Math:Coordinate Systems
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The wiki is now hosted by GameDev.NET at wiki.gamedev.net. All gpwiki.org content has been moved to the new server. However, the GPWiki forums are still active! Come say hello. In mathematics, points in space can be represented using a few different methods. The following article hopes to explain the most common.
[edit] Coordinates in 2D[edit] CartesianThe Cartesian coordinate system is the most common system used to represent points in space. It is the system you are most familiar with:
Each section of the Cartesian plane has a name, the first, second, third, and fourth quadrants:
[edit] Polar[edit] Coordinates in 3D[edit] Cartesian[edit] Spherical[edit] Cylindrical[edit] Conversion between Systems[edit] Cartesian to Polar[edit] Cartesian to Spherical[edit] Cartesian to Cylindrical |
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. X is the signed distance on the x-axis, and Y is the signed distance on the y-axis. For example, to traverse to the point 
on the Cartesian plane, you first travel 2 units to the right, and 3 units upward:
