Vector Nodes
Dot and cross products, length, distance, angle, reflect and refract, and building, splitting, and fading vectors.
This category contains 12 nodes.
Nodes
Absolute Vector
Takes the absolute value of X, Y, and Z separately, so every component becomes positive.
Inputs: A 3D vector.
| Name | Type | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vector | Vector | vec | [0, 0, 0] |
Outputs: The vector with all values positive.
| Name | Type | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Vector | Vector | ≥0 |
Angle Between Vectors
Finds the angle between two directions: 0° when they are parallel, 90° when perpendicular, and 180° when opposite.
Inputs: The two direction vectors.
| Name | Type | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vector A | Vector | vec | [0, 0, 0] |
| Vector B | Vector | vec | [0, 0, 0] |
Outputs: The angle in degrees.
| Name | Type | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Number | any |
Combine Vector
Builds a position from separate X, Y, and Z values. Use it to build a position or change one coordinate.
Inputs: The X, Y, and Z values.
| Name | Type | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| X | Number | any | 0 |
| Y | Number | any | 0 |
| Z | Number | any | 0 |
Outputs: The combined 3D position.
| Name | Type | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Vector | Vector | vec |
Cross Product
Returns a direction perpendicular to two input directions. Use it for rotation and orientation math.
Inputs: The two directions.
| Name | Type | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vector A | Vector | vec | [0, 0, 0] |
| Vector B | Vector | vec | [0, 0, 0] |
Outputs: A direction perpendicular to both inputs.
| Name | Type | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Vector | Vector | vec |
Distance Between Vectors
Measures how far apart two positions are across all three axes. Use it for proximity effects such as glows or falloffs from a center point. Because Z counts, a shape at a fixed depth is near only the fixtures at that depth. On a rig with depth, project onto XY first.
Inputs: The two positions to measure between. The node reads all three components of each.
| Name | Type | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vector A | Vector | vec | [0, 0, 0] |
| Vector B | Vector | vec | [0, 0, 0] |
Outputs: The distance, never negative.
| Name | Type | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Number | any |
Dot Product
Measures how aligned two directions are. It returns a positive value when they point the same way, a negative value when they point in opposite directions, and zero when they are perpendicular.
Inputs: Two directions or positions.
| Name | Type | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vector A | Vector | vec | [1, 0, 0] |
| Vector B | Vector | vec | [0, 1, 0] |
Outputs: The alignment, positive for the same direction and negative for opposite directions.
| Name | Type | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Number | any |
Length
Returns the length of a vector, also called its magnitude. The length is the distance from the origin (0,0,0) to the point. Use it for radial effects.
Inputs: A position or direction.
| Name | Type | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vector | Vector | vec | [1, 0, 0] |
Outputs: The distance from the origin, never negative.
| Name | Type | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Number | ≥0 |
Reflect
Bounces a direction off a surface like a mirror, for reflection effects.
Inputs: The incoming direction and the surface orientation.
| Name | Type | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incident | Vector | vec | [1, 0, 0] |
| Normal | Vector | vec | [0, 1, 0] |
Outputs: The bounced direction.
| Name | Type | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Vector | Vector | vec |
Refract
Bends a direction as it passes through a surface, like light through glass or water.
Inputs: The incoming direction, the surface orientation, and the bending strength.
| Name | Type | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incident | Vector | vec | [1, 0, 0] |
| Normal | Vector | vec | [0, 1, 0] |
| Eta | Number | any | 1.5 |
Outputs: The bent direction.
| Name | Type | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Vector | Vector | vec |
Smooth Step Vector
Fades smoothly between two edges on each axis, for soft transitions.
Inputs: The vector to fade and the Min and Max edges of the transition on each axis. The ports have the same names and meaning as on Smoothstep.
| Name | Type | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vector | Vector | vec | [0.5, 0.5, 0.5] |
| Min | Vector | vec | [0, 0, 0] |
| Max | Vector | vec | [1, 1, 1] |
Outputs: The vector with each component faded smoothly from 0 to 1.
| Name | Type | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Vector | Vector | vec |
Split Vector
Separates a position into its X, Y, and Z parts so you can work with each coordinate.
Inputs: A 3D position.
| Name | Type | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vector | Vector | vec | [0.5, 0.5, 0.5] |
Outputs: The separate X, Y, and Z values.
| Name | Type | Range |
|---|---|---|
| X | Number | any |
| Y | Number | any |
| Z | Number | any |
Uniform Vector
Copies one number into all three axes. Use it when a vector port needs the same value on every axis. It replaces the wiring of one number into Combine Vector three times.
Inputs: One number.
| Name | Type | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scalar | Number | any | 1 |
Outputs: A vector with that number on X, Y, and Z.
| Name | Type | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Vector | Vector | vec |