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Rendering options control the visual appearance of vectors, including their scale, line width, length behavior, and arrowheads.

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Scale and Size

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vector_scale
float
default:"1.0"
Changes the displayed size of vectors without modifying their actual values.
  • Range: 0.05 to 100+ (exponential scale)
  • Increment: 0.05
  • Purpose: Scale vectors for better visibility without affecting physics or calculations
  • Note: Applied before length_mode processing
Example Use Cases:
  • Set to 2.0 to double the visual size of all vectors
  • Set to 0.5 to show vectors at half their actual size
  • Useful for visualizing small forces or velocities
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width
float
default:"2.0"
Line width in pixels for all vector lines.
  • Range: 0.1 to 10+ (exponential scale)
  • Increment: 0.1
  • Units: Pixels
  • Affects: Main vector and axis component lines
Visual Impact:
  • Thicker lines (5.0+) are easier to see but may overlap
  • Thinner lines (1.0 or less) provide cleaner visualization for dense vector fields

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Length Behavior

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length_mode
enum
default:"Normal"
Controls how vector lengths are displayed. Does not change actual vector values.
Displays vectors at their true length (scaled by vector_scale).When to use: Standard visualization where relative magnitudes matter
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max_length
float
default:"100.0"
Maximum length used by Clamp and Normalize modes.
  • Range: 0.1 to 1000+ (exponential scale)
  • Increment: 0.1
  • Only affects: Vectors when length_mode is “Clamp” or “Normalize”
  • Has no effect: When length_mode is “Normal”
Relationship with vector_scale:
  • max_length is applied to the already-scaled vector
  • Effective length = min(vector.length() * vector_scale, max_length) for Clamp mode
  • Effective length = max_length for all vectors in Normalize mode

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Arrowheads

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arrowhead
bool
default:"true"
Enable or disable arrowheads on vectors.When enabled:
  • Draws triangular arrowheads pointing in the vector direction
  • Applies to main vector and axis components (if shown)
  • Automatically hides when vector is too small to display arrowhead clearly
When disabled:
  • Shows simple lines without directional indicators
  • Useful for cleaner visualization or when direction is obvious
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arrowhead_size
float
default:"3.0"
Size of the arrowhead relative to line width.
  • Range: 0.1 to 10+ (exponential scale)
  • Increment: 0.1
  • Units: Multiples of 2 × width
Size Calculation:
  • Actual size in pixels = width × arrowhead_size × 2
  • Default: 2 × 3.0 × 2 = 12 pixels with default width
Visual Guidelines:
  • 1.0 - Very small, subtle arrowheads
  • 3.0 - Default, clearly visible
  • 5.0+ - Large, prominent arrowheads
Auto-hiding behavior:
  • Arrowheads automatically hide when the vector is shorter than the arrowhead would extend
  • This prevents visual artifacts with very small vectors

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Rendering Pipeline

Vectors are processed in this order:
  1. Read the raw vector value from the target property
  2. Scale by vector_scale
  3. Apply length mode (Normal/Clamp/Normalize with max_length)
  4. Calculate colors based on color options
  5. Position based on pivot mode
  6. Draw with specified width and arrowhead settings
All rendering options are visual only and never modify the actual vector values in your target node.

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Common Configurations

settings.vector_scale = 0.5      # Scale down for high-speed objects
settings.width = 2.0             # Standard width
settings.length_mode = "Normal"  # Show true velocity magnitudes
settings.arrowhead = true        # Show direction clearly
settings.arrowhead_size = 3.0    # Standard size

settings.vector_scale = 1.0
settings.width = 2.5
settings.length_mode = "Normalize"  # All forces same length
settings.max_length = 75.0          # Consistent display length
settings.arrowhead = true
settings.arrowhead_size = 4.0       # Emphasize direction

settings.vector_scale = 1.0
settings.width = 2.0
settings.length_mode = "Clamp"   # Limit maximum display length
settings.max_length = 200.0      # Cap at 200 units
settings.arrowhead = true
settings.arrowhead_size = 3.0

settings.vector_scale = 1.0
settings.width = 1.0             # Thin lines
settings.length_mode = "Normal"
settings.arrowhead = false       # No arrowheads for cleaner look

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Source Reference

  • Settings definition: vector_display_settings.gd:17-36
  • Length mode application: vector_display_functions.gd:24-31
  • Arrowhead drawing: vector_display_2d.gd:65-88

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