After a while of working with DBP and GDK was that objects can point in a direction too like sprites in 2d. And you can move objects up, down, left, right, forward, backward, turn then, roll them, etc.
As you move on you will find that it's really just an extension on 2D but much better when it comes to the visual effects you get which are also easier to program.
Most visual effects use COS and SIN so have a look into some code that uses those functions. ie. Having something spinning around your player.
Warning! May contain Nuts!