Scribd
Upload
106 views5 pages

X, Y, Z Camera Code

This document provides code samples demonstrating the advantages of using vectors over separate X, Y, Z variables for camera positioning. It shows how vectors allow camera movement code to be more concise and intuitive by using vector math operations. Key advantages include requiring less code, avoiding separate sin/cos calculations, and clearly describing transformations as rotations and translations of vectors.

Uploaded by

Kurnia Bagoesdw
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
106 views5 pages

X, Y, Z Camera Code

This document provides code samples demonstrating the advantages of using vectors over separate X, Y, Z variables for camera positioning. It shows how vectors allow camera movement code to be more concise and intuitive by using vector math operations. Key advantages include requiring less code, avoiding separate sin/cos calculations, and clearly describing transformations as rotations and translations of vectors.

Uploaded by

Kurnia Bagoesdw
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

This is intended to become a tutorial on why it is better to use vectors than separate X, Y and Z

variables.
For now it just has code samples...

X, Y, Z camera code
' Data
dim camX#, camY#, camZ#, camAng# ' Camera position and direction
dim x, z ' Working variables
camX# = 135
camZ# = 50
 
' Main loop
while true
 
' Clear screen
glClear (GL_DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT or GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT)
glLoadIdentity ()
 
' Position camera
glRotatef (-camAng#, 0, 1, 0)
glTranslatef (-camX#, -camY#, -camZ#)
 
' Draw a city of pyramids
for z = 1 to 10
glPushMatrix ()
for x = 1 to 10
glBegin (GL_TRIANGLE_FAN)
glColor3f (0,.5, 1): glVertex3f ( 0, 10, 0)
glColor3f (1, 0, 0): glVertex3f (-10,-10, 10)
glColor3f (1, 1, 1): glVertex3f ( 10,-10, 10)
glColor3f (0, 0, 1): glVertex3f ( 10,-10,-10)
glColor3f (0, 1, 0): glVertex3f (-10,-10,-10)
glColor3f (1, 0, 0): glVertex3f (-10,-10, 10)
glEnd ()
glTranslatef (30, 0, 0)
next
glPopMatrix ()
glTranslatef (0, 0, -30)
next
SwapBuffers ()
 
' Move camera
while SyncTimer (10)
if ScanKeyDown (VK_LEFT) then camAng# = camAng# + 1: endif
if ScanKeyDown (VK_RIGHT) then camAng# = camAng# - 1: endif
if ScanKeyDown (VK_UP) then
camX# = camX# - sind (camAng#) * .5
camZ# = camZ# - cosd (camAng#) * .5
endif
if ScanKeyDown (VK_DOWN) then
camX# = camX# + sind (camAng#) * .5
camZ# = camZ# + cosd (camAng#) * .5
endif
wend
wend

Vector based camera code


' Data
dim cam#(2), camAng# ' Camera position and direction
dim x, z ' Working variables
cam#(0) = 135
cam#(2) = 50
 
' Main loop
while true
 
' Clear screen
glClear (GL_DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT or GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT)
glLoadIdentity ()
 
' Position camera
glRotatef (-camAng#, 0, 1, 0)
glTranslatef (-cam#(0), -cam#(1), -cam#(2))
 
' Draw a city of pyramids
for z = 1 to 10
glPushMatrix ()
for x = 1 to 10
glBegin (GL_TRIANGLE_FAN)
glColor3f (0,.5, 1): glVertex3f ( 0, 10, 0)
glColor3f (1, 0, 0): glVertex3f (-10,-10, 10)
glColor3f (1, 1, 1): glVertex3f ( 10,-10, 10)
glColor3f (0, 0, 1): glVertex3f ( 10,-10,-10)
glColor3f (0, 1, 0): glVertex3f (-10,-10,-10)
glColor3f (1, 0, 0): glVertex3f (-10,-10, 10)
glEnd ()
glTranslatef (30, 0, 0)
next
glPopMatrix ()
glTranslatef (0, 0, -30)
next
SwapBuffers ()
 
' Move camera
while SyncTimer (10)
if ScanKeyDown (VK_LEFT) then camAng# = camAng# + 1: endif
if ScanKeyDown (VK_RIGHT) then camAng# = camAng# - 1: endif
if ScanKeyDown (VK_UP) then
cam# = cam# + MatrixRotateY(camAng#) * vec3(0, 0, -1) * .5
endif
if ScanKeyDown (VK_DOWN) then
cam# = cam# - MatrixRotateY(camAng#) * vec3(0, 0, -1) * .5
endif
wend
wend

Advantages.
 2 lines of code saved.
 No sin and cos math required.

Vector math describes more clearly what we are trying to do. That is:
 Take a vector facing forward (vec3(0, 0, -1))
 Rotate it around the Y axis by the camera angle#
 Scale it to .5 units
 Add it to the camera's previous position.

W,S,A,D 8-way movement code using vectors


' Data
dim cam#(2), camAng#, offset#(2) ' Camera position and direction
dim x, z ' Working variables
cam#(0) = 135
cam#(2) = 50
 
' Main loop
while true
 
' Clear screen
glClear (GL_DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT or GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT)
glLoadIdentity ()
 
' Position camera
glRotatef (-camAng#, 0, 1, 0)
glTranslatef (-cam#(0), -cam#(1), -cam#(2))
 
' Draw a city of pyramids
for z = 1 to 10
glPushMatrix ()
for x = 1 to 10
glBegin (GL_TRIANGLE_FAN)
glColor3f (0,.5, 1): glVertex3f ( 0, 10, 0)
glColor3f (1, 0, 0): glVertex3f (-10,-10, 10)
glColor3f (1, 1, 1): glVertex3f ( 10,-10, 10)
glColor3f (0, 0, 1): glVertex3f ( 10,-10,-10)
glColor3f (0, 1, 0): glVertex3f (-10,-10,-10)
glColor3f (1, 0, 0): glVertex3f (-10,-10, 10)
glEnd ()
glTranslatef (30, 0, 0)
next
glPopMatrix ()
glTranslatef (0, 0, -30)
next
SwapBuffers ()
 
' Move camera
while SyncTimer (10)
if ScanKeyDown (VK_LEFT) then camAng# = camAng# + 1: endif
if ScanKeyDown (VK_RIGHT) then camAng# = camAng# - 1: endif
offset# = vec3(0, 0, 0)
if KeyDown("W") then offset#(2) = offset#(2) - 1 endif
if KeyDown("S") then offset#(2) = offset#(2) + 1 endif
if KeyDown("A") then offset#(0) = offset#(0) - 1 endif
if KeyDown("D") then offset#(0) = offset#(0) + 1 endif
cam# = cam# + MatrixRotateY(camAng#) * offset# * .5
wend
wend

Here we construct an offset vector, and set offset#(0) to the X (left/right) direction of travel, and
offset#(2) to the Z (forward/backward).
We then use vector mathematics to rotate it around the Y axis by the camera angle and add it to the
camera's previous position.

Vector mathematics made this possible, and not too hard to understand. A camX#, camY#, camZ#
approach would have been a lot more mathematics intensive.

Looking and flying up/down


' Data
dim cam#(2), camAng#, camXAng#, offset#(2) ' Camera position and direction
dim x, z ' Working variables
cam#(0) = 135
cam#(2) = 50
 
' Main loop
while true
 
' Clear screen
glClear (GL_DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT or GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT)
glLoadIdentity ()
 
' Position camera
glRotatef (-camXAng#, 1, 0, 0)
glRotatef (-camAng#, 0, 1, 0)
glTranslatef (-cam#(0), -cam#(1), -cam#(2))
 
' Draw a city of pyramids
for z = 1 to 10
glPushMatrix ()
for x = 1 to 10
glBegin (GL_TRIANGLE_FAN)
glColor3f (0,.5, 1): glVertex3f ( 0, 10, 0)
glColor3f (1, 0, 0): glVertex3f (-10,-10, 10)
glColor3f (1, 1, 1): glVertex3f ( 10,-10, 10)
glColor3f (0, 0, 1): glVertex3f ( 10,-10,-10)
glColor3f (0, 1, 0): glVertex3f (-10,-10,-10)
glColor3f (1, 0, 0): glVertex3f (-10,-10, 10)
glEnd ()
glTranslatef (30, 0, 0)
next
glPopMatrix ()
glTranslatef (0, 0, -30)
next
SwapBuffers ()
 
' Move camera
while SyncTimer (10)
if ScanKeyDown (VK_LEFT) then camAng# = camAng# + 1: endif
if ScanKeyDown (VK_RIGHT) then camAng# = camAng# - 1: endif
if ScanKeyDown (VK_UP) then camXAng# = camXAng# + 1: endif
if ScanKeyDown (VK_DOWN) then camXAng# = camXAng# - 1: endif
offset# = vec3(0, 0, 0)
if KeyDown("W") then offset#(2) = offset#(2) - 1 endif
if KeyDown("S") then offset#(2) = offset#(2) + 1 endif
if KeyDown("A") then offset#(0) = offset#(0) - 1 endif
if KeyDown("D") then offset#(0) = offset#(0) + 1 endif
cam# = cam# + MatrixRotateY(camAng#) * MatrixRotateX(camXAng#) * offset# *.5
wend
wend

Notice how simple it was to add tilting up/down to the camera and the camera's movement.
We simply inserted a rotation around the X axis in at the appropriate position.

A lot easier than trying to figure out the mathematics for camX#, camY# and camZ# variables

You might also like