Path Tangent

Overview

Extracts the direction of travel (the tangent direction) at a position t on a path. Pair it with path_sample (position) to create natural trajectory animation—arrows, fish, cars, and other objects that face the direction they move.

Usage tips

• The go-to pair sends the same t to both path_sample (→ translation) and Path Tangent (→ transform rotation). The trick is to use one source to drive t.
• angle is in degrees (0–360) and connects directly to transform rotation.
• If the object moves backward, place path_reverse upstream or add 180 to angle.

Related nodes

• path_sample — position counterpart (almost always used together)

• transform — apply the rotation

• path_reverse — reverse the direction of travel

• math_op — adjust the angle offset

• Version: 1

Behavior

1. Gets the tangent vector at t with sample_path_tangent().
2. Normalizes the vector (converts it to length 1).
3. Calculates the angle with atan2 and wraps it to 0–360°.
4. With no path connected, returns direction=(1,0), angle=0°.

Examples

Rotation animation along a path

[Bezier Path] → path → [Path Tangent] → angle → [Transform(rotation)] → [Preview]
                            ↑ t                           ↑
                    [Time Source → Remap]            [Path Sample → x,y]

Promote t to an input pin 📌, connect the Time Source → Remap output, and combine it with Path Sample to animate movement along the path while rotating to face the direction of travel. The sub_path_index slider limit follows the current input. A saved value that is temporarily out of range is preserved with a warning and becomes active again when the subpath count returns.