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This guide walks you through creating and configuring your first VectorDisplay2D node to visualize vectors in your Godot 2D game.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:
  • Godot 4.0 or later installed
  • Vector Display 2D addon enabled in your project
  • A scene with a node that has a Vector2 property (e.g., a CharacterBody2D with velocity)

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Step-by-Step Setup

1

Create the VectorDisplay2D node

In your scene tree, add a new VectorDisplay2D node as a child of the node whose vector you want to display.For example, if you want to display the velocity of a player character:
  1. Right-click on your Player (CharacterBody2D) node
  2. Select Add Child Node
  3. Search for VectorDisplay2D and add it
The VectorDisplay2D node automatically positions itself relative to its parent, making it easy to visualize vectors that originate from specific objects.
2

Configure the target node

With the VectorDisplay2D node selected, configure the Target Node in the Inspector:
# In the Inspector:
Target Node: (drag your parent node here, or leave empty to auto-assign to parent)
If you leave target_node empty, it will automatically use the parent node.
The target node is the node that contains the Vector2 property you want to visualize.
3

Set the target property

Specify which Vector2 property to display in the Target Property field:
# In the Inspector:
Target Property: "velocity"  # or "linear_velocity", "position", etc.
Common Vector2 properties to visualize:
  • velocity - Movement speed and direction
  • linear_velocity - Physics velocity for RigidBody2D
  • direction - Custom directional vectors
  • Any custom Vector2 variable in your script
The property must be of type Vector2. If you enter an invalid property name or non-Vector2 type, you’ll see an error in the console.
4

Create a settings resource

Create a new VectorDisplaySettings resource to customize how your vectors are displayed:
  1. In the Inspector, click the dropdown next to Settings
  2. Select New VectorDisplaySettings
  3. Click on the resource to edit its properties
The default settings provide:
  • Yellow colored main vector
  • Red X-axis, Green Y-axis
  • Scale of 1.0
  • Width of 2 pixels
  • Arrowhead enabled
You can save this settings resource as a .tres file to reuse it across multiple VectorDisplay2D nodes or share it between projects.
5

Test the display

Run your scene and watch the vectors appear!
  • The yellow arrow shows your vector in real-time
  • Press Shift + V to toggle visibility on/off during gameplay
  • Move your character or trigger the vector change to see it update live
# Example player script that works with VectorDisplay2D
extends CharacterBody2D

func _physics_process(delta):
    var direction = Input.get_vector("ui_left", "ui_right", "ui_up", "ui_down")
    velocity = direction * 300.0
    move_and_slide()
    # VectorDisplay2D automatically visualizes the velocity!

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Quick Start Example

Here’s a complete minimal setup: 
# Scene structure:
# Player (CharacterBody2D)
# └── VectorDisplay2D
#     ├── Target Node: Player
#     ├── Target Property: "velocity"
#     └── Settings: (new VectorDisplaySettings resource)

# Player.gd
extends CharacterBody2D

const SPEED = 300.0

func _physics_process(delta):
    var input_dir = Input.get_vector("ui_left", "ui_right", "ui_up", "ui_down")
    velocity = input_dir * SPEED
    move_and_slide()
Run the scene and move around with arrow keys - you’ll see a yellow arrow showing your velocity direction and magnitude!

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Next Steps

Now that you have a basic setup working:

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Troubleshooting

Vector not appearing?
  • Verify the target property is a Vector2 type
  • Check that the vector has a non-zero value
  • Ensure show_vectors is enabled in settings
  • Press Shift + V to toggle visibility
Error: “Target property is not a Vector2”
  • Double-check the property name spelling
  • Ensure the property exists and is exported or public
  • Verify it’s a Vector2, not Vector3 or other type
Performance issues?
  • The addon automatically optimizes rendering by only redrawing when the vector changes
  • For many vectors, consider reducing the update frequency in your game logic

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