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Color options control the visual appearance of vectors through static colors, angle-based rainbow coloring, and magnitude-based dimming effects.

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Static Colors

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main_color
Color
default:"Color.YELLOW"
Color for the main vector arrow.
  • Type: Godot Color object
  • Default: Yellow Color(1, 1, 0, 1)
  • Applies to: The primary vector visualization
  • Overridden by: rainbow mode (when enabled)
Usage:
# Set using predefined colors
settings.main_color = Color.CYAN

# Set using RGB values
settings.main_color = Color(0.5, 0.8, 1.0)

# Set with alpha transparency
settings.main_color = Color(1, 0, 0, 0.7)  # Semi-transparent red
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x_axis_color
Color
default:"Color.RED"
Color for the X component of the vector.
  • Type: Godot Color object
  • Default: Red Color(1, 0, 0, 1)
  • Applies to: Horizontal (X) component when show_axes is enabled
  • Not affected by: rainbow mode (axes always use static colors)
Convention: Red for X-axis follows standard mathematical visualization
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y_axis_color
Color
default:"Color.GREEN"
Color for the Y component of the vector.
  • Type: Godot Color object
  • Default: Green Color(0, 1, 0, 1)
  • Applies to: Vertical (Y) component when show_axes is enabled
  • Not affected by: rainbow mode (axes always use static colors)
Convention: Green for Y-axis follows standard mathematical visualization

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Rainbow Mode

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rainbow
bool
default:"false"
Enable angle-based color cycling for the main vector.When enabled:
  • Main vector color is determined by its angle
  • Creates a full spectrum as vectors rotate 360 degrees
  • Overrides main_color setting
  • Axis components still use their static colors
Color Mapping:
  • 0° (right): Red
  • 60°: Yellow
  • 120° (up-left): Green
  • 180° (left): Cyan
  • 240°: Blue
  • 300° (down-right): Magenta
  • 360°: Red (full cycle)
Implementation:
var angle: float = vector.angle()  # Get angle in radians
if angle < 0: angle += TAU         # Normalize to [0, TAU]
colors.main = Color.from_hsv(angle / TAU, 1.0, 1.0)
Use Cases:
  • Visualize rotation or angular velocity
  • Make direction immediately apparent through color
  • Create engaging educational visualizations
  • Debug rotational behavior
Rainbow mode uses full saturation (1.0) and full value (1.0) for vivid colors. Dimming can still be applied on top of rainbow colors.

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Color Dimming

Dimming gradually transitions vector colors toward a fallback color as vectors become shorter, providing visual feedback about magnitude.
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dimming
bool
default:"false"
Enable magnitude-based color dimming.When enabled:
  • Short vectors blend toward fallback_color
  • Long vectors maintain their full color
  • Applies to both main vector and axes
  • Works with both static colors and rainbow mode
When disabled:
  • Vectors always display at full color intensity
  • No magnitude indication through color
Visual Effect:
  • Provides immediate visual feedback of vector strength
  • Helps distinguish between active and near-zero vectors
  • Creates smooth color transitions as magnitude changes
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dimming_speed
float
default:"1.0"
Controls how quickly colors dim as vectors get shorter.
  • Range: 0.01 to 10+
  • Increment: 0.01
  • Default: 1.0 (standard dimming rate)
Behavior:
  • Higher values (2.0+): Faster dimming, colors fade at longer lengths
  • Lower values (0.1-0.5): Slower dimming, colors stay vibrant until very short
  • Value of 1.0: Balanced dimming for typical use cases
Formula:
dimming_value = clamp(dimming_speed * 10 / vector.length(), 0.0, 1.0)
final_color = base_color.lerp(fallback_color, dimming_value)
Note: Internal correction factor of 10 is applied for better control rangeExamples:
  • 0.5: Very gradual dimming, maintains color until almost zero
  • 1.0: Default, balanced dimming
  • 3.0: Aggressive dimming, transitions to fallback quickly
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fallback_color
Color
default:"Color.BLACK"
Target color for dimmed vectors.
  • Type: Godot Color object
  • Default: Black Color(0, 0, 0, 1)
  • Effect: Vectors smoothly blend to this color as they approach zero length
Common Choices:
  • Black (default): Vectors fade out, good for dark backgrounds
  • White: Fade to white, good for light backgrounds
  • Gray: Maintain some visibility at zero length
  • Matching background: Complete visual fade-out
Usage:
# Fade to gray instead of black
settings.fallback_color = Color(0.3, 0.3, 0.3)

# Fade to white for light themes
settings.fallback_color = Color.WHITE

# Fade to transparent (requires alpha blending)
settings.fallback_color = Color(0, 0, 0, 0)
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normalized_dimming_type
enum
default:"None"
Controls dimming behavior when using Normalize length mode.
No dimming when length mode is “Normalize”.Behavior:
  • All normalized vectors display at full color
  • Dimming is completely disabled
  • Simplest option for direction-only visualization
When to use: You only want to show direction and dimming would be misleading
This setting only affects dimming behavior when length_mode is “Normalize”. With “Normal” or “Clamp” modes, dimming always uses the visual length.

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Color Interaction

Understanding how rainbow mode and dimming work together:
Result: Static colors at full intensity
  • Main vector: main_color
  • X-axis: x_axis_color
  • Y-axis: y_axis_color
  • No variation based on angle or magnitude
Result: Angle-based colors at full intensity
  • Main vector: Color changes with angle (full spectrum)
  • X-axis: Still uses x_axis_color (static)
  • Y-axis: Still uses y_axis_color (static)
  • Direction is immediately visible, no magnitude indication
Result: Static colors that fade with magnitude
  • Main vector: main_color → fallback_color blend
  • X-axis: x_axis_color → fallback_color blend
  • Y-axis: y_axis_color → fallback_color blend
  • Magnitude is indicated through color intensity
Result: Angle-based colors that fade with magnitude
  • Main vector: Rainbow color → fallback_color blend
  • X-axis: x_axis_color → fallback_color blend
  • Y-axis: y_axis_color → fallback_color blend
  • Both direction (hue) and magnitude (brightness) are visible
  • Most visually rich option

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Common Configurations

settings.main_color = Color.YELLOW
settings.x_axis_color = Color.RED
settings.y_axis_color = Color.GREEN
settings.rainbow = false
settings.dimming = false
Clear, professional visualization with standard colors.
settings.rainbow = true           # Color shows direction
settings.dimming = true           # Brightness shows magnitude
settings.dimming_speed = 1.5
settings.fallback_color = Color.BLACK
Perfect for rotating objects or directional forces.
settings.main_color = Color.CYAN
settings.x_axis_color = Color(1, 0, 0)     # Bright red
settings.y_axis_color = Color(0, 1, 0)     # Bright green
settings.rainbow = false
settings.dimming = true
settings.dimming_speed = 2.0
settings.fallback_color = Color(0.2, 0.2, 0.2)  # Dark gray
High contrast for presentations and learning materials.
# In rendering options:
settings.length_mode = "Normalize"
settings.max_length = 100.0

# Color options:
settings.rainbow = true                      # Direction via color
settings.dimming = true                      # Magnitude via intensity
settings.normalized_dimming_type = "Absolute"  # Use original magnitude
settings.dimming_speed = 1.0
settings.fallback_color = Color.BLACK
All vectors same length, but color shows direction and brightness shows original magnitude.

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Color Calculation Order

Colors are processed in this sequence:
  1. Start with base colors (main_color, x_axis_color, y_axis_color)
  2. Apply rainbow (if enabled): Replace main_color with angle-based hue
  3. Apply dimming (if enabled):
    • Calculate dimming value based on vector length and dimming_speed
    • Lerp from current color to fallback_color
  4. Render with final calculated colors

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Source Reference

  • Color settings definition: vector_display_settings.gd:44-74
  • Color calculation logic: vector_display_functions.gd:34-69
  • Rainbow angle calculation: vector_display_functions.gd:47-51
  • Dimming blend calculation: vector_display_functions.gd:54-67

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