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What is Vector Display 2D?

Vector Display 2D is a Godot addon that makes it easy to visualize vectors like velocity, acceleration, forces, and more directly in your 2D games. Whether you’re debugging physics interactions, fine-tuning character movement, or showcasing game mechanics, Vector Display 2D provides real-time visual feedback of your vector data.

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Key Features

Easy Setup

Add a VectorDisplay2D node, configure target and property, and you’re done

Runtime Toggle

Press Shift+V in-game to show/hide all vector displays instantly

Highly Customizable

Change colors, scale, width, arrowheads, pivot modes, and more

Performance Optimized

Smart redraw system only updates when vectors change

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Visual Customization

  • Color modes: Rainbow mode, color dimming based on magnitude, custom colors for main vector and axes
  • Arrowheads: Optional arrowheads with adjustable size
  • Component visualization: Show X and Y axes separately
  • Length modes: Normal, clamped, or normalized display
  • Pivot modes: Draw from origin or centered on the target

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Reusable Presets

Create and save VectorDisplaySettings resources to:
  • Share consistent styling across multiple vector displays
  • Save different presets for various use cases (debug vs presentation mode)
  • Edit settings at runtime without code changes

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Use Cases

Visualize velocity, acceleration, and force vectors on physics bodies to understand movement behavior and collision responses.
Display steering forces, desired velocity, and separation vectors when developing AI movement and flocking behaviors.
Show directional indicators like aiming direction, throw trajectory, or momentum for better player understanding.
Create interactive physics demonstrations or tutorials with clear vector visualization.

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What You Can Visualize

Any Vector2 property from any node can be displayed:
  • velocity and acceleration from CharacterBody2D or RigidBody2D
  • Custom script variables like steering_force or desired_velocity
  • Calculated vectors from your game logic
  • Input directions or aiming vectors
The addon currently supports 2D vectors only. 3D compatibility is planned for version 2.

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Quick Example

# On your CharacterBody2D
extends CharacterBody2D

var velocity = Vector2.ZERO
var acceleration = Vector2.ZERO

func _physics_process(delta):
    acceleration = Vector2(Input.get_axis("left", "right"), 0) * 500
    velocity += acceleration * delta
    move_and_slide()
With Vector Display 2D, you can instantly see these vectors by adding VectorDisplay2D nodes - no additional code required!

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Next Steps

Installation

Download and install the addon in your Godot project

Quick Start

Get your first vector displaying in under 5 minutes

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