Draw a 3D line in Unity. See how simple vector manipulation works!

Are you a Unity 3D developer looking to create stunning 3D graphics and animations? One of the most fundamental concepts in creating 3D graphics is vector manipulation. In this article, we will explore how simple vector manipulation works in Unity, and how you can use it to draw a 3D line.

Table of Contents

Vector Manipulation in Unity

Vector manipulation is the process of changing the direction, length, and orientation of vectors. Vectors are mathematical objects that represent displacements or changes in position. They are used extensively in computer graphics to represent lines, edges, and surfaces. In Unity, vector manipulation is done using the Vector3 class.

The Vector3 class represents a 3D point or vector in three-dimensional space. It has three components: x, y, and z. Each component represents the position of the vector along one of the three axes of a 3D coordinate system. To manipulate vectors in Unity, you can use various methods provided by the Vector3 class.

Drawing a 3D Line in Unity

To draw a 3D line in Unity, you need to create two points in space and connect them with a line. You can do this using the Line class provided by Unity’s UI system. The Line class is used to draw lines, curves, and other shapes in your scenes. To use the Line class, you need to create an instance of it and set its properties.

Here’s an example of how to draw a 3D line in Unity:

csharp

using UnityEngine;

public class DrawLine : MonoBehaviour
{

public Transform startPoint;

public Transform endPoint;

public Material lineMaterial;
private void Start()
{
    // Create a new LineRenderer component and set its properties
    LineRenderer lineRenderer  GetComponent<LineRenderer>();

    // Set the LineRenderer's starting point to the start of the line

lineRenderer.position1 startPoint.position;

    // Set the LineRenderer's ending point to the end of the line

lineRenderer.position2 endPoint.position;

    // Set the LineRenderer's material to the specified material
    lineRenderer.material  lineMaterial;
}

}

In this example, we create a new LineRenderer component and set its properties: starting point, ending point, and material. We then use the LineRenderer’s `position1`, `position2`, and `material` properties to draw a line from the startPoint to the endPoint using the specified material.

Vector Manipulation in Action

Now that we have learned how to draw a 3D line in Unity, let’s see how vector manipulation can be used to create more complex shapes and animations. One way to use vector manipulation is to create animated lines or curves by changing their position, orientation, and length over time. Here’s an example of how to do this:

csharp

using UnityEngine;

public class AnimateLine : MonoBehaviour
{

public Transform startPoint;

public Transform endPoint;

public float duration  1f;
public float speed  1f;
private Vector3 direction;
private float progress;
void Start()
{
    // Set the direction vector to the line between the start and end points

direction endPoint.position – startPoint.position;

    // Set the initial position of the LineRenderer to the start point

transform.position startPoint.position;

}
void Update()
{
    // Calculate the new progress value based on time elapsed and duration

progress (Time.time – startTime) / duration;

    // Move the LineRenderer along the direction vector at a constant speed

transform.position + direction * speed * Time.deltaTime;

}

In this example, we create an AnimateLine script and attach it to two Transform objects: startPoint and endPoint. We also set the duration and speed of the animation. In the `Start()` method, we calculate the direction vector by subtracting the start point from the end point. In the `Update()` method, we calculate the new progress value based on time elapsed and duration, and use it to move the LineRenderer along the direction vector at a constant speed using `transform.position + direction * speed * Time.deltaTime`.

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