Presets

Presets allow you to save VectorDisplaySettings configurations as .tres resource files, making it easy to reuse, share, and organize different visualization styles across your projects.

Why Use Presets?

Presets are valuable for:

Consistency: Apply the same style across multiple vector displays
Organization: Separate debug, gameplay, and presentation configurations
Sharing: Share configurations with team members or the community
Rapid testing: Quickly switch between different visualization modes
Project templates: Maintain a library of common styles

Creating Your First Preset

Create a VectorDisplaySettings resource

In your VectorDisplay2D node’s Inspector:

Click the dropdown next to Settings
Select New VectorDisplaySettings
Configure all properties as desired (colors, scale, width, etc.)

Save as a resource file

With the settings resource selected:

Click the resource menu (three dots) or right-click the resource
Choose Save or Save As…
Navigate to your desired location (e.g., res://presets/)
Name your preset (e.g., velocity_debug.tres)
Click Save

Create a dedicated res://presets/ or res://vector_presets/ folder to organize all your preset files.

Reuse the preset

To apply the preset to another VectorDisplay2D node:

Select the target VectorDisplay2D node
Click the dropdown next to Settings
Choose Load
Select your saved .tres file

Or simply drag the .tres file from FileSystem onto the Settings property.

Preset Examples

Here are some useful preset configurations:

Debug Preset

High-visibility vectors with axes for detailed debugging.

# velocity_debug.tres
# Configuration:
show_vectors = true
show_axes = true
vector_scale = 1.0
width = 3.0
length_mode = "Normal"
arrowhead = true
arrowhead_size = 4.0
pivot_mode = "Normal"

main_color = Color(1, 1, 0, 1)      # Yellow
x_axis_color = Color(1, 0, 0, 1)    # Red
y_axis_color = Color(0, 1, 0, 1)    # Green
rainbow = false

dimming = false

Gameplay Preset

Minimal, unobtrusive vectors for in-game visualization.

# gameplay_minimal.tres
show_vectors = true
show_axes = false
vector_scale = 0.5
width = 2.0
length_mode = "Clamp"
max_length = 100
arrowhead = true
arrowhead_size = 3.0
pivot_mode = "Normal"

main_color = Color(0, 1, 1, 0.5)    # Semi-transparent cyan
rainbow = false

dimming = true
dimming_speed = 1.0
fallback_color = Color(0, 0, 0, 0)  # Fade to transparent

Rainbow Preset

Colorful, angle-based visualization.

# rainbow_vectors.tres
show_vectors = true
show_axes = false
vector_scale = 1.0
width = 4.0
length_mode = "Normalize"
max_length = 50
arrowhead = true
arrowhead_size = 5.0
pivot_mode = "Centered"

main_color = Color.WHITE  # Overridden by rainbow
rainbow = true

dimming = true
dimming_speed = 1.5
fallback_color = Color(0.1, 0.1, 0.1)
normalized_dimming_type = "Absolute"

Presentation Preset

Bold, high-contrast vectors for screenshots and demos.

# presentation_bold.tres
show_vectors = true
show_axes = true
vector_scale = 0.75
width = 5.0
length_mode = "Clamp"
max_length = 150
arrowhead = true
arrowhead_size = 6.0
pivot_mode = "Normal"

main_color = Color(1, 0.5, 0, 1)    # Orange
x_axis_color = Color(1, 0, 0.5, 1)  # Pink-red
y_axis_color = Color(0.5, 1, 0, 1)  # Lime green
rainbow = false

dimming = false

Organizing Presets

Recommended Folder Structure

res://
├── addons/
│   └── vector_display_2d/
├── presets/
│   ├── debug/
│   │   ├── velocity_debug.tres
│   │   ├── force_debug.tres
│   │   └── position_debug.tres
│   ├── gameplay/
│   │   ├── player_vectors.tres
│   │   └── enemy_vectors.tres
│   └── presentation/
│       ├── screenshot_mode.tres
│       └── tutorial_mode.tres
└── scenes/

Naming Conventions

Use descriptive names that indicate:

Purpose: debug_, gameplay_, presentation_
Vector type: velocity_, force_, acceleration_
Visual style: rainbow_, minimal_, bold_

Examples:

debug_velocity_with_axes.tres
gameplay_minimal_cyan.tres
presentation_rainbow_centered.tres

Using Presets in Code

You can load and apply presets programmatically:

Preload Presets

extends CharacterBody2D

# Preload preset resources
const PRESET_DEBUG = preload("res://presets/debug/velocity_debug.tres")
const PRESET_GAMEPLAY = preload("res://presets/gameplay/player_vectors.tres")
const PRESET_HIDDEN = preload("res://presets/hidden.tres")

@onready var vector_display = $VectorDisplay2D

func _ready():
    apply_preset(PRESET_GAMEPLAY)

func apply_preset(preset: VectorDisplaySettings):
    vector_display.settings = preset

Load Presets Dynamically

func load_preset(path: String):
    var preset = load(path) as VectorDisplaySettings
    if preset:
        vector_display.settings = preset
    else:
        push_error("Failed to load preset: " + path)

func _ready():
    load_preset("res://presets/debug/velocity_debug.tres")

Switch Presets at Runtime

enum DebugMode { HIDDEN, MINIMAL, FULL }

var debug_mode = DebugMode.MINIMAL

const PRESETS = {
    DebugMode.HIDDEN: preload("res://presets/hidden.tres"),
    DebugMode.MINIMAL: preload("res://presets/gameplay/minimal.tres"),
    DebugMode.FULL: preload("res://presets/debug/full_debug.tres")
}

func set_debug_mode(mode: DebugMode):
    debug_mode = mode
    vector_display.settings = PRESETS[mode]

func _input(event):
    if event.is_action_pressed("cycle_debug_mode"):
        debug_mode = (debug_mode + 1) % 3
        set_debug_mode(debug_mode)

Creating Preset Variations

Base Preset Pattern

Create a base preset and modify specific properties:

# Create base preset: res://presets/base_debug.tres
# Then create variations in code:

const BASE_DEBUG = preload("res://presets/base_debug.tres")

func create_red_variant():
    var red_preset = BASE_DEBUG.duplicate()
    red_preset.main_color = Color.RED
    vector_display.settings = red_preset

func create_scaled_variant(scale: float):
    var scaled_preset = BASE_DEBUG.duplicate()
    scaled_preset.vector_scale = scale
    vector_display.settings = scaled_preset

When using duplicate(), changes affect only that instance. To save variations permanently, use the Inspector’s Save As feature.

Exporting Presets

To share presets with others:

Locate the .tres file

Find your preset file in the FileSystem dock (e.g., res://presets/my_preset.tres).

Copy to shared location

Right-click the file and select Show in FileSystem to open the folder, then copy the .tres file.

Share the file

Share via:

Git repository
Cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive)
Direct file transfer
Community forums (Godot Asset Library, GitHub, etc.)

Importing Presets

To use someone else’s preset:

Copy the .tres file into your project (e.g., res://presets/)
Right-click in FileSystem and select Refresh or restart Godot
Load the preset in your VectorDisplay2D node

Version Compatibility

VectorDisplaySettings resources are compatible across Godot 4.x versions. However, if the addon updates with new properties, older presets will use default values for missing properties.

Advanced: Preset Libraries

For large projects, create a preset manager:

# res://scripts/vector_preset_library.gd
class_name VectorPresetLibrary extends Resource

enum PresetType {
    DEBUG,
    GAMEPLAY,
    PRESENTATION,
    CUSTOM
}

const PRESETS = {
    PresetType.DEBUG: {
        "velocity": preload("res://presets/debug/velocity_debug.tres"),
        "force": preload("res://presets/debug/force_debug.tres"),
        "acceleration": preload("res://presets/debug/acceleration_debug.tres")
    },
    PresetType.GAMEPLAY: {
        "player": preload("res://presets/gameplay/player_vectors.tres"),
        "enemy": preload("res://presets/gameplay/enemy_vectors.tres")
    },
    PresetType.PRESENTATION: {
        "screenshot": preload("res://presets/presentation/screenshot_mode.tres"),
        "tutorial": preload("res://presets/presentation/tutorial_mode.tres")
    }
}

static func get_preset(type: PresetType, name: String) -> VectorDisplaySettings:
    if PRESETS.has(type) and PRESETS[type].has(name):
        return PRESETS[type][name]
    push_error("Preset not found: %s / %s" % [PresetType.keys()[type], name])
    return null

Usage:

# In your game scripts
func _ready():
    var preset = VectorPresetLibrary.get_preset(
        VectorPresetLibrary.PresetType.DEBUG,
        "velocity"
    )
    vector_display.settings = preset

Tips and Best Practices

Save Early, Save Often

Save preset configurations as you experiment. You can always delete unused presets later.

Document Your Presets

Add comments in your code or create a README explaining what each preset is for.

Version Control

Commit preset files to Git so your team can access and update them.

Test Before Sharing

Verify presets work in different scenarios before sharing with others.

Next Steps

Combine presets with runtime configuration for dynamic switching
Explore all customization options to fine-tune your presets
Set up keyboard shortcuts to toggle between preset modes

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Examples

Why Use Presets?

Creating Your First Preset

Preset Examples

Debug Preset

Gameplay Preset

Rainbow Preset

Presentation Preset

Organizing Presets

Recommended Folder Structure

Naming Conventions

Using Presets in Code

Preload Presets

Load Presets Dynamically

Switch Presets at Runtime

Creating Preset Variations

Base Preset Pattern

Exporting Presets

Importing Presets

Version Compatibility

Advanced: Preset Libraries

Tips and Best Practices

Save Early, Save Often

Document Your Presets

Version Control

Test Before Sharing

Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Examples

​Why Use Presets?

​Creating Your First Preset

​Preset Examples

​Debug Preset

​Gameplay Preset

​Rainbow Preset

​Presentation Preset

​Organizing Presets

​Recommended Folder Structure

​Naming Conventions

​Using Presets in Code

​Preload Presets

​Load Presets Dynamically

​Switch Presets at Runtime

​Creating Preset Variations

​Base Preset Pattern

​Sharing Presets

​Exporting Presets

​Importing Presets

​Version Compatibility

​Advanced: Preset Libraries

​Tips and Best Practices

Save Early, Save Often

Document Your Presets

Version Control

Test Before Sharing

​Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Why Use Presets?

Creating Your First Preset

Preset Examples

Debug Preset

Gameplay Preset

Rainbow Preset

Presentation Preset

Organizing Presets

Recommended Folder Structure

Naming Conventions

Using Presets in Code

Preload Presets

Load Presets Dynamically

Switch Presets at Runtime

Creating Preset Variations

Base Preset Pattern

Sharing Presets

Exporting Presets

Importing Presets

Version Compatibility

Advanced: Preset Libraries

Tips and Best Practices

Next Steps