Complete Maya Programming Volume II

22 CHAPTER 3 Vectors

3.4

SUBTRACTING

Subtracting two vectors a and b results in another vector, c, as shown in Figure 3.2.

c=a-b

The dotted lines in the figure show a more intuitive way of looking at vector subtraction.

Subtracting can be thought of as addition, but with the second vector's direction flipped.

c = a + (-b)

-b

b

FIGURE 3.2 Vector subtraction.

The algebraic rules for vector subtraction are:

a-bg:b-a

a - (b - c) g: (a - b) - c

a-O=a

(Noncommutative property)

(Nonassociative property)

(Subtractive identity)

3.5

SCALING

A vector's length can changed by scaling it. A vector, a, is scaled by multiplying each

component ...