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pixijs/pixijs-skills/pixijs-math

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version: "1.0.0" name: pixijs-math description: "Use this skill when working with coordinates, vectors, matrices, shapes, hit testing, or layout rectangles in PixiJS v8. Covers Point/ObservablePoint, Matrix (2D affine, decompose, apply, applyInverse), shapes (Rectangle, Circle, Ellipse, Polygon, RoundedRectangle, Triangle), Rectangle layout helpers (pad, fit, enlarge, ceil, scale, getBounds), strokeContains hit tests, Polygon isClockwise/containsPolygon, toGlobal/toLocal, PointData/PointLike/Size types, DEG_TO_RAD, and pixi.js/math-extras vector and intersection helpers. Triggers on: Point, ObservablePoint, Matrix, Rectangle, Circle, Polygon, Triangle, RoundedRectangle, toGlobal, toLocal, hitArea, strokeContains, pad, fit, enlarge, ceil, getBounds, containsRect, intersects, isClockwise, math-extras, lineIntersection, segmentIntersection, DEG_TO_RAD, PointData." license: MIT

PixiJS exposes lightweight math primitives (Point, Matrix, shape classes) used throughout the library for transforms, hit testing, and coordinate conversion. Import pixi.js/math-extras to add vector operations (add, dot, magnitude, reflect) and Rectangle intersection/union helpers.

Quick Start

const parent = new Container();
parent.position.set(100, 100);
parent.scale.set(2);
app.stage.addChild(parent);
const child = new Container();
child.position.set(50, 50);
parent.addChild(child);
const globalPt = child.toGlobal(new Point(0, 0));
const m = new Matrix()
  .translate(100, 50)
  .rotate(Math.PI / 4)
  .scale(2, 2);
const world = m.apply(new Point(10, 20));
const hitArea = new Rectangle(0, 0, 200, 100);
console.log(hitArea.contains(50, 50));

Related skills: pixijs-scene-container (transform properties), pixijs-events (hitArea usage), pixijs-scene-core-concepts (culling with Rectangle).

Core Patterns

Point and ObservablePoint

Point is a simple {x, y} value type. ObservablePoint fires a callback when x or y changes; it is used internally by Container's position, scale, pivot, origin, and skew.

import { Point } from "pixi.js";
const p = new Point(10, 20);
p.set(30, 40); // set both
p.set(50); // x=50, y=50
const clone = p.clone();
console.log(p.equals(clone)); // true
p.copyFrom({ x: 1, y: 2 }); // accepts any PointData
// Point.shared: temporary point, reset to (0,0) on each access
const temp = Point.shared;
temp.set(100, 200);
// do not store a reference to Point.shared

Container properties like position, scale, pivot, origin, and skew are ObservablePoints. Setting .x or .y on them triggers transform recalculation automatically.

import { Container } from "pixi.js";
const obj = new Container();
obj.position.set(100, 200); // triggers observer -> marks transform dirty
obj.position.x = 150; // also triggers observer

Matrix (2D affine transform)

Matrix represents a 3x3 affine transform: | a c tx | b d ty | 0 0 1 |. It supports translate, scale, rotate, append, prepend, invert, and decompose.

import { Matrix, Point } from "pixi.js";
// Build a transform
const m = new Matrix()
  .translate(100, 50)
  .rotate(Math.PI / 4)
  .scale(2, 2);
// Transform a point (local -> parent space)
const local = new Point(10, 20);
const world = m.apply(local);
// Inverse transform (parent -> local space)
const backToLocal = m.applyInverse(world);
// Combine matrices
const a = new Matrix().translate(50, 0);
const b = new Matrix().rotate(Math.PI / 2);
a.append(b); // a = a * b
// Decompose into position/scale/rotation/skew
const transform = {
  position: new Point(),
  scale: new Point(),
  pivot: new Point(),
  skew: new Point(),
  rotation: 0,
};
m.decompose(transform);
console.log(transform.rotation); // ~0.785 (PI/4)
// Shared temporary matrix (reset on each access)
const temp = Matrix.shared;
// IDENTITY is read-only reference
const isDefault = m.equals(Matrix.IDENTITY);

Coordinate transforms via Container

Containers provide toGlobal, toLocal, and getGlobalPosition for coordinate conversion.

import { Container, Point } from "pixi.js";
const parent = new Container();
parent.position.set(100, 100);
parent.scale.set(2);
const child = new Container();
child.position.set(50, 50);
parent.addChild(child);
// Local point in child's space -> global (world) space
const globalPt = child.toGlobal(new Point(0, 0));
// globalPt = { x: 200, y: 200 } (100 + 50*2, 100 + 50*2)
// Global point -> child's local space
const localPt = child.toLocal(new Point(200, 200));
// localPt = { x: 0, y: 0 }
// Convert between two containers
const other = new Container();
other.position.set(300, 300);
const ptInOther = child.toLocal(new Point(10, 10), other);

Shapes and hit testing

Rectangle, Circle, Ellipse, Polygon, RoundedRectangle, and Triangle all implement contains(x, y) for point-in-shape tests, plus getBounds(out?) and strokeContains(x, y, width, alignment?). They can be used as hitArea on containers for custom interaction regions.

import { Rectangle, Circle, Polygon, Container } from "pixi.js";
const rect = new Rectangle(0, 0, 200, 100);
rect.contains(50, 50); // true
rect.contains(300, 50); // false
rect.left; // 0
rect.right; // 200
rect.top; // 0
rect.bottom; // 100
rect.isEmpty(); // false (Rectangle.EMPTY returns a fresh empty rect)
// Native Rectangle-to-Rectangle methods (no math-extras needed)
const other = new Rectangle(50, 50, 100, 100);
rect.containsRect(other); // true if `other` is fully inside `rect`
rect.intersects(other); // boolean: do they overlap at all?
rect.intersects(other, matrix); // overlap after transforming `other`
// Stroke hit testing (alignment: 1 = inner, 0.5 = centered, 0 = outer)
rect.strokeContains(0, 50, 4); // true if (0,50) lies on a 4px centered stroke
const circle = new Circle(100, 100, 50);
circle.strokeContains(150, 100, 4, 1); // inner-aligned stroke check
// getBounds works on every shape (returns a Rectangle, accepts an out param)
const bounds = circle.getBounds();
const reused = new Rectangle();
new Polygon([0, 0, 100, 0, 50, 100]).getBounds(reused);
// Use as hit area for interaction
const button = new Container();
button.hitArea = new Rectangle(0, 0, 200, 50);
button.eventMode = "static";
button.on("pointerdown", () => {
  /* clicked */
});

Do not confuse native Rectangle.intersects(other) (returns boolean) with math-extras intersection(other) (returns a Rectangle describing the overlap area).

Rectangle layout helpers

Rectangle ships with mutating helpers used heavily in UI/layout, bounds aggregation, and pixel snapping. All return this for chaining.

import { Rectangle } from "pixi.js";
const r = new Rectangle(10, 10, 100, 50);
r.pad(5); // grow on all sides: x=5, y=5, w=110, h=60
r.pad(10, 4); // separate horizontal/vertical padding
r.scale(2); // multiply x, y, width, height by 2
// fit shrinks `this` to lie inside another rect (clipping)
const viewport = new Rectangle(0, 0, 200, 200);
new Rectangle(150, 150, 200, 200).fit(viewport); // -> 150, 150, 50, 50
// enlarge expands `this` to include another rect (bounds aggregation)
const total = new Rectangle();
items.forEach((item) =>
  total.enlarge(new Rectangle().copyFromBounds(item.getBounds())),
);
// ceil snaps to a pixel grid (resolution: 1 = whole pixels, 2 = half pixels)
new Rectangle(10.2, 10.6, 100.8, 100.4).ceil();
// copy a Container/Mesh bounds object straight into a Rectangle
new Rectangle().copyFromBounds(container.getBounds());

Polygon

Polygon accepts four constructor formats: a flat number array, an array of point-like objects, or either passed as spread arguments.

import { Polygon, Point } from "pixi.js";
new Polygon([0, 0, 100, 0, 50, 100]); // flat numbers
new Polygon([new Point(0, 0), new Point(100, 0), new Point(50, 100)]); // PointData[]
new Polygon(0, 0, 100, 0, 50, 100); // spread numbers
new Polygon(new Point(0, 0), new Point(100, 0), new Point(50, 100)); // spread points
const poly = new Polygon([0, 0, 100, 0, 100, 100, 0, 100]);
poly.points; // [0, 0, 100, 0, 100, 100, 0, 100] (mutable flat array)
poly.closePath; // true by default; false produces an open path
poly.startX; // 0  - first vertex
poly.lastX; // 0  - last vertex (lastY for y)
poly.isClockwise(); // shoelace winding test (useful for SVG hole detection)
// Polygon-in-polygon containment for hole detection
const outer = new Polygon([0, 0, 100, 0, 100, 100, 0, 100]);
const hole = new Polygon([25, 25, 75, 25, 75, 75, 25, 75]);
outer.containsPolygon(hole); // true

Constants

import { DEG_TO_RAD, RAD_TO_DEG, PI_2 } from "pixi.js";
const angle = 45 * DEG_TO_RAD; // 0.785...
const degrees = angle * RAD_TO_DEG; // 45
const fullCircle = PI_2; // Math.PI * 2

Types

PointData - minimal {x, y} interface accepted by most APIs. Use it when typing parameters that only need to read coordinates.
PointLike - extends PointData with set(), copyFrom(), copyTo(), equals(). Implemented by both Point and ObservablePoint.
Size - { width, height } interface used by renderer/canvas APIs.
SHAPE_PRIMITIVE - string literal union: 'rectangle' | 'circle' | 'ellipse' | 'polygon' | 'roundedRectangle' | 'triangle'. Every shape exposes type so you can branch without instanceof.

import type { PointData } from "pixi.js";
function distance(a: PointData, b: PointData): number {
  const dx = a.x - b.x;
  const dy = a.y - b.y;
  return Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
}

math-extras (side-effect import)

import 'pixi.js/math-extras' adds methods to Point, ObservablePoint, and Rectangle via prototype extension. Not included in the default bundle.

import "pixi.js/math-extras";
import { Point } from "pixi.js";

Point / ObservablePoint vector methods

All methods accept an optional out parameter to avoid allocations. Without out, a new Point is returned.

const a = new Point(3, 4);
const b = new Point(1, 2);
// Arithmetic
const sum = a.add(b); // Point(4, 6)
const diff = a.subtract(b); // Point(2, 2)
const prod = a.multiply(b); // Point(3, 8) - component-wise
const scaled = a.multiplyScalar(2); // Point(6, 8)
// Dot and cross product
const dot = a.dot(b); // 11
const cross = a.cross(b); // 2 (z-component of 3D cross)
// Length
const len = a.magnitude(); // 5
const lenSq = a.magnitudeSquared(); // 25 (faster for comparisons)
// Normalize to unit vector
const unit = a.normalize(); // Point(0.6, 0.8)
// Projection and reflection
const proj = a.project(b); // project a onto b
const refl = a.reflect(new Point(0, 1)); // reflect across normal
// Rotation
const rotated = a.rotate(Math.PI / 2); // rotate 90 degrees
// Reuse existing point to avoid allocation
const out = new Point();
a.add(b, out); // result written to out

Rectangle extended methods

containsRect and intersects are native Rectangle methods (see above). math-extras adds equals, intersection (returns the overlap rect), and union:

import "pixi.js/math-extras";
import { Rectangle } from "pixi.js";
const r1 = new Rectangle(0, 0, 100, 100);
const r2 = new Rectangle(50, 50, 100, 100);
r1.equals(r2); // false
const overlap = r1.intersection(r2); // Rectangle(50, 50, 50, 50)
const envelope = r1.union(r2); // Rectangle(0, 0, 150, 150)
// Optional out parameter
const out = new Rectangle();
r1.intersection(r2, out);

Geometry utility functions

These functions are exported from pixi.js/math-extras, not the main pixi.js entry.

import {
  floatEqual,
  lineIntersection,
  segmentIntersection,
} from "pixi.js/math-extras";
import { Point } from "pixi.js";
// Epsilon-based float comparison (default epsilon: Number.EPSILON)
floatEqual(0.1 + 0.2, 0.3, 1e-10); // true with reasonable epsilon
floatEqual(1.0, 1.001, 0.01); // true (custom epsilon)
// Unbounded line intersection (returns {x: NaN, y: NaN} if parallel)
const hit = lineIntersection(
  new Point(0, 0),
  new Point(10, 10), // line A
  new Point(10, 0),
  new Point(0, 10), // line B
); // Point(5, 5)
if (isNaN(hit.x)) {
  /* lines are parallel */
}
// Bounded segment intersection (returns {x: NaN, y: NaN} if segments don't cross)
const segHit = segmentIntersection(
  new Point(0, 0),
  new Point(10, 10),
  new Point(10, 0),
  new Point(0, 10),
); // Point(5, 5)
if (isNaN(segHit.x)) {
  /* segments don't intersect */
}

Common Mistakes

HIGH: Importing from @pixi/math

Wrong:

import { Point } from "@pixi/math";

Correct:

import { Point } from "pixi.js";

v8 uses a single pixi.js package. All sub-packages like @pixi/math, @pixi/core, etc. were removed.

MEDIUM: Mutating ObservablePoint without triggering observer

Wrong:

// Replacing the reference loses observation
let pos = container.position;
pos = new Point(100, 200); // container.position unchanged

Correct:

// Mutate in place to trigger the observer
container.position.set(100, 200);
// or
container.position.x = 100;
container.position.y = 200;
// or copy from another point
container.position.copyFrom(new Point(100, 200));

Container's position, scale, pivot, origin, and skew are ObservablePoints. Setting .x or .y on them triggers the container's transform update. Reassigning the variable reference does not modify the container. Always mutate the existing ObservablePoint via .set(), .copyFrom(), or direct property assignment on the original object.

MEDIUM: Not importing math-extras for extended methods

Wrong:

import { Point } from "pixi.js";
const p = new Point(1, 2);
p.add(new Point(3, 4)); // TypeError: p.add is not a function

Correct:

import "pixi.js/math-extras";
import { Point } from "pixi.js";
const p = new Point(1, 2);
const sum = p.add(new Point(3, 4)); // works

Extended math utilities (add, subtract, multiply, magnitude, normalize, dot, cross, etc. on Point; intersection methods on shapes) require an explicit import 'pixi.js/math-extras'. These are not included in the default bundle.

MEDIUM: Storing references to shared/temporary objects

Wrong:

const myPoint = Point.shared;
myPoint.set(100, 200);
// ... later ...
console.log(myPoint.x); // 0 (reset on next access)

Correct:

const myPoint = new Point();
myPoint.copyFrom(Point.shared.set(100, 200));
// or just
const myPoint = new Point(100, 200);

Point.shared and Matrix.shared are reset to zero/identity every time they are accessed. They exist for one-off calculations within a single expression. Never store a reference to them.

API Reference

All versions