What values to use in my 3D-space

Question

Hello,

This is not really a functional problem I'm having but more a strategic question. I am new to 3D-programming and when looking at tutorials and examples I recon that the coordinates are usually between -1 and 1.

It feels more natural using integers as coordinates, I think. Is there any particula reason(s) why small float-values are used, perhaps performance or anything else?

I haven't gotten that far yet so perhaps this questions is a bit too early to ask, but when creating objects/textures that I will import, they are created in applications where the coordinates usually are having sizes in integer numbers, I guess (E.g. Photoshop for textures). Doesn't this matter for how I define my x/y/z-sizes?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

I've never seen such small ranges used. This is likely to introduce problems in calculations I would say. A more common style is to use a real-world scale, so 1 unit = 1 metre. And using floating-point values is more realistic - you need fractional values because when you rotate something, the new coordinates will nearly always be non integral. Using integers you'll run into problems of scale and precision.