Partially Solved: Help with unexpected gradient color results, appears to keep using X instead of Z

Grasshopper
,
1

Trying to get the surface to be colored based on z-height. I used a few different techniques from centroids to fully exploding, but the colors keep sweeping in the X direction instead of the Z.

Can’t figure out why or what I’m doing wrong here.

image
image1460×684 83.5 KB
Gradient Color Issue.gh (16.6 KB)

2

How about using mesh instead?

Canvas at 01;54;23
Canvas at 01;54;231830×581 444 KB

Gradient Color Issue_re.gh (22.5 KB)

3

Thanks!

Is converting surfaces like this to a mesh the generally preferred way to do this?