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Vector math

Introduction

This tutorial is a short and practical introduction to linear algebra as it applies to game development. Linear algebra is the study of vectors and their uses. Vectors have many applications in both 2D and 3D development and Godot uses them extensively. Developing a good understanding of vector math is essential to becoming a strong game developer.

Note

This tutorial is not a formal textbook on linear algebra. We will only be looking at how it is applied to game development. For a broader look at the mathematics, see https://www.khanacademy.org/math/linear-algebra

Coordinate systems (2D)

In 2D space, coordinates are defined using a horizontal axis (x) and a vertical axis (y). A particular position in 2D space is written as a pair of values such as (4, 3).

Note

If you're new to computer graphics, it might seem odd that the positive y axis points downwards instead of upwards, as you probably learned in math class. However, this is common in most computer graphics applications.

Any position in the 2D plane can be identified by a pair of numbers in this way. However, we can also think of the position (4, 3) as an offset from the (0, 0) point, or origin. Draw an arrow pointing from the origin to the point:

This is a vector. A vector represents a lot of useful information. As well as telling us that the point is at (4, 3), we can also think of it as an angle θ (theta) and a length (or magnitude) m. In this case, the arrow is a position vector - it denotes a position in space, relative to the origin.

A very important point to consider about vectors is that they only represent relative direction and magnitude. There is no concept of a vector's position. The following two vectors are identical:

Both vectors represent a point 4 units to the right and 3 units below some starting point. It does not matter where on the plane you draw the vector, it always represents a relative direction and magnitude.

Vector operations

You can use either method (x and y coordinates or angle and magnitude) to refer to a vector, but for convenience, programmers typically use the coordinate notation. For example, in Godot, the origin is the top-left corner of the screen, so to place a 2D node named Node2D 400 pixels to the right and 300 pixels down, use the following code:

GDScriptC#

$Node2D.position = Vector2(400, 300)

Godot supports both Vector2 and Vector3 for 2D and 3D usage, respectively. The same mathematical rules discussed in this article apply to both types, and wherever we link to Vector2 methods in the class reference, you can also check out their Vector3 counterparts.

Member access

The individual components of the vector can be accessed directly by name.

GDScriptC#

# Create a vector with coordinates (2, 5).
var a = Vector2(2, 5)
# Create a vector and assign x and y manually.
var b = Vector2()
b.x = 3
b.y = 1

Adding vectors

When adding or subtracting two vectors, the corresponding components are added:

GDScriptC#

var c = a + b  # (2, 5) + (3, 1) = (5, 6)