JPH06205879A - Electronic game apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the degree of enthusiasm and degree of excitement by a method wherein, after the image data optionally fetched by an image input means is converted into texture data, the texture data is stored in a processing means, and the texture data is mapped into a specified polygon data during the game, and then, the polygon data is displayed while a 3-dimensional coordinate conversion process is being applied to the polygon data. CONSTITUTION:A game is started under a condition in which the image data being fetched by an image apparatus is stored in a 3-dimensional image hardware at each terminal. While the game is proceeding, each 3-dimensional hardware always judges whether there is a character output request or not. When it is judged there is the request, a positioning by a 3-dimensional operation process is performed, and then, the objective polygon data is read, and in the meantime, a pattern for texture mapping (texture data) being stored is read. Then, the read texture data is affixed on the polygon data, and a 3-dimensional image calculation is performed, and the affixed polygon data and texture data are transmitted to a polygon event processing unit and displayed on a TV monitor, and thus this apparatus can be used as a competitor for a competing type game.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic game machine, and more particularly to an electronic game machine that employs a texture mapping technique to perform three-dimensional image processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional electronic amusement machine, an image is displayed on an image display device during play by sequentially calling image data written in a storage element called a data ROM by a program, and displaying the data in a predetermined manner. This is done by sending it to the image display device via the hardware. Here, the image data in the data ROM is drawn by a person called a designer using a predetermined hardware at the time of product development, but the image data once written in the data ROM cannot be rewritten thereafter. That is, the video displayed on the image display device during the play is fixed. Therefore, the intent of the player is not reflected in the image, which is not a little dissatisfied with the player.

The purpose of eliminating this dissatisfaction as much as possible is a method of preparing a plurality of images at the design stage and allowing the player to select from among them at the time of playing.

[0004]

However, the above method also has the following problems. In other words, the more the right to select a video, the more complicated the program development becomes, and the current development time is limited. Also, the enormous amount of programs inevitably costs money. Furthermore, even if video selection rights are given to some extent, they do not always satisfy the demands of the player, and their intentions are reflected in the sense that they can be selected. It was only an image. Under such circumstances, the current method is to give as much video as possible from the developer.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned demands of the player and the problems associated therewith are conspicuous due to the demand that it is desirable that the actual opponent be displayed on the image display device, especially in the game mainly in battle. . In addition, in the case of household electronic amusement equipment, it is also possible to have the owner make his own video, but in this method, the owner has sufficient ability to create video. Not all players are satisfied because they do not necessarily have it.

Under the circumstances described above, the following solutions have been tried. FIG. 9 is a configuration block diagram of a target electronic game machine. This is a form in which a plurality of terminals (1 to n) are connected to the host computer 1, and a player corresponds to each terminal to compete with other players via the terminal. Here, the trial means that an imaging device is installed for each terminal and the moving image is combined with the game image to be used during the game. According to this method, the face of the opponent can be seen in real time during the play in the battle type game, and the battle can be enjoyed in an arbitrary space in the battle type game. As a result, the excitement / pleasant feelings that a player can get while playing is significantly improved compared to the conventional game video, which gives the player a satisfaction level that is different from the unique images they have used to date. Will be done.

However, in this method, since the image pickup device is installed in each terminal housing, there are problems that the cost is high and the physical and spatial is wasteful.

On the other hand, instead of continuously sending the image input through the image pickup device to the processing device in real time and using it as a moving image as a play image, the captured image is used as a still picture in the data RAM. It is also possible to transfer it to and use it appropriately during play. In this case, the image may be moved by a technique such as so-called pattern change. However, in this method, there is a limit to the amount of video that can be stored in the data RAM, and even if the player selects and specifies one of the continuous video that he / she likes, the change in that video is small. Therefore, it is not satisfying for the player.

The present invention has been made under the circumstances as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic amusement machine capable of experiencing a high degree of realism and presence.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electronic amusement machine for performing three-dimensional image processing, in particular, using a texture mapping technique. The above object of the present invention is to provide an image input means and A host computer that inputs the image data captured by the video input means and converts it into texture data and controls the whole while the game is in progress, and each host computer is connected to the host computer and inputs the texture data. On the other hand, one or more three-dimensional image processing means for performing three-dimensional coordinate conversion on the polygon data after mapping the texture data on predetermined polygon data while the game is in progress, and the three-dimensional The polygon data provided corresponding to the image processing means and related to the polygon data processed by the three-dimensional image processing means. It is achieved by providing an image display means an image is displayed.

[0011]

According to the present invention, the video input means is provided, and the image data arbitrarily fetched by the player by the video input means is converted into texture data and then stored in the processing means associated with each player's terminal. By the way, while the game is in progress, the texture data is mapped to predetermined polygon data, and the polygon data is displayed on the image display means while being subjected to the three-dimensional coordinate conversion process. The video image arbitrarily picked up by is displayed on the image display device, and the image freely changes three-dimensionally as the game progresses.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an electronic game machine according to the present invention. Here, it is assumed that the terminals connected to the host computer 1 perform three-dimensional image processing, and each terminal is composed of three-dimensional video processing hardware 2 and a TV monitor 3. Also,
An imaging device 4 is connected to the host computer 1 via a capture video processing device 5.

FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of the 3D image processing hardware 2 for each terminal. Where ROM / R
In the AM 22, the program and data of the entire game are stored in its ROM, and the detailed settings and information of the program are stored in its RAM as a backup. The main central processing unit (main CPU) 21 is a ROM / RAM
The program stored in 22 is executed. The auxiliary arithmetic processing unit 23 performs auxiliary arithmetic such as high-speed processing of coordinate arithmetic using the ROM / RAM 24 as a processing area. The communication control device 25 is connected to the main central processing unit 21 via a bus, controls communication with other terminals connected to the line, and transmits / receives data during competitive play. The signal transmission / reception control interface 26 is connected to the main central processing unit 21 via a bus and receives signals from the outside such as joysticks, buttons, switches, etc., and transmits control signals to external lamps etc. The audio output control interface 27 is connected to the main central processing unit 21 via a bus, and generates predetermined music, sound effects, etc. according to an instruction from the main central processing unit 21.

The dedicated processing unit 28 for three-dimensional coordinate conversion is a RO
The coordinate conversion of polygon data is performed based on the information stored in the M / RAM (polygon parameter memory) 29. The screen coordinate conversion dedicated processing device 30 is located after the three-dimensional coordinate conversion dedicated processing device 28, and has a ROM / RA
Based on the information stored in M (polygon parameter memory) 31, calculation of coordinate conversion when projecting a polygon having three-dimensional coordinates onto the screen of the TV monitor 3 is performed. The texture pasting dedicated processing device 32 is located after the screen coordinate conversion dedicated processing device 30, reads texture data from the RAM 33, and extends the polygon surface. The polygon paint processing device 34 sequentially writes polygons in a RAM (frame memory) 35.
The polygon data written in the RAM 35 by the polygon paint processing device 34 is read out when the data for one screen is written and is output to the TV monitor 3.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure of an embodiment of the electronic game machine of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing in detail Step S31, Step S32, and Step S33 in the procedure shown in FIG. 5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining the processing of the captured image in the procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing in detail steps S36 and S37 in the procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an image of the present invention displayed on the TV monitor 3.

The processing procedure of one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the above drawings and FIGS. In FIG. 3, first, the imaging device 4 captures an image (step S31). The image data captured by the imaging device 4 is sent to the captured video processing device 5. Captured video processing device 5
Processes the captured image data (step S
32). The image data processed by the captured video processing device 5 is sent to the host computer 1 (step S).
33).

The processing up to this point will be described in detail with reference to FIG. First, an image is captured via the imaging device 4 (step S41), but at this time, the player selects an arbitrary image. In particular, in the case of a battle-type game, it is general to select the player himself (especially face). Figure 5 (A)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a captured image (a player's face). When a video is input, the captured video processing device 5 determines whether the video can be processed (step S).
42). As a result, if it is determined that the processing cannot be performed, the process returns to step S41 to capture the next video. on the other hand,
If it is determined that the image can be processed, the background (blue background) is erased from the captured image (step S43). FIG. 5B shows an image resulting from erasing the background in FIG. 5A. Then, the image of the necessary portion is cut out from the image from which the background is erased by a fixed frame (step S44). The result of clipping the image is shown in FIG. In this case, the face part excluding the neck is cut out. When the above processing is completed, the captured video processing device 5 transfers it as image data to the host computer 1 (step S45).

Returning to FIG. 3, the host computer 1 receiving the processed image data converts the image data into texture data (step S34). After the conversion, the host computer 1 distributes the image data to each terminal (three-dimensional video processing hardware 2 and TV monitor 3) (step S35). Each terminal processes the sent image data together with other data as play data (step S36). The processed data is each T
It is output to the V monitor 3 (step S37).

The processing in each terminal will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The processing in each terminal is controlled by the 3D video processing hardware 2. Therefore, the host computer 1
The texture data sent from is stored in the RAM 33 of the 3D video processing hardware 2.

A general description of three-dimensional image processing will now be given. Three-dimensional information is secured as video information to be displayed on the TV monitor 3. That is, the position and shape of the object relating to the projected image are all specified by the coordinates in the three-dimensional coordinate space.

Further, a viewpoint (virtual viewpoint) is set at an arbitrary position in the three-dimensional space, and an image projected on the TV monitor 3 is a scene in which the space is viewed from the viewpoint. The viewpoint can be set at any position in space. Then, by continuously moving that viewpoint, the image displayed on the TV monitor 3 also gradually changes. At that time, those who look into the TV monitor 3 feel as if they are moving in the three-dimensional space. In that sense, such a technique is referred to as so-called virtual reality.
In this respect, it is fundamentally different from the conventional method in which a two-dimensional picture is simply continuously projected. Further, information on the light source can be included in the three-dimensional space. When the position of the light source is specified, the shadow of the object information in space is specified.

By the way, there are several methods for expressing an object in a three-dimensional space. The two representative ones are polygon processing and patch processing. Polygon processing is a method of constructing a solid body from a plurality of polygons. That is, this is a method in which an object is regarded as an aggregate of a plurality of polygonal plates, and information is stored for each polygon. On the other hand, the patch processing is a method of constructing a solid body with a plurality of curved surfaces. According to this method, it is possible to easily construct a solid body having a smooth curved surface, but there is a drawback in that the calculation time is longer than that in polygon processing.

Next, texture mapping will be described. Basically, in a three-dimensional image, a three-dimensional image is formed by the above two methods, but even if the surface is smoothly colored, it looks like a simple group of blocks. Therefore, texture mapping is a method of expressing a grain of wood, a texture of rock or metal, a human face, a complicated pattern, or the like by pasting a photograph, a picture, or the like on the block aggregate. Even when this method is used, the three-dimensional surface itself is not provided with unevenness or texture, but only a photograph is attached, and the change in light depends on the state of the attached three-dimensional surface.

The image data captured by the imaging device 4 is RA of the 3D video processing hardware 2 in each terminal.
The game starts in the state of being stored in M33. Therefore,
While the game is in progress, the main central processing unit 21 of each 3D image processing hardware 2 constantly determines whether or not there is a request to output a character (image data captured by the imaging device 4) (step S71). If it is determined that there is a request as a result of the determination, the auxiliary arithmetic processing unit 23 or the like performs positioning by a three-dimensional positional relationship calculation (step S72), and then the target polygon data is read (step S73). . On the other hand, the texture mapping pattern (texture data) is read from the RAM 33 (step S74). Then, the texture sticking dedicated processing device 32 sticks the read texture mapping pattern to the target polygon data. The polygon data to which the texture mapping pattern has been pasted is processed in the three-dimensional coordinate conversion dedicated processing device 28 and the screen coordinate conversion dedicated processing device 30.
Rendering (three-dimensional image calculation) is performed by (step S75). The polygon data processed in this way is sent to the polygon paint processing device 34, where T
It is displayed on the V monitor 3. FIG. 8 is an example of a screen that is actually displayed while playing the captured image shown in FIG. In this way, it can be used as an opponent in a battle-type game.

Although the image pickup device 4 such as a CCD camera is adopted in this embodiment, the image input means is not limited to this, and various image input devices such as a scanner can be considered.

[0026]

As described above, according to the electronic play apparatus of the present invention, the image input means is provided to store the image data desired by one or more players, and the image is displayed while the game is in progress. Since it is displayed three-dimensionally on the display means instead of a still picture, the player can enjoy a high sense of realism and presence, and the degree of excitement obtained from the game and the excitement obtained from the game are improved. Particularly, in a battle-type game, by storing the video data of each player himself and displaying the enemy player himself during the game, the sense of presence and the degree of excitement are significantly improved. In addition, since the image moves three-dimensionally as the game progresses due to the texture mapping, the effect is greater than when a moving image is adopted as it is.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of an embodiment of an electronic game device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of 3D video processing hardware 2 for each terminal.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of an embodiment of the electronic play device of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart showing in detail steps S31, S32, and S33 in the procedure shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining processing of a captured image in the procedure shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining processing of a captured image in the procedure shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing in detail steps S36 and S37 in the procedure shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen that is actually displayed while the game is in progress for the captured image shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Host Computer 2 3D Video Processing Hardware 3 TV Monitor 4 Imaging Device 5 Captured Video Processing Device 21 Main Central Processing Unit 22 ROM / RAM 23 Auxiliary Processing Unit 24 ROM / RAM 25 Communication Control Device 26 Signal Transmission / Reception Control Interface 27 audio output control interface 28 three-dimensional coordinate conversion dedicated processing device 29 ROM / RAM 30 screen coordinate conversion dedicated processing device 31 ROM / RAM 32 texture pasting dedicated processing device 33 RAM 34 polygon paint processing device 35 RAM

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A video input device, a host computer for inputting image data captured by the video input device and converting the data into texture data, and for controlling the whole game while the game is in progress. One or more connected to a computer for inputting and storing the texture data, and performing three-dimensional coordinate conversion on the polygon data after mapping the texture data to predetermined polygon data while playing And three-dimensional image processing means, and image display means provided corresponding to the three-dimensional image processing means and displaying an image related to the polygon data processed by the three-dimensional image processing means. An electronic game machine characterized by. 2. The electronic amusement machine according to claim 1, wherein the captured image processing means processes the image captured by the video input means and then transfers the data to the host computer. 3. The processing according to claim 2, wherein the processing performed by the captured image processing means is processing for deleting a background of the captured image and further cutting out a necessary portion of the image with a fixed frame. Electronic play equipment. 4. The electronic play device according to claim 1, wherein the image input by the image input means is an image of one or more players themselves.