JP3519216B2 - 3D simulator apparatus and information storage medium - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a three-dimensional simulator device and an information storage medium capable of synthesizing a view field image in an object space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a three-dimensional simulator device for arranging a plurality of objects in an object space which is a virtual three-dimensional space and synthesizing a view field image from a given viewpoint position. Is known, and it is very popular for players to experience so-called virtual reality.

In this type of three-dimensional simulator, more realistic expressions are required in order for the player to experience what is called virtual reality. Therefore, when implementing a simulation device such as a ski or a snowboard, it is desired to realistically represent how snow falls on the course.

However, if it is attempted to faithfully represent the state of snowfall in the real world, it is necessary to display a large number of independent snow grain objects on the screen, which increases the processing load and processing time. Therefore, the real-time processing required for this type of device is hindered.

If the way snow falls does not change regardless of the position in the object space or the passage of time, the visual field image seen by the player becomes monotonous, and the virtual reality felt by the player becomes insufficient. There are also challenges.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to increase the processing load of a realistic representation of a falling object falling. It is to provide a three-dimensional simulator device and an information storage medium that can be realized without any problems.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a plurality of falling objects, each of which is formed by spatially arranging a plurality of falling objects, in a given rotation. It is characterized by including a falling object moving means for dropping the object in the object space while rotating it in a direction at a given rotation speed, and a means for synthesizing a visual field image including an image of the falling object.

According to the present invention, each of the plurality of falling objects is formed by arranging a plurality of falling bodies in a three-dimensional space. Then, these plurality of falling objects fall in the object space while rotating in a given rotation direction and rotation speed. This makes it possible to represent, for example, how the snow flutters down with a small amount of processing data and processing load. It should be noted that the arrangement position of the falling body, the type of the arranged falling body, and the like are preferably the same for all the falling objects in order to reduce the processing load, but they are not necessarily the same.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the falling object moving means causes at least two of the plurality of falling objects to drop by making at least one of a rotation direction and a rotation speed different from each other. By doing this, it is possible to more realistically express how the snow flutters. Moreover, the processing load does not increase so much even if the control is performed so that the rotation direction and the rotation speed are different from each other. Therefore, according to the present invention, more realistic expression can be performed with a small processing load. It should be noted that the rotating direction and the rotating speed are preferably different for all the falling objects for a more realistic expression, but it is not always necessary to make them different for all the falling objects. You can do it.

Further, according to the present invention, the falling object moving means sets an area including at least a part of a visual field area specified by the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction as a first to m-th area in a plane along the falling direction. In case of division, the first ₁
~ The first N ₁ falling objects, it is dropped in the first region as a first _one falling object to the next first N ₁ falling object is located, the first _two to fall object of the N _2, the next second N ₂ of the falling objects as first _{and second} falling object is located is dropped in the second region, falling objects ... first _m ~ a N _m, dropping of the N _m It is characterized in that the 1st _m-th fall object is positioned next to the object and is dropped in the m-th area. With this configuration, the falling objects can be arranged only in a part of the view area, and a finite number of falling objects fall in one area. Therefore, the processing data amount is reduced and the processing is simplified. be able to.

Further, according to the present invention, the information regarding the field of view determines whether the falling object moving means moves the falling object downward or upward in the viewpoint coordinate system in the first to mth areas. And the information about the falling speed of the falling object. By doing so, even when the viewpoint, the line of sight, etc. change, and the coordinates of the falling object in the viewpoint coordinate system change, it is possible to make a realistic expression closer to an event in the real world. Note that the information regarding the visual field area includes at least one of information such as a viewpoint position, a line-of-sight direction, and a viewing angle.

Further, according to the present invention, at least one of the speed, speed direction, rotation speed, rotation direction of the falling objects and the number of arranged falling objects when the falling objects are arranged in the falling direction is determined according to a simulation situation. It is characterized in that it includes changing means for changing. By doing so, it is possible to realistically represent a state in which a falling object falls while being blown by a side wind whose strength, direction, etc. change depending on the simulation situation. Also, for example, the amount of snowfall can be changed according to the simulation situation.

According to the present invention, the changing means changes at least one of the speed, the speed direction, the rotation speed, the rotation direction, and the number of arrays based on at least one of the location information and the time information of the object space. Is characterized by.
By doing so, it is possible to realistically represent how the falling object falls while being blown by a crosswind whose strength, direction, etc. changes depending on the place and time in the object space. Further, for example, it is possible to change the amount of snowfall depending on the place and time. The change means specifies the location information based on the position of the moving body moving in the object space or the information obtained based on the position, and the change information stored in a given storage means in association with the location information. It is desirable to change the speed, the speed direction, the rotation speed, the rotation direction, and the number of arrays based on the information. By doing so, for example, it is possible to effectively utilize the place information used for specifying the rank, time extension, and map height.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the principle of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In the present embodiment, the falling objects 20 to 28 are dropped in the object space in order to express how snow falls. Here, the falling object 20 is configured by arranging the falling bodies 30 to 34 three-dimensionally in space.
The falling object 21 is configured by arranging the falling bodies 35 to 39 three-dimensionally in space. The same applies to the other falling objects 22 to 28. Here, the falling body is composed of polygons, curved surfaces, and the like, and when representing snow grains, two quadrangular polygons are used to represent a hexagonal falling body.

In this embodiment, the falling objects 20 to 2 are
The object 8 is dropped in the object space while rotating at a given rotation speed in a given rotation direction (for example, at least one rotation direction around the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis). By doing so, it is possible to express a state in which a falling body such as a snow grain falls while fluttering, and it is possible to make a realistic expression such as a state in which snow falls. Moreover, in this embodiment, since the falling object is composed of a plurality of falling objects, the amount of data of the falling object can be significantly reduced as compared with the case where the falling object is composed of one falling object. Further, in order to represent the flicker of snow by forming the falling object with one falling body, the control of the movement of the falling object becomes complicated. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, it is possible to express the fluttering of snow only by dropping the falling object in a given rotation direction and rotation speed. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the processing load and the increase in processing time associated with the fall expression of the falling body, and to secure the real-time property of the processing required for this type of device, A realistic expression of a fall is possible.

When the falling objects are dropped, it is desirable that at least one of the rotation direction and the rotation speed is made different between the falling objects.
By doing this, the flicker of snow can be expressed in a more realistic manner. Moreover, even if control is performed to change the rotation direction and the rotation speed, the processing load does not increase so much,
Realistic expressions are possible with a small processing load.

In order to realize a more realistic expression, it is desirable that all the falling objects have different rotation directions and rotation speeds. However, the processing load, the processing data can be reduced, and the processing can be simplified. From the above, the rotation direction and the rotation speed of at least two falling objects may be different from each other.

The type and spatial arrangement of the falling objects are preferably the same for all the falling objects in order to reduce the processing load, the processing data, and the processing, but the different falling objects should be used. You may In addition, for example, the precision (number of polygons, etc.) of the falling object forming the falling object may be changed according to the distance from the viewpoint.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a functional block diagram of the three-dimensional simulator apparatus according to this embodiment. Here, the operation unit 12
Is for inputting operation information from the player, and the operation information obtained by the operation unit 12 is input to the processing unit 100. The processing unit 100 performs processing such as setting an object space formed by arranging a plurality of objects representing display objects based on the operation information and a given program or the like. And a memory. The image synthesizing unit 200 performs a process of synthesizing a field-of-view image seen at a given viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction in the set object space, and in terms of hardware, for example, an IC or CPU dedicated to image synthesizing. And a memory. Image synthesizer 20
The field-of-view image obtained by 0 is displayed on the display unit 10.

Here, the processing unit 100 includes a falling object moving unit 110, a changing unit 120, a change information storage unit 122,
Mobile information calculation unit 130, object space setting unit 14
0, including the spatial information storage unit 142.

As described above, the falling object moving unit 110 performs a process of dropping a plurality of falling objects, each of which is composed of a plurality of falling bodies, in a given rotation direction and a given rotation speed. is there. Information about the falling object obtained by this processing is output to the object space setting unit 140.

The changing unit 120 determines, based on the change information (crosswind data, etc.) from the change information storage unit 122, at least one of the velocity, the velocity direction, the rotation velocity, the rotation direction, and the number of arrays of the falling object, in the simulation status. A process for changing the value is performed.

The mobile unit information calculation unit 130 calculates in real time the position information and direction information of a mobile unit such as a virtual player operating a ski or a snowboard based on the operation information from the operating unit 12 and a given program. To do.

The viewpoint calculating unit 132 included in the moving body information calculating unit 130 obtains a viewpoint position, a line-of-sight direction, etc. that follows the movement of the moving body based on the position information and the direction information of the moving body.

The space information storage section 142 stores an object number for specifying an object to be displayed, position information for specifying the arrangement of the object, and direction information. However, when only at least one of the position information and the direction information needs to be specified, only one of them should be stored. Then, the space information stored in the space information storage unit 142 is read by the object space setting unit 140. In this case, the spatial information storage unit 142 stores the spatial information in the frame immediately preceding the frame (1 frame = 1/60 seconds). Then, the object space setting unit 140 obtains the space information in the frame based on the read space information, the information from the falling object moving unit 110, the information from the moving body information calculation unit 130, and the like. It should be noted that such processing is not necessary for the stationary object because the spatial information does not change.

3 (A) and 3 (B) show examples of visual field images synthesized by this embodiment. In FIG. 3A, a display object showing the virtual player 40 riding on the snowboard 42 is displayed. In addition to this, display objects representing snow surfaces, landscapes, etc. are also displayed. And in this embodiment,
In addition to these display objects, display objects such as snow grains 44 and 45 are also displayed on the screen. Here, these snowflakes drop straight, for example, from top to bottom when the virtual player 40 is stationary, and when the virtual player 40 runs, they fall toward the virtual player 40 or the player's viewpoint. Furthermore, the size of the snow grain increases as it approaches the virtual player or the viewpoint. Therefore, the player can feel as if he or she is actually running in the snow, and the player's virtual reality can be enhanced.

In order to further reduce the load of the processing for displaying the falling object, it is desirable to reduce the data amount of the falling object used during one frame.
Therefore, in this embodiment, various kinds of processing as described below are performed.

First, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, an area including at least a part of the visual field 54 specified by the visual point 50 and the visual line 52 (an area near the visual point) is a surface along the falling direction. It is divided into regions R1 to R33 by (the surface along the Y axis). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the XZ plane is divided into a grid pattern.

Then, in each of these areas, the falling objects arranged in the falling direction (Y-axis direction) are dropped in the object space. That is, as shown in FIG. 5 showing a cross section in the YZ plane, regions R1, R2, R3, R4, R
5 and R6, falling objects FO11 to FO8, respectively
1, FO12 to FO82, FO13 to FO83, FO14 to FO8
4, FO15 to FO85 and FO16 to FO86 are arranged. Note that it is not necessary that the number of arranged falling objects be the same in each region, and the falling objects may be arranged only in the portion surrounded by the thick line in FIG. 5, for example.

When the viewpoint 50 and the sight line 52 do not move, the falling object is moved downward in the viewpoint coordinate system. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the falling objects FO26 to FO86 are shifted downward and the falling object FO16 at the bottom is shifted.
Move to the top (above FO86). As described above, in this embodiment, the falling object moves in the falling direction so that the falling object FO86 is positioned next to the falling object FO86.

On the other hand, when the viewpoint 50 and the line of sight 52 move, the falling object is moved to the viewpoint based on the information on the visual field area (viewpoint position, line of sight direction, viewing angle, etc.) and the falling speed of the falling object. Decide whether to move downward or upward in the coordinate system. When the line of sight 52 moves downward at a speed faster than the fall of the falling object, for example, as shown in FIG.
The falling objects FO16 to FO76 are shifted upward and the falling object FO86 at the top is moved to the bottom (below FO16). Even in this case,
The falling object moves in the falling direction so that FO16 is located next to the falling object FO86.

By doing the above, it is possible to express the snowfall etc. using a finite number of falling objects,
Realizing a realistic expression is possible while reducing the processing load of displaying a falling object.

In the present embodiment, in addition to the above process, a process of changing at least one of the velocity of the falling object, the velocity direction, the rotation direction, the rotation speed, and the number of arrays in the falling direction according to the simulation situation. Is going.
This processing is performed by the changing unit 120 in FIG. Specifically, the velocity, velocity direction, etc. of the falling object are changed based on the location information, time information, etc. of the object space.

For example, in FIG. 3B, the virtual player 40
The position of the object in the object space is different from the position in FIG. In FIG. 3A, the virtual player 40
Is located near the top of the mountain, which is the starting point.
In (B), it is located just off the top (Fig. 3).
(See 46 in (A) and (B)). Further, the course direction is also different between FIG. 3 (A) and FIG. 3 (B). In addition, in this embodiment, the vicinity of the top is shown in FIG.
It has a stronger crosswind than. This makes snowflakes 44,
45 will be washed away by a cross wind stronger than the snow grains 47, 48. In addition, in FIG.
More snowfall than (B). Furthermore, the direction of the cross wind is changed depending on the course direction, the presence or absence of obstacles, and the like. As a result, the direction of the crosswind in 3 (A) is different from that in FIG. 3 (B).

In order to express the cross wind which is different depending on the location as described above, in this embodiment, change information (velocity, velocity direction, rotation velocity, rotation direction of the falling object, etc.) is associated with the location information of the object space. Information for changing the number of arrays) is stored in the change information storage unit 122.

As shown in FIG. 7A, in this embodiment, the course map in the object space is divided into, for example, course blocks C0 to C35. Then, in FIG. 7B, whether or not the virtual player 40 (or the snowboard 42 or the viewpoint), which is a moving body, is located within the course block Cj is determined by the arrangement information of the lines 60 and 62. Then, in the present embodiment, the ranking of the virtual player 40, the propriety of time extension, etc. are determined based on the result of this determination.
For example, a virtual player who is operated by the first player and runs at the beginning is located at the course block C18
When the virtual player of the player is located in the course block C17, the order of the first and second players is
Judged as 1st and 2nd. Further, it is determined whether or not the course block C10 has been passed, for example, within a given time, and if so, the play time of the player is extended. Furthermore, FIG.
As shown in (C), in this embodiment, each course block is divided into a plurality of polygons, for example, triangles, and it is determined which triangle the position of the virtual player (or snowboard or viewpoint) is within. Then, the coefficient of the plane equation of the surface including each triangle is stored in a given storage means, and the virtual position is calculated based on the position of the virtual player, the coefficient of the plane equation specified by the position, and the plane equation. Find the height of the course map at the player's position. Here, the map represents surface shapes such as topography including mountains, ground, sea, lakes and rivers.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the processing of varying the crosswind depending on the location is realized by using the information of the course blocks used for the ranking, the possibility of time extension, the determination of the map height and the like. ing. That is, as shown in FIG. 8A, the cross wind strength VWj and the cross wind direction θj are stored in the change information storage unit 122 in association with the course block Cj. Similarly, VWj-1, θj-1 are stored in association with Cj-1, and VWj + 1, θj + 1 are stored in association with Cj + 1. The course block information indicating which course block the virtual player or the like is located in is,
It has already been required in the above process for determining whether to extend the time. Therefore, the lateral wind strength VWj and the lateral wind direction θj stored in association with the course block Cj where the virtual player is located can also be read out by using the already obtained course block information. VW read next
Based on j and θj, for example, the calculations shown in the following equations (1) and (2) are performed. Xn = Xn-1 + VWj × cos θj (1) Zn = Zn-1 + VWj × sin θj (2) Here, Xn and Zn are the X and Z coordinates of the falling object in the course block Cj in the nth frame, and Xn-
1 and Zn-1 are the X and Z coordinates in the (n-1) th frame which is the previous frame.

With the above arrangement, it is possible to realize the processing for changing the cross wind depending on the place. That is, the stored VWj and θj are made different for each course block. This makes it possible to make the velocity and velocity direction of the falling object different for each course block, and as a result,
It is possible to display on the screen how a falling object is swept by a cross wind that varies depending on the location.

In the above equations (1) and (2), VWj, θj
, VWj · cos θj, VWj · sin
The θj may be stored. Also, the above formula (1),
In (2), the X component and the Z component of the velocity of the falling object are changed, but the Y component (falling direction) can be changed. Further, the rotation speed and the rotation direction of the falling object may be changed.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the amount of snowfall can be made different according to the location in the object space.
In this case, the number of arranged falling objects arranged in each of the regions R1 to R33 in FIG. 4 may be different. That is, as shown in FIG. 8B, in a place where it is desired to increase the amount of snowfall (see FIG. 3A), the number of arrays of falling objects in each region is increased, and the amount of snowfall is desired to be reduced. In FIG. 3B, the number of arrays of falling objects is reduced. In this case, the array number of the falling objects is stored in the change information storage unit 122 in association with the course block information, which is the location information, like the cross wind strength VWJ and the cross wind direction θJ. By doing so, it is possible to make the number of arrays of falling objects different for each course block, and to make the amount of snowfall different for each course block. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B), a lot of snow falls near the top of the mountain, and the amount of snow decreases as it goes down from the top, which makes it possible to create a realistic expression closer to the real world phenomenon. Becomes

The location information may be specified based on the position of the moving body, or may be based on the viewpoint information obtained based on the position of the moving body.

Next, a detailed example of the processing of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10.

The flowchart of FIG. 9 will be described first. First, the course block where the moving body (or the viewpoint) is located is specified based on the position of the moving body (or the position of the viewpoint) (step S1). The information of this course block is one of the place information of the object space. Next, on the basis of this course block information, the ranking of the moving bodies, the possibility of time extension, and the height of the map are determined (step S2). Next, based on this course block information, change information such as the strength of the side wind and the direction of the side wind is read from the change information storage unit 122 (step S3). Next, the speed, speed direction, rotation speed, rotation direction, number of arrays, etc. of the falling object are changed based on the read change information (step S
4).

Next, the flowchart of FIG. 10 will be described. First, the rotation angle of the falling object is calculated (step T1). At this time, the rotation angle is calculated for the first falling object by the following equations (3), (4), and (5).

RX1n = RX1n-1 + VRX1 (3) RY1n = RY1n-1 + VRY1 (4) RZ1n = RYZ1n-1 + VRZ1 (5) where RX1n, RY1n, and RZ1n are rotation angles of the first falling object in the nth frame. , RX1n-
1, RY1n-1, and RZ1n-1 are the rotation angles of the first falling object in the (n-1) th frame. On the other hand, for the second falling object, the following equations (6), (7),
The rotation angle is calculated in (8).

RX2n = RX2n-1 + VRX2 (6) RY2n = RY2n-1 + VRY2 (7) RZ2n = RYZ2n-1 + VRZ2 (8) where RX2n, RY2n, and RZ2n are rotation angles of the second falling object in the nth frame. , RX2n-
1, RY2n-1 and RZ2n-1 are the rotation angles of the second falling object in the (n-1) th frame. As is clear from the above equations (3) to (8), in this detailed example,
VRX1, VRY1, VRZ1 and VRX2, VRY
2, different from VRZ2. As a result, at least one of the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the first and second falling objects can be made different, and a more realistic expression of fluttering snow can be achieved.

Next, the display range of the falling object in the Y-axis direction is determined (step T2). In this embodiment, the display range in the Y-axis direction is determined as follows. Figure 1
As shown in 1, the point on the line of sight 52 in the region R6 where the depth distance from the viewpoint is farthest is Pc. Then, a point above this point PC by (height of falling object) × 4 is P1, and a point below is P2. At this time, the height of the point P1 is the upper limit height h1, the height of P2 is the lower limit height h2, and the range between h1 and h2 is the display range YDR in the Y-axis direction. In the present embodiment, the placement processing of the falling objects is performed so that the falling objects are located within this display range YDR.

Next, a process of subtracting the fall distance from the Y coordinate of the representative point of the fall object set is performed (step T).
3). This subtraction processing makes it possible to drop snow in the Y-axis direction. Here, the representative point is set for each falling object set in each of the areas R1 to R33 in FIG. For example, in FIG. 5, the falling object set F011
~ Representative of FO81, Fall object group FO12 ~ FO82
Is set as the representative point of the falling object group FO16 to FO86. In the initial stage, the representative point is, for example, the center position of the falling object set (see FIG. 11).
(The position of the point PC of).

Next, it is determined whether or not the representative point extends beyond the display range YDR in the Y-axis direction (step T4). Then, when the representative point Pr protrudes to the lower side as indicated by E1 in FIG. 12A, the representative point Pr is shifted upward by (height of falling object) × 8 as indicated by E2 in the same figure. (Step T5). On the other hand, when the representative point Pr protrudes to the upper side as shown by E3 in FIG.
The representative point Pr (height of the falling object) as shown in
It is shifted downward by x8 (step T6). With the above configuration, the representative point Pr can always be positioned within the display range YDR. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the display range on the XZ plane is determined (step T7). Next, with the representative point as the initial position, the falling objects are sequentially arranged in the upward direction (steps T8 and T9). And Y
If the axial display range YDR is pushed out, the falling object is arranged at the bottom (step T10). For example, in FIG.
In (A), after the processing shown in E2, the FO16 is first arranged with the representative point Pr as the initial position. Next, when trying to arrange the FO26 on the FO16, the FO26 displays the display range YDR.
Since it overflows, as shown in FIG.
Place O26 at the bottom. And on FO26, FO36 ~
FO86 is sequentially arranged. On the other hand, in FIG.
After the processing shown in, the FO is first set with the representative point Pr as the initial position.
16 to FO76 are sequentially arranged. Next, FO86 on FO76
When arranging the FO86, the FO86 extends beyond the display range YDR, so the FO86 is arranged at the bottom as shown in FIG. The placement information of the falling object obtained by the above processing is sent to the image synthesizing unit 200, and the image of the falling object is displayed at the placement position.

Next, an example of the hardware configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the apparatus shown in the figure, a CPU 1000, a ROM 1002, a RAM 100
4, information storage medium 1006, sound synthesis IC 1008, image synthesis IC 1010, I / O ports 1012, 1014
Are connected by a system bus 1016 so that data can be transmitted and received between them. And the image synthesis IC 1010
A display 1018 is connected to the sound synthesis IC 10
A speaker 1020 is connected to 08, and I / O port 1
A control device 1022 is connected to 012 and I / O
A communication device 1024 is connected to the O port 1014.

The information storage medium 1006 mainly stores a game program, image information for expressing a display object, etc., and is used as a CD-ROM, game cassette, IC card, MO, FD, memory or the like. To be For example, a home-use game machine uses a CD-ROM and a game cassette as an information storage medium for storing a game program and the like, and an arcade game machine uses a memory such as a ROM.

The control device 1022 corresponds to a game controller, and is a device for inputting the result of the judgment made by the player in accordance with the progress of the game, into the main body of the device.

In accordance with the game program stored in the information storage medium 1006, the system program stored in the ROM 1002 (initialization information of the apparatus main body, etc.), the signal input by the control unit 1022, etc., the CPU 1
000 controls the entire apparatus and performs various data processing. RA
M1004 is a storage unit used as a work area or the like of the CPU 1000, and includes an information storage medium 1006 and an RO.
The given contents of M1002, the calculation result of the CPU 1000, and the like are stored. Further, the data structure having a logical configuration such as the spatial information of the falling objects, the array information of the falling objects, the course block information, and the change information is R
It will be built in AM, information storage medium, or the like.

Furthermore, a sound synthesis IC 100 is provided in this type of device.
8 and an image synthesizing IC 1010 are provided so that the game sound and the game screen can be suitably output.
The sound synthesis IC 1008 is an information storage medium 1006 or ROM 1.
It is an integrated circuit that synthesizes game sounds such as sound effects and background music based on the information stored in 002, and the synthesized game sounds are output by the speaker 1020. Further, the image composition IC 1010 includes a RAM 1004,
It is an integrated circuit that synthesizes pixel information to be output to the display 1018 based on image information sent from the ROM 1002, the information storage medium 1006, or the like. As the display 1018, a so-called head mounted display (HMD) can be used.

The communication device 1024 exchanges various information used inside the game device with the outside, and is connected to another game device to send and receive given information according to the game program. It is used to send and receive information such as game programs via a communication line.

Then, FIGS. 1 to 8B and FIGS.
The various processes described in (B) are the information storage medium 1006 storing a program for performing the processes shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10, and the C operating according to the program.
It is realized by the PU 1000, the image synthesis IC 1010, and the like. The image synthesis IC 1010 and the sound synthesis IC 1008
Processing performed by the CPU 1000 or the general-purpose D
You may perform by software by SP etc.

FIG. 14A shows an example in which this embodiment is applied to an arcade game machine. The player 1100 enjoys the game play by operating the buttons 1102, the board 1103, and the like, which are the operation units, while watching the display 1104 on which the visual field images shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B are displayed. An IC board 1106 is built in the device, and a CPU, an image synthesis IC, a sound synthesis IC, etc. are mounted on the IC board 1106. Then, information for dropping a plurality of falling objects composed of a plurality of falling objects at a given rotation direction and a given rotation speed, information for synthesizing a visual field image including an image of the falling object, a falling direction The information for arranging the falling objects in the area divided by the surface along the plane, the speed, the speed direction, the rotation speed, the rotation direction of the falling objects, and the information for changing the number of arrangements according to the simulation situation are the IC substrate. It is stored in the memory 1108 which is an information storage medium on the 1106. Hereinafter, these pieces of information will be referred to as stored information. These pieces of stored information are program codes for performing the above various processes,
It includes at least one of image information, sound information, display object shape information, table data, player information, and the like.

FIG. 14B shows an example in which the present embodiment is applied to a home-use game machine. The player enjoys the game by operating the game controllers 1202 and 1204 while looking at the game screen displayed on the display 1200. In this case, the above-mentioned stored information is stored in the CD-ROM 1206, IC
It is stored in the cards 1208, 1209 and the like.

FIG. 14C shows a host device 1300,
An example in which the present embodiment is applied to a game device including the host device 1300 and terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n connected via the communication line 1302 will be described. In this case, the above-mentioned stored information is stored in the information storage medium 1306 such as a magnetic disk device, a magnetic tape device, or a memory that can be controlled by the host device 1300. Terminal 1304-1 ~ 1
In the case where the 304-n has a CPU, an image synthesis IC, and a sound synthesis IC and can standalone synthesize a game image and a game sound, the host device 1300 synthesizes the game image and the game sound. Game programs and the like are delivered to the terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n. on the other hand,
If it cannot be combined standalone, the host device 1
300 synthesizes the game image and the game sound, and the terminal 1
It is transmitted to 304-1 to 1304-n and output at the terminal.

The present invention is not limited to that described in the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

For example, in the present embodiment, the case where the velocity of the falling object is changed based on the location information in the object space has been mainly described, but it may be changed based on the time information. For example, even at the same place, by changing the strength of the crosswind, the direction of the crosswind, and the amount of snowfall over time, more realistic expressions can be made. Further, for example, when a moving body such as a train moves in the object space, the movement causes a cross wind strength,
The direction or the like may be changed.

Further, what is represented by the falling object is not limited to snow, and according to the present invention, it is also possible to represent how another falling object such as a tree leaf is falling.

Further, in the present embodiment, the snowboard game has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, skis, motor boats, surfboards, water skis, water bike games, tank games, racing car games, etc. It can be applied to various games.

The present invention also provides a game device for business use, a game device for home use, a simulator device for driving training,
A large attraction device where many players participate,
It can be applied to various things.

The processing performed by the processing section, the image synthesizing section, etc. described in the present embodiment is merely an example in the present embodiment, and the processing in the present invention is not limited to these. .

[0068]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an example of a functional block diagram of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are examples of a visual field image displayed according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a region R1 to R33 divided by a plane along the Y axis.
It is a figure showing on a XZ plane.

FIG. 5: Y is the array along the falling direction of the falling objects.
It is a figure represented on a Z plane.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views for explaining a falling object that moves so that FO86 is located next to FO16.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are diagrams for explaining location information in the object space.

8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining change information specified by place information.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed example of processing according to the present exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed example of processing according to the present exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a determination process of a display range in the Y-axis direction.

FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B are diagrams for explaining an example of placement processing of a falling object.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration for implementing the present embodiment.

14 (A), (B), and (C) are diagrams showing various types of devices to which this embodiment is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Display 12 Operation part 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 Falling objects 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 Falling body 50 viewpoints 52 line of sight 54 Field of view 100 processing unit 110 Falling object moving part 120 change part 122 Change Information Storage Unit 130 Mobile information calculation unit 132 viewpoint calculation unit 140 Object space setting section 142 Spatial information storage unit 200 Image synthesizer

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A63F 13/00-13/12 G09B 9/00-9/56 G06T 15/70

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A given viewpoint position in object space,
A three-dimensional simulator device for synthesizing a field-of-view image seen in a line-of-sight direction, wherein a plurality of falling objects each of which is formed by spatially arranging a plurality of falling bodies in a given rotation direction are given. Based on the falling object moving means for dropping in the object space while rotating at the rotation speed of
Position information of the moving body, moving body information calculating means for obtaining direction information, and position information of the moving body obtained by the moving body information calculating means, based on the direction information, the position of the viewpoint to follow the movement of the moving body, The falling object includes a viewpoint calculating unit that obtains a line-of-sight direction, a viewpoint position obtained by the viewpoint calculating unit, and a view-field image that is visible in the line-of-sight direction and that combines a field-of-view image that includes the image of the falling object. The moving means defines an area including at least a part of the visual field area specified by the visual point position and the visual line direction obtained by the visual point calculating means as the falling object in the object space.
In the case where the object is divided into the first to m-th areas on the surface along the Y-axis direction, which is the falling direction of the object, the plurality of falling objects in the first area are shifted downward and the lowermost falling objects are dropped. The objects fall on the topmost falling object and are dropped in the first area, and the plurality of falling objects in the second area are shifted downward and at the bottom of the falling object. Drop it in the second area by moving it over the top falling object,
-It is possible to shift a plurality of falling objects in the m-th area downward and drop the falling objects in the m-th area so that the falling object at the bottom moves over the falling object at the top. Characteristic 3
Dimensional simulator device. 2. The falling object moving means according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of falling objects are dropped with at least one of a rotation direction and a rotation speed being different from each other. Dimensional simulator device. 3. A given viewpoint position in object space,
A computer-readable information storage medium for synthesizing a field-of-view image viewed in the line-of-sight direction, wherein a plurality of falling objects each formed by spatially arranging a plurality of falling objects are given, Based on the falling object moving means for dropping in the object space while rotating at a given rotation speed in the rotation direction, operation information from the operation unit and a given program,
Position information of the moving body, moving body information calculating means for obtaining direction information, and position information of the moving body obtained by the moving body information calculating means, based on the direction information, the position of the viewpoint to follow the movement of the moving body, A program for operating a computer as a means for synthesizing a viewpoint calculation unit for obtaining a line-of-sight direction and a view-field image that is visible in the viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction calculated by the viewpoint calculation unit and includes the image of the falling object. The falling object moving means stores an area including at least a part of the visual field area specified by the visual point position and the visual line direction obtained by the visual point calculating means , in the falling object in the object space.
In the case where the object is divided into the first to m-th areas on the surface along the Y-axis direction, which is the falling direction of the object, the plurality of falling objects in the first area are shifted downward and the lowermost falling objects are dropped. The objects are dropped onto the top of the falling objects so that they fall in the first area, and the plurality of falling objects from the second area are shifted downward and the falling objects at the bottom are Drop it in the second area by moving it over the falling object at the top,
-It is possible to shift a plurality of falling objects in the m-th area downward and drop the falling objects in the m-th area so that the falling object at the bottom moves over the falling object at the top. Characteristic information storage medium. 4. The information according to claim 3, wherein the falling object moving unit drops at least one of a rotation direction and a rotation speed of at least two of the plurality of falling objects to be different. Storage medium.