JP2004005752A - Three-dimensional simulator, and information storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize real expression about a dropping situation of a falling object, without much increasing a processing load. <P>SOLUTION: The dropping bodies 30-34, 35-39 are space-arranged three-dimensionally to constitute the falling objects 20, 21 and the like. The falling objects 20-28 are dropped at a prescribed rotational speed along a prescribed rotational direction in an object space, so as to express the state of snow which falls flyingly and flutteringly. The falling objects are arrayed to fall down while connected ring-likely in an area partitioned by a face along a falling direction. A moving direction of the falling object in a view point coordinate system is determined based on visual field information and a dropping speed. A speed of the falling object, a direction of the speed and an array number are changed based on a place in the object space and time information. Cross wind varied with the place and the time is expressed by this manner. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

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.

Conventionally, there is known a three-dimensional simulator device that arranges a plurality of objects in an object space, which is a virtual three-dimensional space, and synthesizes a view field image from a given viewpoint position. It is very popular as a way to experience reality.

In this type of 3D simulator device, a more realistic expression is required in order for the player to experience a so-called virtual reality. For this reason, for example, when realizing a simulation device such as skiing or snowboarding, it is desirable 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, a large number of independent snow grain objects need to be displayed on the screen, which increases the processing load and processing time. As a result, the real-time property of processing required for this type of apparatus is hindered.

Also, if the snowfall does not change regardless of the position in the object space or the passage of time, the view image seen by the player will be monotonous and the virtual reality felt by the player will be insufficient. .

The present invention has been made to solve the technical problems as described above, and the object of the present invention is to realize a realistic expression of how a falling object falls without significantly increasing the processing load. The object is to provide a three-dimensional simulator device and an information storage medium.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention rotates a plurality of falling objects each constituted by three-dimensionally arranging a plurality of falling bodies at a given rotation speed in a given rotation direction. And falling object moving means for dropping the object in the object space, and means for synthesizing a view field image including the image of the falling object.

According to the present invention, each of the plurality of falling objects is configured by three-dimensionally arranging a plurality of falling bodies in a three-dimensional manner. The plurality of fall objects fall in the object space while rotating at a given rotation direction and rotation speed. As a result, for example, a state where snow flutters can be expressed with a small amount of processing data and processing load. It should be noted that the position of the falling object, the type of the falling object to be arranged, and the like are preferably the same among all the falling objects in order to reduce the processing burden, The falling object moving means drops at least two of the plurality of falling objects by changing at least one of a rotation direction and a rotation speed from each other. In this way, it is possible to more realistically express how the snow flutters. In addition, even if the control is performed so that the rotation direction and the rotation speed are different from each other, the processing load does not increase so much. Therefore, according to the present invention, a more realistic expression can be achieved with a small processing load. Note that the rotation direction and rotation speed are desirably different among all the falling objects for more realistic expression, but are not necessarily different between all the falling objects, and are different between at least two falling objects. You can do it.

According to the present invention, when the falling object moving unit divides an area including at least a part of the visual field area specified by the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction into first to m-th areas along a plane along the falling direction. in the first _{1 to} N ₁ falling objects, it is dropped in the first region as a first _one falling object is positioned next to the first N ₁ falling object, the first _2, second N ₂ the falling object, to the next of the N ₂ falling objects as first _{and second} falling object is located is dropped in the second region, falling objects ... first _{m ~} a N _m, The first _m falling object is positioned next to the N _m falling object, and is dropped in the m th region. In this way, falling objects can be arranged only in a part of the visual field area, and the number of falling objects falling in one area is limited, so that the amount of processing data is reduced and the processing is simplified. be able to.

According to the present invention, the falling object moving means determines whether the falling object is moved downward or upward in the viewpoint coordinate system in the first to m-th areas, Judgment is based on information on the falling speed of the object. In this way, even when the viewpoint, line of sight, etc. change and the coordinates of the falling object in the viewpoint coordinate system change, a realistic expression closer to the phenomenon in the real world becomes possible. It should be noted that the information regarding the visual field region includes at least one of information such as the viewpoint position, the line-of-sight direction, and the viewing angle.

According to the present invention, at least one of the speed, speed direction, rotation speed, rotation direction, and number of falling objects arranged when the falling objects are arranged in the dropping direction is changed according to a simulation situation. It includes a changing means. In this way, for example, it is possible to realistically represent a state in which a falling object falls while being blown by a crosswind whose strength, direction, etc. vary depending on the simulation situation. In addition, for example, the amount of snow can be changed according to the simulation situation.

In the invention, it is preferable that the changing unit 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. To do. In this way, it is possible to realistically represent a state in which a falling object falls while being blown by a crosswind whose strength, direction, etc. vary depending on the location and time in the object space. In addition, for example, it is possible to vary the amount of snow falling according to 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 information obtained based on the location, and the change stored in the given storage means in association with the location information. It is desirable to change the speed, speed direction, rotation speed, rotation direction, and number of arrays based on the information. In this way, for example, the location information used for specifying the rank, the possibility of time extension, and the map height can be effectively used.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described 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 the state of snow falling. Here, the falling object 20 is configured by spatially arranging the falling bodies 30 to 34, and the falling object 21 is configured by spatially arranging the falling bodies 35 to 39 in three dimensions. 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 in the case of representing snow particles, a hexagonal falling body is represented using two square polygons.

In the present embodiment, the falling objects 20 to 28 are rotated in a given rotation direction (for example, at least one rotation direction around the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis) at a given rotation speed in the object space. I'm dropping it. By doing in this way, it is possible to express how a falling body such as a snow particle falls while fluttering, and realistic expression such as how snow falls can be realized. In addition, in this embodiment, since the falling object is composed of a plurality of falling bodies, the data amount of the falling object can be remarkably reduced compared to the case where the falling object is composed of one falling body. In addition, in order to configure the falling object as a single falling body and express how snow falls, the control of the movement of the falling object is complicated. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, it is possible to express a state where snow flutters simply by dropping a falling object with a given rotation direction and rotation speed. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress an increase in processing load and processing time associated with the falling expression of the falling body, and while ensuring the real-time property of processing required for this type of apparatus, Realistic expression of fall is possible.

It should be noted that when the falling object is dropped, it is desirable to drop the falling object while changing at least one of the rotation direction and the rotation speed between the falling objects. By doing so, it is possible to more realistically express how the snow flutters. Moreover, even when control is performed to vary the rotation direction and rotation speed, the processing load does not increase so much, and realistic expression can be achieved with a small processing load.

In order to realize more realistic expression, it is desirable to make the rotation direction and rotation speed different for all falling objects, but from the viewpoint of processing load, reduction of processing data, and simplification of processing, The rotation direction and rotation speed of at least two falling objects may be different from each other.

In addition, the type and spatial arrangement of the falling object are preferably the same for all falling objects in order to reduce the processing load, processing data, and processing, but may be different among the falling objects. Good. In addition, for example, the precision (number of polygons, etc.) of the falling object constituting the falling object may be varied 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 the present 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 for setting an object space in which a plurality of objects representing display objects are arranged based on the operation information, a given program, and the like. And a memory. The image synthesizing unit 200 performs a process of synthesizing a view field image that can be seen at a given viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction in the set object space. And a memory. The view field image obtained by the image composition unit 200 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 storing unit 122, a moving body information calculating unit 130, an object space setting unit 140, and a space information storing unit 142.

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

Based on the change information (crosswind data, etc.) from the change information storage unit 122, the change unit 120 determines at least one of the speed, speed direction, rotation speed, rotation direction, and number of arrays of the falling object according to the simulation status. Process to change.

The moving body information calculation unit 130 calculates position information and direction information of a moving body such as a virtual player that operates skiing and snowboarding in real time based on operation information from the operation unit 12 and a given program. is there.

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

The spatial information storage unit 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 position information and direction information needs to be specified, only one of them needs to be stored. Then, the spatial information stored in the spatial information storage unit 142 is read by the object space setting unit 140. In this case, the spatial information storage unit 142 stores spatial information in the frame immediately before the frame (1 frame = 1/60 seconds). Then, the object space setting unit 140 obtains space information in the frame based on the read space information, information from the falling object moving unit 110, information from the moving object information calculating unit 130, and the like. Since the spatial information does not change for a stationary object, such processing is not necessary.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show examples of the field-of-view images synthesized by the present embodiment. In FIG. 3A, a display object representing the virtual player 40 riding on the snowboard 42 is displayed. In addition, display objects representing the snow surface and landscape are also displayed. In this embodiment, in addition to these display objects, display objects such as snow particles 44 and 45 are also displayed on the screen. Here, when the virtual player 40 is stationary, these snow particles descend straight from the top to the bottom, for example, so that when the virtual player 40 travels, the snow particles fall toward the virtual player 40 or the player's viewpoint. Furthermore, the size of the snow particles increases as the virtual player or viewpoint is approached. For this reason, the player can feel as if he / she is actually running in the snow, and the virtual reality of the player can be enhanced.

Now, in order to further reduce the processing load of displaying the falling object, it is desirable to reduce the data amount of the falling object used during one frame. For this purpose, in this embodiment, various processes as described below are performed.

First, in this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, an area including at least a part of the visual field area 54 specified by the viewpoint 50 and the line of sight 52 (area close to the viewpoint) is defined as a plane (Y axis Are divided into regions R1 to R33. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the XZ plane is partitioned into a grid pattern.

In each of these areas, the falling objects arranged in the dropping 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, in the regions R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, and R6, the falling objects FO11 to FO81, FO12 to FO82, FO13 to FO83, FO14 to FO84, FO15, respectively. To FO85 and FO16 to FO86 are arranged. Note that the number of falling objects need not necessarily be the same in each region. For example, the falling objects may be arranged only in a portion surrounded by a thick line in FIG.

When the viewpoint 50 and the line of sight 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 lowermost falling object FO16 is moved to the top (above FO86). Thus, in this embodiment, the falling object moves in the dropping direction so that FO16 is positioned next to the falling object FO86.

On the other hand, when the viewpoint 50 and the line of sight 52 are moved, the falling object is represented in the viewpoint coordinate system based on the information about the visual field area (the viewpoint position, the line of sight direction, the viewing angle, etc.) and the information about the falling speed of the falling object. Decide whether to move downward or upward. When the line of sight 52 moves downward at a speed faster than the falling object falling, for example, as shown in FIG. 6B, the falling objects FO16 to FO76 are shifted upward and are at the top. The falling object FO86 is moved to the bottom (below FO16). Even in this case, the falling object moves in the dropping direction so that FO16 is positioned next to the falling object FO86.

By doing as described above, it is possible to represent a state of falling snow using a finite number of falling objects, and it is possible to achieve realistic expression while reducing the burden of processing to display the falling objects.

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

For example, the position of the virtual player 40 in the object space in FIG. 3B is different from the position in FIG. In FIG. 3 (A), the virtual player 40 is located near the top of the mountain, which is the starting point, and in FIG. 3 (B), the virtual player 40 is located slightly down from the top (FIGS. 3A and 3B). 46). Further, the direction in which the course faces is also different between FIG. 3 (A) and FIG. 3 (B). In this embodiment, FIG. 3A, which is near the top, produces a stronger cross wind than FIG. 3B. As a result, the snow particles 44 and 45 are swept away by a cross wind stronger than the snow particles 47 and 48. Also, in FIG. 3A, which is near the top, the amount of snow falls more than in FIG. 3B. Furthermore, the direction in which the cross wind blows is varied depending on the course direction, the presence or absence of obstacles, and the like. Thereby, the direction of the cross wind at 3 (A) is different from that in FIG. 3 (B).

In order to express cross winds and the like that differ depending on the place as described above, in this embodiment, the change information (the falling object speed, speed direction, rotational speed, rotational direction, number of arrays, etc.) is correlated with the location information of the object space. Information for change) 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. In FIG. 7B, whether or not the virtual player 40 (or the snowboard 42 or the viewpoint) as a moving body is located in the course block Cj is determined based on the arrangement information of the lines 60 and 62. In this embodiment, the order of the virtual player 40, the possibility of time extension, and the like are determined based on the determination result. For example, when the first player operates and the first virtual player is located in the course block C18 and the second player's virtual player chasing it is located in the course block C17, the first player and the second player The ranks are determined to be 1st and 2nd respectively. Further, for example, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has passed the course block C10 within a given time. If it has passed, the play time of the player is extended. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, in this embodiment, each course block is divided into a plurality of polygons, for example, triangles, and it is determined in which triangle the position of the virtual player (or snowboard or viewpoint) is located. . Then, the coefficient of the plane equation of the surface including each triangle is stored in a given storage means, and the virtual equation is determined 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 location. Here, the map represents a surface shape such as a terrain including a mountain, the ground, the sea, a lake, and a river.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the process of making the crosswind different depending on the location is realized by using the course block information used for determining the ranking, whether to extend the time, determining the map height, and the like. 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 and θj-1 are stored in association with Cj-1, and VWj + 1 and θj + 1 are stored in association with Cj + 1. Course block information indicating in which course block the virtual player or the like is located has already been obtained in the above-described processing for determining the rank, the possibility of time extension, and the like. Therefore, the crosswind strength VWj and the crosswind direction θj stored in association with the course block Cj where the virtual player is located can be read out using the already obtained course block information. Next, based on the read VWj and θj, for example, calculations shown in the following expressions (1) and (2) are performed.

Xn = Xn-1 + VWj * cos [theta] j (1)
Zn = Zn-1 + VWj × sin θj (2)

Here, Xn and Zn are the X and Z coordinates in the nth frame of the falling object in the course block Cj, and Xn-1 and Zn-1 are in the (n-1) th frame which is the previous frame. X and Z coordinates.

By doing as described above, it is possible to realize a process for changing the cross wind according to the place. That is, VWj and θj to be stored are made different for each course block. As a result, the speed and speed direction of the falling object can be made different for each course block, and as a result, the falling object can be shown on the screen as it is swept by different cross winds depending on the location.

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

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the amount of snow can be varied according to the location of the object space. In this case, the number of falling objects arranged in each of the regions R1 to R33 in FIG. 4 may be varied. That is, as shown in FIG. 8B, in a place where the amount of snow falls (see FIG. 3A), a place where the number of falling objects in each region is increased and the amount of snow falls is reduced. In (see FIG. 3B), the number of falling objects is reduced. In this case, the number of falling objects is stored in the change information storage unit 122 in association with the course block information, which is location information, in the same manner as the cross wind strength VWJ and the cross wind direction θJ. In this way, it is possible to vary the number of falling objects arranged for each course block, and it is possible to vary the amount of snow falling for each course block. As shown in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B), it is possible to achieve realistic expressions that are closer to real world events, such as a lot of snow falling near the top and the amount of snow falling as it descends from the top. It becomes.

Note that the location information may be specified based on the position of the moving object, or may be determined based on information about the viewpoint obtained based on the position of the moving object.

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

9 will be described first. First, based on the position (or viewpoint position, etc.) of the moving body, the course block where the moving body (or viewpoint) is located is specified (step S1). This course block information is one piece of location information in the object space. Next, based on the course block information, the order of the moving body, the possibility of time extension, and the height of the map are determined (step S2). Next, based on the course block information, change information such as cross wind intensity and cross wind direction is read from the change information storage unit 122 (step S3). Next, based on the read change information, the speed, speed direction, rotation speed, rotation direction, number of arrays, etc. of the falling object are changed (step S4).

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 by the following formulas (3), (4), and (5) for the first falling object.

RX1n = RX1n-1 + VRX1 (3)
RY1n = RY1n-1 + VRY1 (4)
RZ1n = RZ1n-1 + VRZ1 (5)

Here, RX1n, RY1n, and RZ1n are the rotation angles of the first falling object in the nth frame, and RX1n-1, RY1n-1, and RZ1n-1 are the first falling in the (n-1) th frame. The rotation angle of the object. On the other hand, the rotation angle is calculated by the following expressions (6), (7), and (8) for the second falling object.

RX2n = RX2n-1 + VRX2 (6)
RY2n = RY2n-1 + VRY2 (7)
RZ2n = RZ2n-1 + VRZ2 (8)

Here, RX2n, RY2n, RZ2n are the rotation angles of the second falling object in the nth frame, and RX2n-1, RY2n-1, RZ2n-1 are the second falling in the (n-1) th frame. The rotation angle of the object. As is clear from the above formulas (3) to (8), in this detailed example, VRX1, VRY1, and VRZ1 are different from VRX2, VRY2, and VRZ2. Accordingly, 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 snow falling down 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. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a point on the line of sight 52 in the region R6 where the depth distance from the viewpoint is farthest is defined as Pc. Then, from this point PC, the point that is (the height of the falling object) × 4 is P1, and the lower point 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 this embodiment, the falling object is arranged so that the falling object is positioned within the display range YDR.

Next, a process of subtracting the fall distance from the Y coordinate of the representative point of the fall object group is performed (step T3). This subtraction process 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 regions R1 to R33 in FIG. For example, in FIG. 5, the representative points of the falling object groups F011 to FO81, the representative points of the falling object groups FO12 to FO82,..., The representative points of the falling object groups FO16 to FO86 are set. The representative point is set, for example, at the center position of the falling object set (the position of the point PC in FIG. 11) at the initial stage.

Next, it is determined whether or not the representative point protrudes the display range YDR in the Y-axis direction (step T4). When the representative point Pr protrudes downward as indicated by E1 in FIG. 12A, the representative point Pr is shifted up by (height of falling object) × 8 as indicated by E2 in FIG. (Step T5). On the other hand, when the representative point Pr protrudes upward as indicated by E3 in FIG. 12B, the representative point Pr is shifted downward by (the height of the falling object) × 8 as indicated by E4 in FIG. (Step T6). By doing so, the representative point Pr can always be positioned within the display range YDR. Next, the display range on the XZ plane is determined as shown in FIG. 4 (step T7). Next, the falling objects are sequentially arranged upward with the representative point as the initial position (steps T8 and T9). When the Y-axis direction display range YDR protrudes, the falling object is placed at the bottom (step T10). For example, in FIG. 12A, after the process indicated by E2, FO16 is first arranged with the representative point Pr as the initial position. Next, when FO26 is arranged on FO16, FO26 protrudes from the display range YDR, so FO26 is arranged at the bottom as shown in FIG. Then, FO36 to FO86 are sequentially arranged on the FO26. On the other hand, in FIG. 12B, after the process indicated by E4, FO16 to FO76 are sequentially arranged with the representative point Pr as the initial position. Next, if the FO 86 is to be arranged on the FO 76, the FO 86 protrudes from the display range YDR. Therefore, the FO 86 is arranged at the bottom as shown in FIG. The arrangement information of the falling object obtained by the above processing is sent to the image composition unit 200, and the image of the falling object is displayed at the arrangement 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 1004, an information storage medium 1006, a sound synthesis IC 1008, an image synthesis IC 1010, and I / O ports 1012, 1014 are connected to each other via a system bus 1016 so that data can be transmitted and received. A display 1018 is connected to the image synthesis IC 1010, a speaker 1020 is connected to the sound synthesis IC 1008, a control device 1022 is connected to the I / O port 1012, and a communication device 1024 is connected to the I / O port 1014. Has been.

The information storage medium 1006 mainly stores game programs, image information for expressing display objects, and the like, and a CD-ROM, game cassette, IC card, MO, FD, memory, or the like is used. For example, a home game device uses a CD-ROM or game cassette as an information storage medium for storing a game program or the like, and an arcade game device 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 determination made by the player in accordance with the progress of the game to the device main body.

In accordance with a game program stored in the information storage medium 1006, a system program stored in the ROM 1002 (such as device initialization information), a signal input by the control device 1022, the CPU 1000 controls the entire device and performs various data processing. Do. The RAM 1004 is a storage means used as a work area of the CPU 1000 and stores the given contents of the information storage medium 1006 and the ROM 1002 or the calculation result of the CPU 1000. A data structure having a logical configuration such as space information of falling objects, arrangement information of falling objects, course block information, change information, and the like is constructed in a RAM, an information storage medium, or the like.

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

The communication device 1024 exchanges various types of information used inside the game device with the outside. The communication device 1024 is connected to other game devices to send and receive given information according to the game program, and to connect a communication line. It is used for sending and receiving information such as game programs.

Various processes described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8B and FIGS. 11 to 12B include an information storage medium 1006 storing a program for performing the processes shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. The CPU 1000, the image composition IC 1010, and the like that operate according to the program are realized. Note that the processing performed by the image synthesis IC 1010, the sound synthesis IC 1008, and the like may be performed by software using the CPU 1000 or a general-purpose DSP.

FIG. 14A shows an example in which the present embodiment is applied to an arcade game machine. The player 1100 enjoys game play by operating the buttons 1102, the board 1103, and the like, which are operation units, while viewing the display 1104 on which the view field images as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B are displayed. An IC board 1106 is built in the apparatus, and a CPU, an image synthesis IC, a sound synthesis IC, and the like are mounted on the IC board 1106. And information for dropping a plurality of falling objects composed of a plurality of falling objects at a given rotation direction, a given rotation speed, information for synthesizing a field-of-view image including the image of the falling object, and the falling direction Information for arranging falling objects in areas partitioned by planes along the plane, information for changing the speed, speed direction, rotation speed, rotation direction, number of arrays of falling objects according to the simulation situation, etc. The data is stored in a memory 1108 that is an information storage medium on 1106. Hereinafter, these pieces of information are referred to as stored information. The stored information includes at least one of program code, image information, sound information, display object shape information, table data, player information, and the like for performing the various processes described above.

FIG. 14B shows an example in which this embodiment is applied to a home game device. The player enjoys the game by operating the game controllers 1202 and 1204 while viewing the game screen displayed on the display 1200. In this case, the stored information is stored in a CD-ROM 1206, IC cards 1208, 1209, etc., which are information storage media detachable from the main unit.

FIG. 14C shows an example in which the present embodiment is applied to a game device including a host device 1300 and terminals 1304-1 to 1304 -n connected to the host device 1300 via a communication line 1302. Show. In this case, the stored information is stored in an 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, for example. When the terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n have a CPU, an image synthesis IC, and a sound synthesis IC and can synthesize game images and game sounds in a stand-alone manner, the host device 1300 receives game images and games. A game program or the like for synthesizing sound is delivered to the terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n. On the other hand, if it is not possible to synthesize by stand-alone, the host device 1300 synthesizes the game image and the game sound, transmits them to the terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n, and outputs them at the terminals.

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

For example, in the present embodiment, the case where the speed of the falling object is changed based on the location information in the object space has been mainly described, but may be changed based on the time information. For example, even in the same place, a more realistic expression can be achieved by changing the strength of the cross wind, the direction of the cross wind, and the amount of snow falling with the passage of time. For example, when a moving body such as a train moves in the object space, the strength, direction, etc. of the cross wind may be changed by the movement.

Further, what is expressed by the falling object is not limited to snow, and according to the present invention, it is possible to express how other falling bodies such as leaves fall.

In this embodiment, a snowboard game has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various games such as skis, motor boats, surfboards, water skis, water bike games, tank games, racing car games, etc. Applicable to.

Further, the present invention can be applied to various devices such as a business game device, a home game device, a simulator device for operation training, and a large attraction device in which a large number of players participate.

Further, the processing performed in the processing unit, the image composition unit, and the like 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.

It is a figure for demonstrating the principle of a present Example. It is an example of the functional block diagram of a present Example 3A and 3B are examples of the field-of-view images displayed according to the present embodiment. It is a figure showing area | region R1-R33 divided by the surface along a Y-axis on an XZ plane. It is a figure showing the arrangement | sequence along the fall direction of a fall object on a YZ plane. 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining a falling object that moves so that FO 86 is positioned next to FO 16. FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are diagrams for explaining location information in the object space. FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining the change information specified by the location information. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the detailed example of the process of a present Example. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the detailed example of the process of a present Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the determination process of the display range of a Y-axis direction. FIGS. 12A and 12B are diagrams for explaining an example of the arrangement process of the falling object. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the hardware which implement | achieves a present Example. 14A, 14B, and 14C are diagrams showing various types of apparatuses to which the present embodiment is applied.

Explanation of symbols

10 Display unit 12 Operation unit 20, 21, 22, 23, 24,
25, 26, 27, 28 Falling objects 30, 31, 32, 33, 34,
35, 36, 37, 38, 39 Falling object 50 View point 52 Line of sight 54 Field of view 100 Processing unit 110 Falling object moving unit 120 Changing unit 122 Change information storage unit 130 Moving object information calculating unit 132 View point calculating unit 140 Object space setting unit 142 Spatial information storage unit 200 Image composition unit

Claims (10)

A three-dimensional simulator device that synthesizes a field-of-view image that is visible in a given viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction in an object space,
Based on the operation information from the operation unit and a given program, the moving body information calculating means for obtaining the position information and direction information of the moving body,
Based on the position information and direction information of the moving body obtained by the moving body information calculation means, the viewpoint calculation means for obtaining the position of the viewpoint following the movement of the moving body and the line-of-sight direction;
Falling object movement that causes a plurality of falling objects, each of which is configured by three-dimensionally arranging a plurality of falling objects, to fall within the object space while rotating at a given rotation speed in a given rotation direction Means,
Means for synthesizing a field-of-view image that is visible in a viewpoint position and a line-of-sight direction obtained by the viewpoint calculation unit, and includes an image of the falling object;
A three-dimensional simulator device. In claim 1,
And changing means for changing at least one of the falling object's speed, speed direction, rotational speed, rotating direction, and the number of falling objects when the falling objects are arranged in the falling direction, according to the simulation situation. A three-dimensional simulator device. In claim 2,
The changing means is
A three-dimensional simulator apparatus characterized by changing at least one of the speed, speed direction, rotation speed, rotation direction, and number of arrays based on at least one of location information and time information of an object space. In claim 3,
The changing means is
Based on the change information stored in a given storage means in association with the location information, specifying the location information based on the position of the moving body moving in the object space or information obtained based on the location, A three-dimensional simulator device characterized by changing at least one of the speed, speed direction, rotation speed, rotation direction, and number of arrays. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4,
The falling object moving means is
An area including at least a part of the visual field area specified by the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction obtained by the viewpoint calculation means is specified, and a plurality of falling objects are given in a given rotation direction in the specified area. A three-dimensional simulator device that performs a process of dropping while rotating at a rotational speed of. A computer-readable information storage medium for synthesizing a visual field image that can be seen in a given viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction in an object space,
Based on the operation information from the operation unit and a given program, the moving body information calculating means for obtaining the position information and direction information of the moving body,
Based on the position information and direction information of the moving body obtained by the moving body information calculation means, the viewpoint calculation means for obtaining the position of the viewpoint following the movement of the moving body and the line-of-sight direction;
Falling object movement that causes a plurality of falling objects, each of which is configured by three-dimensionally arranging a plurality of falling objects, to fall within the object space while rotating at a given rotation speed in a given rotation direction Means,
As a means for synthesizing a visual field image that is visible in the visual point position and the visual line direction obtained by the visual point calculation means and includes the image of the falling object,
An information storage medium that stores a program that causes a computer to function. In claim 6,
A computer as change means for changing at least one of the speed, speed direction, rotation speed, rotation direction of the falling object, and the number of falling objects when the falling objects are arranged in the falling direction, according to the simulation situation. An information storage medium characterized by storing a program to be operated. In claim 7,
The changing means is
An information storage medium, wherein at least one of the speed, speed direction, rotation speed, rotation direction, and number of arrays is changed based on at least one of location information and time information of an object space. In claim 8,
The changing means is
Based on the change information stored in a given storage means in association with the location information, specifying the location information based on the position of the moving body moving in the object space or information obtained based on the location, An information storage medium characterized by changing at least one of the speed, speed direction, rotation speed, rotation direction, and number of arrays. In any one of Claims 6 thru | or 9.
The falling object moving means is
An area including at least a part of the visual field area specified by the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction obtained by the viewpoint calculation means is specified, and a plurality of falling objects are given in a given rotation direction in the specified area. An information storage medium characterized by performing a process of dropping while rotating at a rotational speed of.

Images