Summary

There’s a lot to learn when it comes to vector mathematics, and this chapter has only scratched at the surface and plucked out the essential parts relevant to graphics and games. If you get a chance, I would strongly suggest that you review the extra links given throughout. Vector mathematics is a university-level topic. I’ve attempted to reveal the simplicity of the topic and reduce it to simple addition and multiplication operations, but if you feel you haven’t grasped the topic, I’d encourage you to investigate what’s available on Khan Academy (khanacademy.org). In this book, I’m addressing the most relevant aspects of all mathematical topics concerning computer graphics and games, but unfortunately, due to page count, I can’t cover everything.

We started this chapter by looking at the differences between points and vectors, followed by several key vector operations required to manipulate them to move objects in space....