In the simplest way possible, explain to me a vector 3 variable

Scripting
1

Hey guys, newbee programmer here.

As the title says,
i think i have the basic grasp, however, most of the tutorials i’ve watched do a rather poor job of explaining them!

Thanks in advance!

2

A Vector3 variable represents a single point in the game world.
Each Vector3 is made up of three points along an axis.
An X axis, or horizontal axis.
A Y Axis, or Vertical axis.
And a Z Axis, or Depth axis.
You know how in algebra they have you plot a point on a graph?
Well a Vector3 is exactly like that, except it also has a Z axis, representing depth.

Make any sense?

3

At the most basic level a Vector3 is simply a container for 3 numbers named x, y, and z. Similarly, a Vector2 is a container for 2 numbers (x and y) and a Vector4 is a container for 4 numbers (x, y, z, and w).

They are often used to represent a point in space or a direction.

2 Likes
4

Here, I made this for you:

Each number is the max limit in this 10 x 10 x 10 world, showing you the numbers of each in vector 3’s. You can access any point between 0,0,0 and 10,10,10. As another poster said, X is horizontal, Y is vertical, and Z is depth.

You can move a gameobject by translating it constantly every frame. To move it towards the right side from 0,0,0, we would say:

transform.Translate(0.1f, 0, 0, Space.World);

If called constantly from update, it would take 100 frames to reach the right side of our cube, and with the Space.World inclusion, it will be sure to travel due right regardless of rotation of the gameobject.

If you wanted to put the gameobject at the dead center of the cube;

transform.position = new Vector3(5, 5, 5);

:slight_smile:

5

There’s an important point here. A Vector3 is just a container for three numbers. They are often used to represent a point in space or a direction through space but they are sometimes used in more “creative” ways. Just watch out for these special meanings. You can’t assume a Vector3 in code is representing a point or a direction – it might be something else.

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6

While important yes, it is probably a little more than what the OP is asking for.
Remember guys, the title says “in the simplest way”, lets not get carried away. :stuck_out_tongue:
So, the simple explanation is, a Vector3 is a container for three float values, often representing a point in 3d space.