---
name: "SbVec3f"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "coin"
version: "1:4.0.10-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/SbVec3f"
---

# SbVec3f(3)

The SbVec3f class is a 3 dimensional vector with floating point coordinates.

## NAME

SbVec3f - The **SbVec3f** class is a 3 dimensional vector with floating point coordinates.

## SYNOPSIS

\#include \<Inventor/SbVec3f.h\>

Inherited by **SbColor**.

### Public Member Functions

**SbVec3f** (void)\
 **SbVec3f** (const float v\[3\])\
 **SbVec3f** (float x, float y, float z)\
 **SbVec3f** (const **SbVec3d** &v)\
 **SbVec3f** (const **SbVec3b** &v)\
 **SbVec3f** (const **SbVec3s** &v)\
 **SbVec3f** (const **SbVec3i32** &v)\
 **SbVec3f** (const **SbPlane** &p0, const **SbPlane** &p1, const **SbPlane** &p2)\
 **SbVec3f** & **setValue** (const float v\[3\])\
 **SbVec3f** & **setValue** (float x, float y, float z)\
 **SbVec3f** & **setValue** (const **SbVec3f** &barycentric, const **SbVec3f** &v0, const **SbVec3f** &v1, const **SbVec3f** &v2)\
 **SbVec3f** & **setValue** (const **SbVec3d** &v)\
 **SbVec3f** & **setValue** (const **SbVec3b** &v)\
 **SbVec3f** & **setValue** (const **SbVec3s** &v)\
 **SbVec3f** & **setValue** (const **SbVec3i32** &v)\
 const float \* **getValue** (void) const\
 void **getValue** (float &x, float &y, float &z) const\
 float & **operator\[\]** (int i)\
 const float & **operator\[\]** (int i) const\
 SbBool **equals** (const **SbVec3f** &v, float tolerance) const\
 **SbVec3f** **cross** (const **SbVec3f** &v) const\
 float **dot** (const **SbVec3f** &v) const\
 **SbVec3f** **getClosestAxis** (void) const\
 float **length** (void) const\
 float **sqrLength** (void) const\
 float **normalize** (void)\
 void **negate** (void)\
 **SbVec3f** & **operator\*=** (float d)\
 **SbVec3f** & **operator/=** (float d)\
 **SbVec3f** & **operator+=** (const **SbVec3f** &v)\
 **SbVec3f** & **operator-=** (const **SbVec3f** &v)\
 **SbVec3f** **operator-** (void) const\
 **SbString** **toString** () const\
 SbBool **fromString** (const **SbString** &str)\
 void **print** (FILE \*fp) const\

### Protected Attributes

float **vec** \[3\]\

### Related Symbols

(Note that these are not member symbols.)  **SbVec3f** **operator\*** (const **SbVec3f** &v, float d)\
 **SbVec3f** **operator\*** (float d, const **SbVec3f** &v)\
 **SbVec3f** **operator/** (const **SbVec3f** &v, float d)\
 **SbVec3f** **operator+** (const **SbVec3f** &v1, const **SbVec3f** &v2)\
 **SbVec3f** **operator-** (const **SbVec3f** &v1, const **SbVec3f** &v2)\
 int **operator==** (const **SbVec3f** &v1, const **SbVec3f** &v2)\
 int **operator!=** (const **SbVec3f** &v1, const **SbVec3f** &v2)\

## Detailed Description

The **SbVec3f** class is a 3 dimensional vector with floating point coordinates.

This vector class is used by many other classes in Coin. It provides storage for a 3 dimensional vector as well as simple floating point arithmetic operations.

**See also**

**SbVec2s**, **SbVec2f**, **SbVec2d**, **SbVec3s**, **SbVec3d**, **SbVec4f**, **SbVec4d**.

## Constructor & Destructor Documentation

### SbVec3f::SbVec3f (void ) \[inline\]

The default constructor does nothing. The vector coordinates will be uninitialized until you do a **setValue()** call.

### SbVec3f::SbVec3f (const float v\[3\]) \[inline\]

Constructs an **SbVec3f** instance with initial values from *v*.

### SbVec3f::SbVec3f (float x, float y, float z) \[inline\]

Constructs an **SbVec3f** instance with the initial vector endpoint set to *\<x*,y,z\>.

### SbVec3f::SbVec3f (const SbVec3d & v) \[inline\], \[explicit\]

Constructs an **SbVec3f** instance from an **SbVec3d** instance.

### SbVec3f::SbVec3f (const SbVec3b & v) \[inline\], \[explicit\]

Constructs an **SbVec3f** instance from an **SbVec3b** instance.

**Since**

Coin 2.5

### SbVec3f::SbVec3f (const SbVec3s & v) \[inline\], \[explicit\]

Constructs an **SbVec3f** instance from an **SbVec3s** instance.

**Since**

Coin 2.5

### SbVec3f::SbVec3f (const SbVec3i32 & v) \[inline\], \[explicit\]

Constructs an **SbVec3f** instance from an **SbVec3i32** instance.

**Since**

Coin 2.5

### SbVec3f::SbVec3f (const SbPlane & p0, const SbPlane & p1, const SbPlane & p2)

Constructs an **SbVec3f** instance by combining the three given planes. None of the planes should be parallel to any of the other two, otherwise a divide by zero error will occur.

## Member Function Documentation

### SbVec3f & SbVec3f::setValue (const float v\[3\]) \[inline\]

Set new coordinates for the vector from *v*. Returns reference to self.

**See also**

**getValue()**.

### SbVec3f & SbVec3f::setValue (float x, float y, float z) \[inline\]

Set new coordinates for the vector. Returns reference to self.

**See also**

**getValue()**.

### SbVec3f & SbVec3f::setValue (const SbVec3f & barycentric, const SbVec3f & v0, const SbVec3f & v1, const SbVec3f & v2)

Set this vector to be the average of *v0*, *v1* and *v2*. The vector components are weighted by the *barycentric* vector.

**See also**

**getValue()**.

### SbVec3f & SbVec3f::setValue (const SbVec3d & v)

Sets this vector to the double precision vector *v*, converting the vector to a single precision vector.

This is a Coin extension.

**Since**

Coin 2.0

### SbVec3f & SbVec3f::setValue (const SbVec3b & v)

**Since**

Coin 2.5

**See also**

**getValue()**

### SbVec3f & SbVec3f::setValue (const SbVec3s & v)

**Since**

Coin 2.5

**See also**

**getValue()**

### SbVec3f & SbVec3f::setValue (const SbVec3i32 & v)

**Since**

Coin 2.5

**See also**

**getValue()**

### const float \* SbVec3f::getValue (void ) const \[inline\]

Returns a pointer to an array of three floats containing the x, y and z coordinates of the vector.

**See also**

**setValue()**.

### void SbVec3f::getValue (float & x, float & y, float & z) const \[inline\]

Returns the x, y and z coordinates of the vector.

**See also**

**setValue()**.

### float & SbVec3f::operator\[\] (int i) \[inline\]

Index operator. Returns modifiable x, y or z coordinate of vector.

**See also**

**getValue()** and **setValue()**.

### const float & SbVec3f::operator\[\] (int i) const \[inline\]

Index operator. Returns x, y or z coordinate of vector.

**See also**

**getValue()** and **setValue()**.

### SbBool SbVec3f::equals (const SbVec3f & v, float tolerance) const

Compares the vector with *v* and returns TRUE if the distance between the vectors is smaller or equal to the square root of *tolerance*.

### SbVec3f SbVec3f::cross (const SbVec3f & v) const

Returns the result of taking the cross product of this vector and *v*.

### float SbVec3f::dot (const SbVec3f & v) const \[inline\]

Calculates and returns the result of taking the dot product of this vector and *v*.

### SbVec3f SbVec3f::getClosestAxis (void ) const

Return the vector representing the principal axis closest to this vector.

### float SbVec3f::length (void ) const

Return length of vector.

### float SbVec3f::sqrLength (void ) const \[inline\]

Returns the squared length of the vector.

### float SbVec3f::normalize (void )

Normalize the vector to unit length. Return value is the original length of the vector before normalization.

If the vector is the null vector, no attempt at normalization will be done. If the Coin library was built in a debug version, and the COIN\_DEBUG\_NORMALIZE environment variable is set, this error message will then be shown:

```
  Coin warning in SbVec3f::normalize(): The length of the vector
  should be > 0.0f to be able to normalize.
```

We've made it possible for Coin to spit out a warning when an attempt at normalizing a null-vector is made, as that seems to sometimes be a symptom caused by some graver error somewhere else -- either an internal error in Coin code, a programming error in application code, or an error in an input file (like for instance invalid polygon specifications).

If you run into bugs/problems with your application or with Coin, it could be a good idea to set COIN\_DEBUG\_NORMALIZE=1, and then restart the application to see if you get any warnings from **normalize()**.

If this happens, you should run the application in a debugger and see how the call-stack backtrace looks when it hits. An easy way of getting a debugger break at the warning spot is to set the following debugging environment variable which will make the code assert:

```
  COIN_DEBUG_BREAK="SbVec3f::normalize"
```

If you from the backtrace analysis strongly suspects an internal Coin bug, please report the call-stack to us at *coin-support@coin3d.org* and we'll look into it. Example code that triggers the bug would then also be very helpful.

A note for developers porting code from SGI or TGS Inventor to Coin: those Inventor implementations are more slack about detecting and giving out warning messages upon API misuses, and you may suddenly have gotten this warning with Coin without seeing any indication of an error with SGI/TGS Inventor. This does *not* necessarily mean that it is a bug in Coin -- it is much more likely that you are getting a warning as an indication of API misuse or import file errors which were just not detected and/or reported with those Inventor implementations.

### void SbVec3f::negate (void ) \[inline\]

Negate the vector (i.e. point it in the opposite direction).

### SbVec3f & SbVec3f::operator\*= (float d) \[inline\]

Multiply components of vector with scalar value *d*. Returns reference to self.

### SbVec3f & SbVec3f::operator/= (float d) \[inline\]

Divides components of vector with scalar value *d*. Returns reference to self.

### SbVec3f & SbVec3f::operator+= (const SbVec3f & u) \[inline\]

Adds this vector and vector *u*. Returns reference to self.

### SbVec3f & SbVec3f::operator-= (const SbVec3f & u) \[inline\]

Subtracts vector *u* from this vector. Returns reference to self.

### SbVec3f SbVec3f::operator- (void ) const \[inline\]

Non-destructive negation operator. Returns a new **SbVec3f** instance which points in the opposite direction of this vector.

**See also**

**negate()**.

### SbString SbVec3f::toString () const

Return a string representation of this object

### SbBool SbVec3f::fromString (const SbString & str)

Convert from a string representation, return whether this is a valid conversion

### void SbVec3f::print (FILE \* fp) const

Dump the state of this object to the *fp* file stream. Only works in debug version of library, method does nothing in an optimized build.

## Friends And Related Symbol Documentation

### SbVec3f operator\* (const SbVec3f & v, float d) \[related\]

Returns an **SbVec3f** instance which is the components of vector *v* multiplied with *d*.

### SbVec3f operator\* (float d, const SbVec3f & v) \[related\]

Returns an **SbVec3f** instance which is the components of vector *v* multiplied with *d*.

### SbVec3f operator/ (const SbVec3f & v, float d) \[related\]

Returns an **SbVec3f** instance which is the components of vector *v* divided on the scalar factor *d*.

### SbVec3f operator+ (const SbVec3f & v1, const SbVec3f & v2) \[related\]

Returns an **SbVec3f** instance which is the sum of vectors *v1* and *v2*.

### SbVec3f operator- (const SbVec3f & v1, const SbVec3f & v2) \[related\]

Returns an **SbVec3f** instance which is vector *v2* subtracted from vector *v1*.

### int operator== (const SbVec3f & v1, const SbVec3f & v2) \[related\]

Returns *1* if *v1* and *v2* are *exactly* equal, *0* otherwise.

**See also**

**equals()**.

### int operator!= (const SbVec3f & v1, const SbVec3f & v2) \[related\]

Returns *1* if *v1* and *v2* are not equal, *0* if they are equal.

**See also**

**equals()**.

## Member Data Documentation

### float SbVec3f::vec\[3\] \[protected\]

The container for all values of this class.

## Author

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