfplotsextra{\begin{pgfonlayer}{axis background}\draw [gray, on layer=axis background] (0.5, 3, 0) -- (0.5, 3, {normal(0,0,0.5)}) (0.5,0,0) -- (0.5,12,0)(1.5, 4.5, 0) -- (1.5, 4.5, {normal(0,0,1)}) (1.5,0,0) -- (1.5,12,0)(2.5, 6, 0) -- (2.5, 6, {normal(0,0,1.5)}) (2.5,0,0) -- (2.5,12,0);\end{pgfonlayer}}\end{axis}\end{tikzpicture}\end{document}