JP2012174089A - Program, and image processor with computer for executing program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display objects by composition similar to the one assumed by a game creator without increasing pieces of data on a position and a photographing direction of a virtual camera even when sizes of the objects to be displayed are different from each other.SOLUTION: Difference ΔL=L'-L between height L' of a player character PC and height L of a reference character is added to a height component of position coordinates of a virtual camera C as a correction value. In addition, correction according to the difference ΔL is performed so that a photographing direction of the virtual camera C turns to the head of an enemy character EC. When the height of the player character PC is higher (refer to a selected figure (b)), ΔL (>0) is added to the height component, and the virtual camera C is arranged at an upper part by ΔL rather than a reference camera position shown by broken lines. The photographing direction of the virtual camera C is corrected so as to turn to the head of the enemy character EC. Thus, an image by composition similar to that in the case of the reference character (refer to a selected figure (a)) is photographed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a program and an image processing apparatus including a computer that executes the program, and more particularly to correction of the position or shooting direction of a virtual camera.

  Conventionally, a game in which a player operates a predetermined character and activates in a three-dimensional virtual game space has been developed. Hereinafter, the character operated by the player is referred to as “player character”. Characters and objects arranged in the three-dimensional virtual game space (“object” is a concept including “character”, and hence will be simply referred to as “object” when collectively referred to below) are displayed as a two-dimensional image on the screen. Therefore, in general, a projection process based on predetermined position coordinates is performed. In this case, an image as if it was shot with a virtual camera at a predetermined position coordinate is generated, and thus displaying an object on the three-dimensional virtual game space as a two-dimensional image is expressed as shooting with a virtual camera.

  A game has been developed in which the position of the virtual camera is switched between a position away from the player character and the viewpoint position of the player character to switch between an image photographed from an objective viewpoint and an image photographed from a subjective viewpoint (see Patent Document 1). . In addition, a game has been developed in which a gazing point is set on an object selected by the player and the shooting direction of the virtual camera is changed (see Patent Document 2).

  When causing each character to perform a predetermined action, it is common practice to use preset data for each action (hereinafter referred to as “motion data”). The motion data is obtained by recording data for each frame of motion (motion) (for example, every 1/60 seconds) (see FIG. 9). In general, in an animation using computer graphics, a multi-joint object such as a person or an animal is represented by a skeleton model (see FIGS. 4 and 5) having a hierarchical structure in which body parts are connected by joints. As the motion data, position data of each joint of the skeleton model or rotation angle data of each joint is recorded for each frame. By placing each part of the character in accordance with the position of each joint, the character is placed in the three-dimensional virtual game space, and this is performed for each frame to cause the character to perform a predetermined action.

  For example, when the player character is caused to swing down the enemy character by swinging down the sword, image data and model data unique to the player character (hereinafter referred to as “character data”, details will be described later), and the sword. The operation is performed in combination with the motion data to be shaken down. At this time, there is a case where shooting is performed while changing the position and the shooting direction of the virtual camera according to the data recorded for each frame regarding the position and the shooting direction of the virtual camera (hereinafter referred to as “virtual camera motion data”). is there. Details of the virtual camera motion data will be described later. The virtual camera shoots the player character while changing the position and the shooting direction according to the virtual camera motion data, thereby generating a powerful video with a composition centered on the player character. For example, a game has been developed in which a virtual camera is incorporated into a part of a skeleton model of a character having a joint structure to control the motion of the virtual camera (see Patent Document 3).

Japanese Patent No. 3964484 Japanese Patent No. 4144017 JP 2009-28188 A

  However, in the case of a game in which the player can select a player character or a game in which the player can edit each part of the player character's body, the composition assumed by the game creator even if shooting is performed according to predetermined virtual camera motion data Video may not be generated. For example, when the body shape is larger than usual, such as when the player character is tall, the player character may protrude from the screen or other characters may be hidden behind the player character and become invisible. Further, when the body shape is smaller than usual, such as when the player character is short, the player character may be displayed at the bottom of the screen.

  FIG. 17 shows a one-frame image of a demonstration video in which the player character and the enemy character face each other and the player character performs an action.

  FIG. 17A shows a case where the body shape of the player character PC is a normal body shape. Since the virtual camera motion data is set based on the case where the body shape of the player character PC is a normal body shape, the player character PC and the enemy character EC are displayed in a composition assumed by the game creator.

  FIG. 17B shows a case where the player character PC has a taller body shape than the normal body shape. The virtual camera is shooting in the same shooting direction at the same position as in FIG. Therefore, the head of the player character PC protrudes from the screen, and the composition is significantly different from the case of FIG.

  FIG. 17C shows a case where the player character PC has a shorter body shape than the normal body shape. The virtual camera is shooting in the same shooting direction at the same position as in FIG. Therefore, the player character PC is positioned below the screen, and the composition is significantly different from that in the case of FIG.

  In the cases of FIGS. 17B and 17C, if virtual camera motion data having the same composition as in FIG. 17A is prepared and used in advance, the same is true regardless of the body shape of the player character PC. It can be displayed in the composition. However, if virtual camera motion data is created for each body shape of the player character PC, the amount of work for creating the data increases. In addition, the amount of data to be recorded becomes enormous.

  Also, there is a method in which the position of the virtual camera is previously set at a position away from the player character PC so that the entire player character PC can be surely fit within the screen regardless of the body shape of the player character PC. However, in this case, the virtual camera position is based on the position based on the body shape of the largest player character PC. For this reason, when the player character PC having a different body shape is imaged, the image is monotonous and not powerful, and the composition assumed by the game creator cannot be taken.

  A similar problem may occur when a character or object other than the player character PC can be edited or selected. The above problem is not limited to games. Other than the game, the same problem occurs when displaying objects of different sizes based on common virtual camera motion data.

  The demo video playback method described above is a “pre-render movie” that plays back a demo video that has been created and stored in advance. Is called. In “Real-time rendering movie”, character data is combined with pre-stored motion data and the character is moved in real time to shoot, so a demonstration video showing equipment such as weapons and clothes selected by the player during the game Can be reflected. However, when the equipment selected by the player is large, in the reproduced demo video, a part of the equipment may protrude from the screen or other characters may be hidden by the equipment and become invisible. In this case, the same problem occurs.

  The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances described above, and it is possible to play a game without increasing the data of the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera even when the size of the displayed object is different. The object is to provide a program capable of displaying an object with a composition similar to the composition assumed by the creator.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.

  A program provided by the first aspect of the present invention is a program executed by a computer of an image processing apparatus that causes an image of an object arranged in a three-dimensional virtual space to be displayed on a display device. Reading means for reading out a reference position and a reference shooting direction of a virtual camera set for shooting a reference object that is recorded in advance in the unit, and the object relative to the size of a predetermined portion of the reference object A calculation unit that calculates correction information that is information relating to the size of the predetermined portion, and at least one of the reference position and the reference photographing direction read by the reading unit according to the correction information calculated by the calculation unit. Correction means for correcting, the corrected virtual camera position and shooting direction, Characterized in that to function as a setting means for setting a position and imaging direction of the virtual camera for capturing objects.

  The “size of a predetermined part of the object” in the present invention includes the vertical length (height) of the entire object, the horizontal length, the length of a part of the object, and the like. For example, when the object is a character such as a person, the height, shoulder width, leg length, arm length, and the like of the character are included in the “size of a predetermined portion of the object”. Further, when the character wears equipment, the entire character including the equipped equipment can be considered as one object. Therefore, the height of the character wearing the heel to the tip of the heel and the height to the tip of the head relative to the heel tip of the character wearing the high heel (that is, the height when wearing the high heel) Is also included in the “size of a predetermined portion of the object”. If the character has a weapon such as a spear, the height of the character holding the weapon up to the tip of the weapon is included in the “size of the predetermined part of the object”, and the length of the weapon itself is also “ It is included in the “size of the predetermined portion”. Further, the “correction information” in the present invention includes difference information based on the size difference, ratio information based on the size ratio, and the like.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computing means computes information relating to the vertical length of the object relative to the vertical length of the reference object as the correction information.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the correction unit corrects at least one of a vertical component of the reference position and a vertical component of the reference photographing direction in accordance with the correction information.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the object is a plurality of objects, and the computing means relates to an average size of each predetermined portion of the plurality of objects with respect to the size of the predetermined portion of the reference object. Information is calculated as the correction information.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, another object other than the object is arranged in the three-dimensional virtual space, and the calculation means further calculates information on a relative position of the object with respect to the other object. The correction unit corrects at least one of the reference position and the reference photographing direction according to the information on the relative position.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reference position and the reference photographing direction are recorded in the recording unit for each frame, and the reading unit reads the reference position and the reference photographing direction for each frame, The correction unit corrects the reference position and the reference photographing direction for each frame read by the reading unit according to the correction information.

  An image processing apparatus provided by the second aspect of the present invention includes a program recording unit that records the program provided by the first aspect of the present invention, and a computer that executes the program recorded in the program recording unit. It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, the reference position and reference photographing direction recorded in advance are corrected according to the correction information. Therefore, the object can be displayed in the same composition as the composition assumed by the game creator without having to record the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera every time the size of the object is different.

  For example, by correcting the vertical component of the position of the virtual camera and the vertical component of the shooting direction according to the height of the player character and shooting, the player character is displayed with a composition similar to the composition assumed by the game creator. Can do.

  In addition, since it is not necessary to record the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera every time the size of the object is different, it is possible to reduce the development cost by suppressing the amount of data creation work during game development. . Further, an increase in the storage area of the RAM for storing data can be suppressed.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a figure for demonstrating the position and imaging | photography direction of a virtual camera according to the magnitude | size of a player character. It is a figure which shows the image image | photographed with the virtual camera in the case of FIG.1 (b) and (c). It is a lineblock diagram showing the game device concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the link structure of each joint when a character is taking the standard posture. It is a figure which shows the hierarchical structure of the parent-child relationship of each joint. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of reference character data. It is a figure for demonstrating position data. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of player character data. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of reference character motion data. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of virtual camera data. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of reference | standard virtual camera motion data. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process which produces | generates the game image data for a demonstration image | video. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of skeleton data. It is a figure for demonstrating the example in the case of correct | amending the imaging | photography direction of a virtual camera according to the height of an enemy character. It is a figure for demonstrating the example in the case of correct | amending the position of a virtual camera according to the height of several enemy characters. It is a figure for demonstrating the example in the case of correct | amending the position and imaging | photography direction of a virtual camera according to the positional relationship of a player character and an enemy character. It is a figure which shows the image of one frame of the demonstration image | video which a player character is performing a certain operation | movement.

  Hereinafter, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a case where a program according to the present invention is applied to game software will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, a case where an action game is progressing in a home game device (hereinafter referred to as “game device”) will be described as an example.

  The action game according to the present embodiment proceeds by causing the player character to fight the enemy character in the three-dimensional virtual game space and the player character defeating the enemy character. Further, this action game is provided with a function of editing the player character. The player can change the player character into a desired shape using the editing function.

  In the editing function, the shape (length, thickness, etc.) of each part such as the arm, leg, and trunk of the character (hereinafter referred to as “reference character”) that is the reference of the player character is changed, or the reference character The shape and arrangement position of each part such as eyes and nose constituting the face can be changed. Further, in the editing function, equipment such as weapons and clothes can be selected, and the player character can be equipped. The player can use the edited reference character as his player character in the three-dimensional virtual game space. For example, when editing arm parts, the upper arm portion from the shoulder to the elbow and the forearm portion from the elbow to the wrist can be individually lengthened, shortened, thickened or thinned. Details of the editing function will be described later.

  For the action of the player character, preset motion data for the action of the reference character is used. A specific operation reproduction method using motion data will be described later. The virtual camera shoots the player character while changing the position and shooting direction according to the virtual camera motion data. The virtual camera motion data is created with a composition determined by the game creator so that a powerful video is generated when the reference character performs an action. In other words, the composition that the action of the reference character is photographed based on the virtual camera motion data is the composition assumed by the game creator. In this embodiment, the position of the virtual camera and the shooting direction are corrected according to the body shape of the player character. Thereby, even if the body shape of the player character is changed by editing, it is possible to generate a powerful video with a composition similar to the composition assumed by the game creator.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the position of the virtual camera and the shooting direction corrected according to the body shape of the player character. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the player character PC and the enemy character EC face each other with the virtual camera C at a predetermined position on the right rear side of the player character PC. Each character in FIG. 1 is described as a simplified character by omitting the limbs of each character in FIG. 17 (the same applies to FIG. 14).

  FIG. 1 is viewed from the negative direction of the X axis of the local coordinate system of the player character PC. The local coordinate system is a coordinate system set for each character (for example, a character whose movement is controlled by the CPU, such as the player character PC or the enemy character EC), and manages the movement and posture of the character. Is provided. In the local coordinate system of the player character PC, the upward direction of the player character PC is the positive direction of the Y axis, the front direction of the player character PC is the positive direction of the Z axis, and the left direction of the player character PC is the positive direction of the X axis. Is set. The arrow on the right side of FIG. 1A indicates the local coordinate system, and the direction from the front to the back of the page is the positive direction of the X axis.

  FIG. 1A shows a case where the player character PC has a normal body shape (a body shape of a reference character). The virtual camera C is disposed at a position slightly higher than the head of the player character PC behind the player character PC (upward position on the left side in the figure), and the shooting direction faces the head of the enemy character EC. In this case, the image captured by the virtual camera C is as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 1B shows a case where the player character PC has a tall body shape. The virtual camera C is disposed at a position higher than the position (the position of the virtual camera C indicated by a broken line in the drawing, hereinafter referred to as “reference camera position”) when the player character PC is the body shape of the reference character. Has been. Further, the angle (hereinafter referred to as “shooting angle”) α ′ that the shooting direction of the virtual camera C is in the vertically upward direction is the shooting angle when the player character PC is the body shape of the reference character (hereinafter, referred to as “shooting angle”). “Reference shooting angle.”) It is larger than α. In this case, the image photographed by the virtual camera C looks like the image shown in FIG. 2A and has a composition close to that in FIG. In the case of FIG. 1B, the virtual camera C at the reference camera position is shot with the shooting angle equal to the reference shooting angle α (that is, shot with the virtual camera C indicated by a broken line in the figure). In this case, the photographed image is an image in which the head of the player character PC protrudes like the image shown in FIG.

  FIG. 1C shows a case where the player character PC has a short body shape. The virtual camera C is disposed at a position where the player character PC is lower than the reference camera position (the position of the virtual camera C indicated by a broken line in the drawing). Further, the shooting angle α ″ is smaller than the reference shooting angle α. In this case, the image shot by the virtual camera C looks like the image shown in FIG. 2B, and is shown in FIG. In the case of Fig. 1 (c), the virtual camera C at the reference camera position is shot with the shooting angle equal to the reference shooting angle α (that is, the broken line in the figure). When the image is taken by the virtual camera C shown), the taken image is an image in which the player character PC is positioned below the image, as shown in FIG. 17C.

  The present invention includes a reference character and virtual camera motion data serving as a reference based on the reference character. When a video of a character having a different size from the reference character is generated, the virtual character is generated based on the difference in size. It is characterized in that the camera motion data is corrected and an image is generated based on the corrected virtual camera motion data. Details of the virtual camera motion data correction method will be described later.

  The hardware configuration of this embodiment will be described below.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the game device according to the present embodiment. The game apparatus 1 includes a main body 11 and an operation controller 12. The operation controller 12 is connected to the main body 11 by short-range wireless communication. A monitor 13 is connected to the main body 11 by a dedicated cable. The main body 11 is loaded with a disk 14 on which a game program and game data are recorded. Furthermore, a memory card 15 for storing game data is mounted on the main body 11 as necessary.

  The main body 11 includes a control unit 111, a drawing processing unit 112, an audio processing unit 113, a disk drive unit 114, a memory card connection unit 115, an I / O interface unit 116, a communication processing unit 117, and a signal transmission / reception unit 118. The control unit 111 is connected to a drawing processing unit 112, an audio processing unit 113, an I / O interface unit 116, and a communication processing unit 117. In addition, a disk drive unit 114, a memory card connection unit 115, a signal transmission / reception unit 118, and a monitor 13 are connected to the I / O interface unit 116.

  In the game apparatus 1, the disc 14 on which the action game software is recorded is mounted on the disc drive unit 114. By the disk drive unit 114, the game program and game data in the disk 14 are read into a RAM 111c (described later) in the control unit 111. When the game program is executed by a CPU 111a (described later), the player can enjoy the game contents. The player can operate the player character by operating an operation controller 12 (described later) to advance the game. Further, the player can edit the player character by operating the operation controller 12 on the editing screen. The details of the player character editing function will be described later.

  The game data in the disc 14 includes character data (including image data) such as reference characters and enemy characters, item data (including image data) such as weapons, motion data, image data such as backgrounds, and sound data such as sound effects. And various tables to be referred to during game progress and drawing.

  The control unit 111 has a microcomputer that controls the overall operation of the main body 11. The microcomputer includes a CPU 111a, a ROM 111b, a RAM 111c, and the like. These are each connected by a bus line.

  The CPU 111a performs overall control of the game progress by executing the game program read into the RAM 111c. More specifically, when an operation signal by a player's operation is input from the operation controller 12 via the signal transmission / reception unit 118, the CPU 111a performs a predetermined game progress process for the operation signal in accordance with the game program. The CPU 111a displays the processing result on the display screen of the monitor 13 as, for example, a two-dimensional image (hereinafter referred to as “game image”) representing a three-dimensional space. Further, the CPU 111a causes the processing result to be output to a speaker 13a (described later) of the monitor 13 as a sound such as a sound effect.

  The ROM 111b stores a basic program for exerting basic functions of the game apparatus 1. The basic program includes a game program recorded on the disc 14, a program for a disc loading function for reading game data, and the like. When the disk 14 is loaded in the disk drive unit 114, the CPU 111a operates the disk drive unit 114 according to the basic program stored in the ROM 111b, reads the game program and game data from the disk 14 into the RAM 111c, and sets the game apparatus 1 to the game start state. To do.

  The RAM 111c provides an area for storing game programs and game data read from the disk 14, and a work area for the CPU 111a to execute the game programs.

The game program is configured by combining a plurality of programs such as a game progress program and a graphic control program. The game progress program is a program for controlling the action of the player character displayed on the monitor 13 based on an operation signal from the controller 12. The graphic control program is a program for controlling a game image to be displayed on the monitor 13. In the present embodiment, the game program includes a character editing program (a program for executing an editing screen). Further, in the present embodiment, the RAM 111c stores, as game data, reference character data (see FIG. 6), reference character motion data (see FIG. 9), virtual camera data (see FIG. 12), and reference virtual data read from the disk 14. Camera motion data (see FIG. 11) is recorded, and player character data (see FIG. 8) and skeleton data (see FIG. 13) created from these data are recorded.

  Based on the operation signal from the operation controller 12, the CPU 111a reads a game program, image data, and the like from the disk 14 into the RAM 111c as necessary. The CPU 111a determines the content of the game image to be displayed on the monitor 13 by processing these data and executing the game program.

  The drawing processing unit 112 performs various arithmetic processes necessary for the drawing process. For example, the CPU 111a outputs a drawing command to the drawing processing unit 112 every 1/60 seconds. At this time, the CPU 111a determines an image to be displayed on the monitor 13, character data necessary for drawing the image, item data, image data such as background, motion data, data of the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera, and Light source data and the like are read from the RAM 111 c and supplied to the drawing processing unit 112. Further, the CPU 111 a supplies position data of each character and operation signals input from the operation controller 12 to the drawing processing unit 112.

  The drawing processing unit 112 uses image data or the like based on a drawing command from the CPU 111a, and uses data necessary for drawing (positional relationship between each object and background, coordinates of polygons constituting each object on the monitor 13 screen, The texture corresponding to each polygon and the data such as the reflection characteristic of each polygon are calculated, and one frame (one frame) game is stored in a VRAM (not shown) in the rendering processing unit 112 based on the calculation result. Create image data. The created game image data is output to the monitor 13 as a video signal every 1/60 seconds, for example, and displayed on the monitor 13 as a video.

  The sound processing unit 113 performs various arithmetic processes necessary for processing to generate sound such as sound effects. When the CPU 111a determines a sound effect or BGM sound content to be output from the speaker 13a of the monitor 13, the CPU 111a outputs a voice command to the voice processing unit 113. The sound processing unit 113 reads sound effects or BGM sound data from the RAM 111c based on the sound command. Furthermore, the audio processing unit 113 performs predetermined processing and digital / analog conversion processing on the audio data, and then outputs the processed audio data to the speaker 13a.

  The disk drive unit 114 reads the game program and game data recorded on the disk 14 based on a loading command from the CPU 111a (a read command designating a game program to be loaded and game data).

  The memory card connection unit 115 is a unit for writing / reading information relating to game progress to / from the memory card 15. When a “save data” command is issued from the player while the game is in progress or at the end of the game, the CPU 111a sends information related to the game progress to the memory card 15 via the memory card connection unit 115 (for example, an editing function And the player character data (see FIG. 8) created in step 1 and information such as various benefits such as acquired points and items are recorded. Further, the CPU 111a reads out information related to the game progress recorded in the memory card 15 to the RAM 111c before the game starts.

  The I / O interface unit 116 transmits the game program and game data read by the disk drive unit 114 and the memory card connection unit 115 and the operation signal from the operation controller 12 received by the signal transmission / reception unit 118 to the control unit 111. . The I / O interface unit 116 transmits video signals, audio signals, and the like from the control unit 111, the drawing processing unit 112, and the audio processing unit 113 to the monitor 13 and the speaker 13a.

  The communication processing unit 117 performs control for transmitting and receiving data when the game apparatus 1 communicates with another game apparatus 1 via the network line 2. Specifically, the communication processing unit 117 transmits an operation signal input from the operation controller 12 or a signal output from the CPU 111 a to another game device 1 via the network line 2. Further, the communication processing unit 117 receives a signal transmitted from another game device 1 via the network line 2 and inputs the signal to the CPU 111a.

  The signal transmission / reception unit 118 receives a signal transmitted from the operation controller 12 by short-range wireless communication. The signal from the operation controller 12 includes detection data from various sensors (not shown) provided in the operation controller 12 in addition to the operation information of the operation buttons provided in the operation controller 12. The CPU 111a advances the game by a signal transmitted from the operation controller 12. In addition, the signal transmission / reception unit 118 causes the operation controller 12 to vibrate various signals (for example, a vibration unit (not shown) of the operation controller 12, a light emitting unit (not shown) emit light), and a sound output from the audio output unit. Send a signal for

  The operation controller 12 is operated by the player in order to operate the player character and make various settings relating to the game. When the operation controller 12 is operated by the player, the operation signal is transmitted to the control unit 111, and the player character displayed on the monitor 13 performs a predetermined action. Examples of the predetermined operation include a movement operation such as running, squatting, and jumping, and an attack operation for attacking an opponent using a weapon. The operation controller 12 has a power button for switching between its own power on state and off state, a start button for starting a game or opening a pause menu, and a select for skipping a demo or selecting a menu. Buttons and operation buttons for moving the player character and camera viewpoint (including operation buttons that are operated by pressing and operation sticks that are operated by tilting).

  The monitor 13 displays a game image indicating the game progress state on the display screen in accordance with the video signal sent from the main body 11, and sounds such as sound effects from the speaker 13 a in response to the voice signal sent from the main body 11. Is a device for outputting. The monitor 13 is composed of, for example, a television receiver having an external input terminal for inputting a video signal and an audio signal.

  The disk 14 is an optical disk such as a DVD-ROM or a CD-ROM. The disc 14 stores a game program and various data and image data necessary for executing the game program. The memory card 15 is a non-volatile recording medium capable of rewriting data, such as a flash memory. Information recorded in the work area of the RAM 111c disappears when the game apparatus main body 11 is turned off, and therefore information on the game progress that should be left without disappearing (for example, player character data). Are recorded in the memory card 15.

  When the game apparatus 1 includes an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), information relating to game progress, a game program, various data necessary for execution of the game program, and part of image data may be stored in the HDD. it can.

  The game apparatus 1 can be connected to the network line 2 such as the Internet line via the network adapter 16. In this case, it is also possible to play a game between a plurality of game devices 1 via the network line 2 (so-called “online game”). In the present embodiment, a game performed by the game apparatus 1 alone has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to such an online game.

  Next, the character editing process will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As described above, the action game according to the present embodiment is provided with a function of editing the player character. The editing function includes a function for changing the shape of the player character's body parts (arms, legs, torso, etc.), a function for changing the shape and arrangement of the player character's face parts (eyes, nose, etc.), and the player character. There is a function to select the equipment. Hereinafter, the editing process of the body part of the player character will be described. The description of the face part editing process and the equipment selection process is omitted.

  4 and 5 are diagrams for explaining a skeleton model of a character. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the link structure of each joint when the character is in the standard posture. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a hierarchical structure of parent-child relationships of each joint. In this embodiment, since the player character is a human character, the skeleton model is a human skeleton model, and FIGS. 4 and 5 show a link structure and a hierarchical structure of a general human skeleton model, respectively.

  In FIG. 4, circles in which a to q are described indicate each joint. The names of the joints a to q are the same as those in FIG. 5, and the names are not shown in FIG. 4. Also in the following description, the names of the joints a to q may be omitted and, for example, only “joint a” may be described. The connection between the joints is indicated by a solid line, for example, indicating that the right shoulder e and the right elbow f are connected. The hip joint a serves as a base point of the skeleton model (a part serving as a reference for the connection structure). In addition, each joint and link structure are not limited to this. The joints may be omitted to form a simpler structure, or the number of joints may be increased to form a more complicated structure. Further, the base point is not limited to the hip joint a, but may be the torso joint b, the neck c, the left shoulder i, or a point different from each joint. However, the base point is preferably a point that does not deviate to the left and right of the character such as the trunk, for example, a point located on the central axis (a straight line connecting the neck c, the torso joint b, and the hip joint a). The arrows shown in FIG. 4 indicate the height of the skeleton model.

  In FIG. 5, the upper joint is the parent of the lower joint, and the lower joint is the child of the upper joint. For example, the right clavicle d is the parent of the right shoulder e and the child of the trunk joint b. The position of each joint is set with reference to the position of the parent joint. The hip joint a (base point) is the highest joint, and the position of the hip joint a is set based on the origin of the local coordinate system.

  The editing process of the body part of the player character is performed by newly generating the character data of the player character used by the player from the character data of the reference character or changing the generated character data of the player character. . Hereinafter, a case where character data of a player character is newly generated will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of the reference character data.

  The reference character data is character data of the reference character, and is original character data for the player to edit the player character using the editing function. The reference character data is recorded as game data on the disk 14, read by the disk drive unit 114, and stored in the RAM 111c.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the reference character data includes model data and image data. Model data includes joint data and height data. The joint data includes position data and link data for each joint a to q. The position data is position data of each joint when the character is in the standard posture, and the link data is data for specifying the parent joint. For example, in the figure, the position data of the joint b is (Xb, Yb, Zb), and the link data is “a” indicating the joint a which is the parent joint.

  Since the joint a is a base point and there is no parent joint, it does not have link data. The position data of the joint a is indicated by position coordinates in the local coordinate system. In this embodiment, since the joint a in the standard posture is set right above the origin of the local coordinate system (on the Y axis), Xa = Za = 0 (see FIG. 7). The position data of the joints b to q is data indicating a relative position with respect to the position of the parent joint in the local coordinate system.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the position data, and shows the position coordinates of the joint a, the joint b, and the joint h on the local coordinate system.

  The position data (Xh, Yh, Zh) of the joint h indicates a relative position based on the position coordinates B (XB, YB, ZB) of the joint b (see FIG. 5) which is the parent joint. Therefore, the position coordinate H of the joint h is H (XB + Xh, YB + Yh, ZB + Zh). The position coordinate A of the joint a (base point), which is the parent joint of the joint b, is A (Xa, Ya, Za) because it is position data of the joint a, and the position data of the joint b is (Xb, Yb, Zb). Therefore, the position coordinates B (XB, YB, ZB) are (Xa + Xb, Ya + Yb, Za + Zb). Therefore, the position coordinate H is H (Xa + Xb + Xh, Ya + Yb + Yh, Za + Zb + Zh).

  Note that the position data of each joint is not limited to the case where the position data is expressed as a relative position based on the position of the parent joint. For example, position coordinates in the local coordinate system may be used, or distance information from the parent joint may be used.

The height data is information indicating the height of the reference character, and is used in correcting the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera. In the height data, the Y coordinate of the position coordinate in the local coordinate system of the joint c (neck) (that is, the height component from the origin of the local coordinate system of the joint c) is calculated from the position data of the joints a, b, and c. Are set in advance. If the position data of the joints a, b, and c are (Xa, Ya, Za), (Xb, Yb, Zb), and (Xc, Yc, Zc), the height data should be calculated by the following equation (1). Can do. Since the height data can be calculated from the joint position data and the following equation (1), it may not be included in the reference character data, and may be calculated whenever necessary. Further, the height data may be calculated by another method.

L = Ya + Yb + Yc (1)

  The image data includes polygon data and texture data of each part constituting the character.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of player character data.

  The player character data is character data of the player character, and is created by the player editing the reference character data using the editing function. The created player character data is recorded, for example, on the memory card 15 or the like. When the player plays a game using the same player character (when a new player character is not created using the editing function), the player character data recorded on the memory card 15 is read into the RAM 111c and used.

  The player character data includes model data and image data. The model data of the player character data is first recorded as a copy of the model data of the reference character data, and is changed according to the editing of the player character by the player.

The position data of each joint in the model data is changed by editing work by the player. For example, in the figure, the position data of the joint a is changed to (Xa ′, Ya ′, Za ′) by editing. The height data is calculated and set from the position data of the joints a, b, and c after editing. If the position data of the joints a, b, and c after editing are (Xa ′, Ya ′, Za ′), (Xb ′, Yb ′, Zb ′), (Xc ′, Yc ′, Zc ′), Height data can be calculated by the following equation (2). In order to distinguish from the height data of the reference character, the height data of the player character is represented by L ′. Since the height data can be calculated from the joint position data and the following equation (2), it may not be included in the player character data, and may be calculated whenever necessary. Further, the height data may be calculated by another method.

L ′ = Ya ′ + Yb ′ + Yc ′ (2)

  The player edits the player character on the editing screen in order to create his or her player character when playing a game for the first time. The edit screen is started by selecting “edit player character” in the main menu. On the editing screen, the player selects a part to be edited. The selectable parts include, for example, the left upper arm, left forearm, upper right arm, right forearm, left thigh, left lower leg, right thigh, right lower leg, abdomen, and chest. The parts that can be selected are not limited to these. In the present embodiment, the player can select a part by placing the cursor on each part of the reference character displayed on the editing screen and pressing a predetermined button. The selected part blinks so that it can be seen that it has been selected, and a marker for editing is displayed. Note that the method of selecting parts is not limited to this, and the parts may be selected and designated by numbers or character strings.

  Next, the player adjusts the length of the selected part (lengthening or shortening), the thickness (whether thickening or thinning), and the like. In the present embodiment, the length and thickness of the part are adjusted by moving the marker displayed on the selected part. Note that the method of adjusting the selected part is not limited to this, and it may be adjusted by directly inputting a number. In the present embodiment, the same editing is automatically performed on the part corresponding to the edited part (for example, the upper left arm when the upper right arm is edited) so that the player character is symmetrical. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and editing may be performed separately on the left and right.

  When the player edits the length of the part of the player character, the position data of a predetermined joint in the player character data is changed. For example, if the length of the upper right arm is changed, the position of the right elbow of the player character changes, so that the position data of the joint f (right elbow) is changed. Since the relative position of the right wrist with respect to the right elbow does not change, the position data of the joint g (right wrist) is not changed. Further, in order to make the player character symmetrical, the length of the left upper arm is automatically changed and the position of the left elbow is also changed, so that the position data of the joint j (left elbow) is also changed.

  When the length of the thigh, lower leg, abdomen, chest, etc. is changed, the height of the player character is changed and the height data L ′ is also changed. For example, when the length of the right thigh is changed, the position of the player character's right knee changes, so the position data of the joint m (right knee) is changed. Further, in order to make the player character symmetrical, the length of the left thigh is automatically changed and the position of the left knee is also changed, so that the position data of the joint p (left knee) is also changed. Then, the height position (Y coordinate in the local coordinate system) of the position data of the joint a (base point) is also automatically changed so that the player character's foot is properly grounded. Since the Y coordinate Ya ′ of the position data of the joint a is changed, the height data L ′ is also changed (see the above formula (2)). When the thickness of the part of the player character is edited, the position data and the height data of each joint of the player character data are not changed.

  As the image data, a copy of the image data of the reference character is recorded first, and is changed according to the editing of the player character by the player. For example, the coordinates of the vertices of the polygons constituting the edited part are changed according to the editing content of the part. It should be noted that the editing data information may be recorded as player character data without changing the image data during editing, and the image data may be changed and used based on the editing content information during image generation. Further, instead of recording the player character data, information on the editing content is recorded, and model data and image data of the player character are calculated from the reference character data and the editing content information whenever necessary. It may be.

  Next, a player character motion reproduction method using motion data will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The reproduction of the action of the player character is performed using the player character data (see FIG. 8) and the motion data of the reference character (see FIG. 9). That is, skeleton data obtained by calculating the position data of each joint of the player character is generated for each frame based on the player character data and the motion data of the reference character. Each part of the player character data is arranged on the three-dimensional virtual game space based on the skeleton data. By performing this for each frame, the player character is caused to perform a predetermined action.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of the reference character motion data.

  The reference character motion data is motion data of the reference character and data for reproducing each action of the reference character. The reference character motion data is also used as motion data for the player character. The reference character motion data is set for each motion (motion) and includes position data of each joint for each frame or data indicating a rotation angle of each joint. The data of the joint a (base point) includes position data that is position coordinates in the local coordinate system and rotation data that indicates the rotation angle of the joint a in the local coordinate system. The data of the joints b to q includes rotation data indicating the rotation angle of each joint in the local coordinate system. The position of each joint in the local coordinate system can be calculated from the rotation data of each joint of the reference character motion data and the position data of each joint of the player character data (see FIG. 8). Since the method of calculating the position of the child joint in this order from the position of the joint and the rotation angle in this manner is known as a forward kinematics technique, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Note that the reference character motion data may not include all the frame data, but only the key frame data may be included, and the inter-frame data may be interpolated by linear interpolation or spline interpolation. Good.

  Each part of the player character is arranged on the three-dimensional virtual game space based on the skeleton data, so that the player character is arranged on the three-dimensional virtual game space. At the same time, other characters and objects are also arranged in the three-dimensional virtual game space. Then, by shooting the 3D virtual game space with a virtual camera, a 2D game image is generated.

  During normal times (for example, a scene where the player character is simply walking, a scene where the player character is fighting against an enemy character, etc.), the virtual camera has a predetermined offset position (for example, a predetermined position at the upper right rear of the player character). ) And the shooting direction is set so that the player character is positioned at the center of the screen. On the other hand, when shooting a demo video such as when the player character performs a special move, the player character performs an action based on the motion data, and at the same time, the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera are based on the virtual camera motion data. Change. The virtual camera motion data is set in advance by the game creator in consideration of the composition so that the action of the player character can be captured as a powerful video.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of virtual camera data.

  The virtual camera data is data indicating the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera at normal times. The virtual camera data is recorded as game data on the disk 14, read by the disk drive unit 114, and stored in the RAM 111c.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the virtual camera data includes position data, rotation data, and the like. The position data is data for setting the position of the virtual camera, and the position coordinates of the player character in the local coordinate system are set. The rotation data is data for setting the shooting direction of the virtual camera, and a direction vector in the local coordinate system of the player character is set.

  When switching the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera, virtual camera data may be prepared for each switching position and shooting direction, and the virtual camera data may be switched according to the operation of the player or the progress of the game. .

  FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of reference virtual camera motion data.

  The reference virtual camera motion data is data indicating the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera when shooting a demo video. Each reference virtual camera motion data is set corresponding to each reference character motion data. Usually, the action of the player character for the demonstration video is created by combining a plurality of motion data. Reference virtual camera motion data corresponding to each motion data is used for shooting the demo video.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the reference virtual camera motion data includes position data and rotation data for each frame. The position data is data for setting the position of the virtual camera, and the position coordinates of the player character in the local coordinate system are set. The rotation data is data for setting the shooting direction of the virtual camera, and a direction vector in the local coordinate system is set.

  The reference virtual camera motion data is set so that an image can be shot with an appropriate composition when the reference character performs an action. Therefore, when the body shape of the player character is different from that of the reference character, even if the reference virtual camera motion data is used as it is, an appropriate composition is not obtained. Therefore, in this embodiment, the position data and the rotation data of the reference virtual camera motion data are used after being corrected according to the height data of the player character. The “player character height data” corresponds to the “size of the predetermined portion of the object” of the present invention, and the height data of the reference character corresponds to the “size of the predetermined portion of the reference object” of the present invention. Corresponding. “Height data” corresponds to “vertical length” of the present invention.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the difference component between the height data L ′ of the player character PC and the height data L of the reference character ΔL = L′−L is used as a correction value, and the height component of the position data of the reference virtual camera motion data. Add to (Y coordinate value). When the player character PC has a tall body shape (see FIG. 1B), ΔL (= L′−L> 0) is added to the Y coordinate value of the position data, and the virtual camera C is a reference indicated by a broken line. It is arranged above the camera position by ΔL. Further, when the player character PC has a short body shape (see FIG. 1C), ΔL (= L′−L <0) is added to the Y coordinate value of the position data (| ΔL |). The virtual camera C is arranged | ΔL | below the reference camera position indicated by the broken line. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the rotation data of the reference virtual camera motion data is corrected according to the difference ΔL so that the shooting direction of the virtual camera C faces the head of the enemy character EC. In this case, “difference ΔL” corresponds to “correction information” of the present invention.

  In addition, you may make it correct | amend according to the ratio of height data instead of correct | amending according to the difference of height data. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the height component of the position data of the reference virtual camera motion data (R = L ′ / L) is used as a correction value, with the ratio R = L ′ / L of the height data L ′ of the player character PC to the height data L of the reference character (Y coordinate value) may be multiplied. In this case, the rotation data of the reference virtual camera motion data is corrected so that the shooting angle (the angle at which the shooting direction of the virtual camera C is in the vertical upward direction) is a value obtained by multiplying the reference shooting angle α by the ratio R. You may make it perform. When the player character PC has a tall figure (see FIG. 1B), R (= L ′ / L> 1) is multiplied by the Y coordinate value of the position data, so that the virtual camera C is compared with the reference camera position. Arranged above. Further, the photographing angle α ′ (= α · R) is larger than the reference photographing angle α. On the other hand, when the player character PC has a short body shape (see FIG. 1C), R (= L ′ / L <1) is multiplied by the Y coordinate value of the position data, and the virtual camera C becomes the reference camera. It is arranged below the position. Further, the shooting angle α ″ (= α · R) is smaller than the reference shooting angle α. In this case, “Ratio R” corresponds to “correction information” of the present invention.

  Note that the correction value of the position and the shooting direction of the virtual camera C is not limited to the case where it is continuously changed according to the difference ΔL = L′−L (or the ratio R = L ′ / L), but changes step by step. You may make it make it. For example, the correction value may be “0” when the height of the player character is 151 to 170 cm, a negative predetermined value when the height is 150 cm or less, and a positive predetermined value when the height is 171 cm or more.

  FIG. 12 illustrates a process of generating game image data for a demo video (hereinafter referred to as “demo image data generation process”) performed by, for example, the control unit 111 and the drawing processing unit 112 of the game apparatus 1. It is a flowchart for doing.

  The demo image data generation process is performed for each frame. First, data of a corresponding frame of motion data corresponding to the operation to be executed (for example, in the case of processing of frame 1 of motion 1 shown in FIG. 9, position data α1, rotation data a1, and rotation data b1 to q1) and The player character data (see FIG. 8) is read from the RAM 111c by the CPU 111a and input to the drawing processing unit 112 (S1). Next, skeleton data is generated from the input data (S2).

  FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of skeleton data.

  The skeleton data includes position data (position data) of each joint and data (link data) indicating a joint that is a parent. The data of the joint a (base point) includes only position data. The position data of the joint a is the position coordinate of the joint a in the local coordinate system, and the player has the position data of the joint a in the reference character motion data and the length of the leg of the reference character (the length of the thigh and the lower leg combined). It is calculated from the ratio T of the leg length of the character. Specifically, each coordinate component of the position data of the joint a in the pre-correction skeleton data is obtained by multiplying each coordinate component of the position data of the joint a in the reference character motion data by the ratio T. The ratio T is calculated from the leg length of the reference character and the player character taking the standard posture, but the details are omitted.

For example, in the case of the processing of frame 1 of motion 1 shown in FIG. 9, the position data of the joint a in the skeleton data is (Xα ₁ · T, Yα) when the position data α1 is (Xα ₁ , Yα ₁ , Zα ₁ ). ₁ · T, Zα ₁ · T). Since the value of the Y coordinate indicating the vertical direction of the local coordinate system is a value obtained by multiplying the value in the reference character motion data by the ratio T, the height position of the joint a is a position corresponding to the leg length of the player character. It has become. As a result, the player character's feet come into proper contact with the ground.

  The data of the joints b to q includes position data and link data. The position data of the joints b to q is data indicating a relative position with respect to the position of the parent joint in the local coordinate system. The position data of the joints b to q of the player character data and the joint of the reference character motion data. It calculates using a forward kinematics technique from the rotation data of b-q. The link data of the joints b to q of the skeleton data uses the link data of the joints b to q of the player character data.

  Returning to FIG. 12, world coordinate transformation of the skeleton data generated in step S2 is performed (S3). The coordinate conversion is to convert position data in the local coordinate system into position data in the world coordinate system. As a result, skeleton data that is data in the local coordinate system is converted into data in the world coordinate system. The world coordinate system is a fixed coordinate system set on the three-dimensional virtual game space, and is used to represent the position and orientation on the three-dimensional virtual game space. In the world coordinate conversion in step S3, the “current position data” and “current direction data” of the player character are used.

  “Current position data” and “current direction data” are respectively the position and orientation of the player character in the world coordinate system (more precisely, the position of the origin of the local coordinate system and the orientation of the local coordinate system set for the player character). ) And is recorded in the RAM 111c. “Current position data” and “current direction data” are updated when the player character moves in the three-dimensional virtual game space. For example, when the player character runs and moves, a motion that runs on the basis of the local coordinate system based on “current position data” and “current direction data” is executed. “Current position data” and “current direction data” are updated based on the position and orientation of the player character in the world coordinate system when the running motion ends (when the last frame is processed). While the player character is running and moving, execution of the running motion and updating of the “current position data” and “current direction data” are repeated.

  Next, image data of characters and objects other than the player character is read out, and world coordinate conversion is performed (S4). When another character is moving, processing based on the corresponding motion data is also performed. In this case, the character data of other characters may be changed from the reference character data (see FIG. 6), or may be used separately provided reference character data or a modified version thereof. May be. In addition, the reference character motion data (see FIG. 9) may be used as the motion data for the motion of another character, or separately provided motion data may be used.

  Next, the data of the frame corresponding to the reference virtual camera motion data (for example, the position data β1 and the rotation data w1 in the case of the processing of frame 1 of motion 1 shown in FIG. 11) is read from the RAM 111c by the CPU 111a, The image is input to the drawing processing unit 112 (S5). This data is also converted into world coordinates. Next, the position data and rotation data of the reference virtual camera motion data are corrected according to the height data of the player character data (S6).

  Next, projection conversion of each image data is performed based on the corrected position data and rotation data of the virtual camera (S7), and the demo image data generation process is ended.

  Game image data composed of each image data subjected to projection conversion is output to the monitor 13 as a video signal. By repeating this for each frame, a demonstration video is displayed.

  According to this embodiment, the difference ΔL = L′−L between the height data L ′ of the player character PC and the height data L of the reference character is added as a correction value to the height component of the position data of the reference virtual camera motion data. The Thereby, the position of the virtual camera C is corrected according to the height of the player character PC. Further, the shooting direction of the virtual camera C is corrected so as to face the head of the enemy character EC according to the difference ΔL. Therefore, regardless of the height of the player character PC, a game image can be generated with a composition similar to the composition assumed by the game creator. Further, since the reference virtual camera motion data is corrected and used, it is not necessary to create and record the motion data of the virtual camera C for each player character PC having a different height. Therefore, the amount of work for creating virtual camera motion data at the time of game development can be suppressed, so that development costs can be suppressed. In addition, an increase in the storage area of the RAM for storing virtual camera motion data can be suppressed.

  In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the height of the player character edited by the edit function changed, it is not restricted to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied when the player selects a player character from among a plurality of player characters having different heights prepared in advance.

  The present invention can also be applied to the case where the height of the player character (that is, the length in the vertical direction of the player character in the state in which the equipment is worn) varies depending on the equipment that has been worn. In this case, ΔL (= L′−L), which is the height difference, and a height value that varies depending on the equipment may be used as the correction value. For example, when the player character wears a heel, a value based on the height of the heel may be added to ΔL to obtain a correction value. In addition, when the heel possessed by the player character is longer than the heel possessed by the reference character, the difference between the heel lengths may be added to ΔL to obtain a correction value.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the game image data for the demo video is generated has been described. The present invention can also be applied when generating normal game image data. For example, in an objective viewpoint format (third-person shooting) in which the virtual camera follows from behind the player character, the offset position of the virtual camera is set to a position based on a predetermined player character. In this case, if the height of the player character is edited to be higher, a part of the player character protrudes from the screen and the player character cannot be displayed with the composition assumed by the game creator. Even in such a case, it is effective to correct the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera in accordance with the height of the player character.

  On the other hand, in the subjective viewpoint format (first person shooting) in which the position of the virtual camera is set to the viewpoint position of the player character, when generating the demo video or the normal game image data, the offset position of the normal virtual camera is the reference position. Is set to a position (eye position) based on the player character. In this case, if the height of the player character is edited so that the height is high, the game image that is actually displayed is a game in which the three-dimensional virtual game space is viewed at a height that matches the height of the player character. Does not match the image. Even in such a case, it is effective to correct the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera in accordance with the height of the player character.

  In the embodiment described above, the case where the position of the virtual camera and the shooting direction are corrected has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Only the position of the virtual camera may be corrected, or only the shooting direction of the virtual camera may be corrected.

  In the above embodiment, the case where correction is performed according to the height of the player character has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. You may make it correct | amend according to the height of characters other than a player character. Further, the correction according to the height of the player character and the correction according to the height of another character may be performed in an overlapping manner.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining an example of correcting the shooting direction of the virtual camera according to the height of the enemy character.

  FIG. 14A shows a case where the enemy character EC has a high body shape in the same state as in FIG. In this case, the placement location of the virtual camera C is not changed from the reference camera position (the position of the virtual camera C indicated by a broken line in the figure), but the shooting direction of the virtual camera C is the height of the enemy character EC and the height of the reference character. The shooting angle β is smaller than the reference shooting angle α. In this case, the image captured by the virtual camera C has a composition close to that shown in FIG.

  FIG. 14B shows a case where the player character PC and the enemy character EC are both tall in the same state as in FIG. In this case, the virtual camera C is arranged at a position higher than the reference camera position (the position of the virtual camera C indicated by a broken line in the drawing) according to the difference between the height of the player character PC and the height of the reference character. Further, the shooting angle of the virtual camera C is corrected so as to increase according to the difference between the height of the player character PC and the height of the reference character, and further according to the difference between the height of the enemy character EC and the height of the reference character. As a result, the angle is the same as the reference shooting angle α. Also in this case, the image captured by the virtual camera C has a composition close to that shown in FIG.

  Further, the correction is not limited to the case of correcting according to the height of the character, and the correction may be performed according to the height of the object. For example, when a predetermined object is to be displayed on the game image, the position of the virtual camera and the shooting direction may be corrected according to the height of the object. In this case, “the height of the object” corresponds to “the size of the predetermined portion of the object” of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the case of correcting according to the height of one character has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and correction may be made according to the height of a plurality of characters. In this case, for example, the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera may be corrected according to the average height of each character.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an example of correcting the position of the virtual camera according to the heights of a plurality of enemy characters.

  FIG. 15A shows an image taken by a virtual camera when the heights of the enemy characters EC1 to EC3 are all the same as the height of the reference character. In this case, since the average height of the enemy characters EC1 to EC3 is the same as the height of the reference character, the position of the virtual camera is not corrected.

  FIG. 15B shows an image taken by a virtual camera when the heights of the enemy characters EC1 and EC3 are the same as the height of the reference character, but the height of the enemy character EC2 is higher than the height of the reference character. Yes. In this case, since the average height of the enemy characters EC1 to EC3 is larger than the height of the reference character, the virtual camera is arranged at a position higher than the reference camera position. Accordingly, the enemy characters EC1 to EC3 are displayed so as to be positioned on the lower side of the screen as compared with the case of FIG. As a result, the composition is close to the composition of FIG. If the position of the virtual camera is corrected only according to the height of the enemy character EC1, only the height of the enemy character EC1 is the same as the height of the reference character, so the position of the virtual camera is not corrected and the head of the enemy character EC2 is corrected. The tip of the screen will be displayed outside the screen. On the other hand, when the position of the virtual camera is corrected only according to the height of the enemy character EC2, the virtual camera is arranged at a position considerably higher than the reference camera position, and the tip of the leg of the enemy characters EC1 to EC3 is displayed outside the screen. Will be.

  FIG. 15C shows an image taken by the virtual camera when the height of the enemy character EC1 is the same as the height of the reference character but the heights of the enemy characters EC2 and EC3 are lower than the height of the reference character. Yes. In this case, since the average height of the enemy characters EC1 to EC3 is smaller than the height of the reference character, the virtual camera is arranged at a position lower than the reference camera position. Accordingly, the enemy characters EC1 to EC3 are displayed so as to be positioned above the screen as compared with the case of FIG. As a result, the composition is close to the composition of FIG. If the position of the virtual camera is corrected only according to the height of the enemy character EC1, the height of the enemy character EC1 is the same as the height of the reference character, so the position of the virtual camera is not corrected, and the enemy characters EC2 and EC3 are not corrected. Will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. On the other hand, when the position of the virtual camera is corrected only according to the height of the enemy character EC2, the virtual camera is arranged at a position considerably lower than the reference camera position, and the head of the enemy character EC1 is displayed outside the screen. become.

  In the example of FIG. 15, the case where only the position of the virtual camera is corrected has been described. However, the shooting direction of the virtual camera may also be corrected.

  In the above embodiment, the case where correction is performed according to the height of the player character has been described. However, correction may be performed according to elements other than the height of the character. For example, the horizontal position of the virtual camera may be corrected according to the shoulder width of the player character. In this case, even if the player character is edited so that the shoulder width is wide (the body shape is large horizontally), the horizontal position of the virtual camera is corrected, so that the player character's body interferes with shooting by the virtual camera. The composition can be made close to the composition assumed by the game creator. In this case, “the shoulder width of the player character” corresponds to “the size of the predetermined portion of the object” of the present invention.

  Further, for example, in the generation of a game image when the position of the virtual camera is the viewpoint position of the player character and the player character is looking at the palm with his arms extended, the virtual camera is set according to the arm length of the player character. The shooting direction may be corrected. In this case, even if the arm length of the player character is edited, it can be displayed so that the palm is at an appropriate position on the screen. In this case, “the length of the arm of the player character” corresponds to “the size of the predetermined portion of the object” of the present invention.

  In the above, when the height position of the virtual camera is corrected according to the height of the player character, or when the horizontal position of the virtual camera is corrected according to the shoulder width of the player character, etc. Although the case of changing the position of the virtual camera in the direction has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, according to the height (or shoulder width) of the player character, the position of the virtual camera is corrected in a direction in which the distance between the virtual camera and the player character is increased (a negative direction of the Z axis in the local coordinate system of the player character). Also good. In this case, even if the player character is edited so that the height of the player character is long (the shoulder width is wide), the position of the virtual camera is corrected so as to move away from the player character, so that part of the player character's body protrudes from the screen. It is possible to make the composition close to the composition assumed by the game creator.

  Further, the position of the virtual camera and the shooting direction may be corrected according to the positional relationship between the player character and the enemy character.

  When a demo video when a player character defeats an enemy character is shot using virtual camera motion data, the composition assumed by the game creator may not be obtained depending on the position where the enemy character has collapsed. For example, the enemy character may be hidden behind the player character's body. In order to solve this problem, creating virtual camera motion data that differs depending on the position where the enemy character fell in advance increases the amount of work for data creation and the amount of data to be recorded increases. Not right. In order to solve such a problem, the position of the virtual camera and the shooting direction may be corrected according to the positional relationship between the player character and the enemy character.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining an example of correcting the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera in accordance with the positional relationship between the player character and the enemy character. FIG. 16 shows an example of shooting a demo video when the player character defeats an enemy character. The position and shooting direction of the virtual camera so that the defeated enemy character and the player character are displayed in the game image. A case of correcting the will be described.

  FIG. 16A is a top view of the three-dimensional virtual game space, and shows the positions of the player character PC and enemy character EC, the position of the virtual camera C, and the shooting direction. The arrow on the right side of the figure indicates the local coordinate system of the player character PC, and the front direction from the back of the page is the positive direction of the Y axis. A point P1 indicates a point set in advance on the left front side of the player character PC. Point P2 is the reference position of the enemy character EC. A point P3 indicating the position of the virtual camera C is set in advance with reference to the case where the enemy character EC has fallen to the position of the point P2. The point P3 is a point at a position away from the point P2 among points where a circle E having a predetermined radius centered on the point P1 and a straight line connecting the points P1 and P2 intersect. When the enemy character EC is tilted to the position of the point P2, the virtual camera C is placed at the point P3, and shooting is performed with the direction from the point P3 toward the point P1 as the shooting direction. FIG. 16B shows one frame of the demonstration video in this case, and the defeated enemy character EC and the player character PC are displayed in the game image.

  The place where the enemy character EC falls is not constant because it depends on the situation of the battle with the player character PC. That is, the enemy character EC does not necessarily fall to the position of the point P2. When the enemy character EC is tilted to a position other than the point P2, the position of the virtual camera C is corrected from the point P3 according to the tilted position (relative position with respect to the position of the player character PC), and the shooting direction is the point P3. Is corrected from the direction toward the point P1. For example, when the enemy character EC has fallen to the position of the point P2 ′, a point P3 ′ at a position away from the point P2 ′ among the points where the line E connecting the point P1 and the point P2 ′ intersects the circle E is the point P3 ′. The position of the virtual camera C is corrected from the point P3 to the point P3 ′. Further, the photographing direction is corrected in a direction from the point P3 'to the point P1.

  FIG. 16C shows one frame of the demonstration video in this case. In the image shown in FIG. 16C, the defeated enemy character EC and the player character PC are displayed in the same composition as the composition shown in FIG. If the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera C are not corrected (that is, the virtual camera C is placed at the point P3 and shooting is performed with the shooting direction as the shooting direction from the point P3 to the point P1), the enemy character The EC is hidden from being displayed in the body of the player character PC, and has a completely different composition from that shown in FIG.

  In this way, by correcting the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera C according to the positional relationship between the enemy character EC and the player character PC, a game image is generated with a composition similar to the composition assumed by the game creator. Can do. Further, since the position and the shooting direction of the reference virtual camera C (in the example of FIG. 16, the position of the point P3 and the direction from the point P3 to the point P1) are corrected and used, the virtual camera is used for each position of the enemy character EC. It is not necessary to create and record information on the position of C and the shooting direction. In the case of the example in FIG. 16, “the relative position of the enemy character EC with respect to the position of the player character PC” corresponds to “information of the relative position of the object with respect to other objects” of the present invention.

  In the example of FIG. 16 described above, the three-dimensional virtual game space is viewed from above (see FIG. 16A) and is described without considering the height element. When the height of the position where the enemy character EC is tilted changes, the height direction may be corrected in the correction of the position of the virtual camera C and the shooting direction. In this case, the position of the virtual camera C may be corrected based on a sphere having a predetermined radius centered on the point P1 instead of the circle E. Also in the example of FIG. 16, the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera C may be corrected according to the height data of the player character PC.

  Although the action game has been described as an example in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to games of various genres such as sports games, RPG (role playing games), shooting games, fighting games, and adventure games. For example, in the case of a baseball game, the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera can be corrected based on the body shape of the pitcher or batter character. Further, the position and shooting direction of the virtual camera can be corrected based on the average of the body shapes of a plurality of characters such as a pitcher, batter, catcher, and referee. Further, the present invention is a game in which a character operated by a plurality of players or a character controlled by a CPU forms a team and cooperates with an enemy character, or a character operated by another player as an enemy character. It can also be applied to such games.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the game is executed on the home game device has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention can also be applied to a case where a game is executed on, for example, an arcade game device, a portable game device, and a personal computer equipped with game software.

  Although the case where the present invention is applied to a game program has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention may be applied to a program other than a game. The present invention can be applied to any program that displays an image obtained by photographing an object in a three-dimensional virtual space with a virtual camera.

  It should be noted that the present invention can be used not only for video generation at the time of game execution but also for game development. For example, when a game creator develops a game, it can also be used when confirming each action using a plurality of characters having different body shapes. At this time, it may be possible to confirm not only as a video of a series of operations but also as an image for each frame.

  The program and the image processing apparatus according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments. The specific configuration of the program and the image processing apparatus according to the present invention can be varied in design in various ways.

1 Game device 11 Main body (image processing device)
111 control unit 111a CPU (calculation means, reading means, correction means, display control means)
111b ROM
111c RAM (recording unit, program recording unit)
112 Drawing processing unit 113 Audio processing unit 114 Disk drive unit 115 Memory card connection unit 116 I / O interface unit 117 Communication processing unit 118 Signal transmission / reception unit 12 Operation controller 13 Monitor (display device)
14 disk 15 memory card 16 network adapter 2 network line

Claims (7)

A program executed by a computer of an image processing apparatus that causes an image of an object arranged in a three-dimensional virtual space to be displayed on a display device,
The computer,
Reading means for reading out the reference position and the reference shooting direction of the virtual camera set for shooting the reference object as a reference, which is recorded in advance in the recording unit;
Computing means for computing correction information which is information relating to the size of the predetermined portion of the object with respect to the size of the predetermined portion of the reference object;
Correction means for correcting at least one of the reference position and the reference photographing direction read by the reading means according to the correction information calculated by the calculation means;
Setting means for setting the corrected virtual camera position and shooting direction as the virtual camera position and shooting direction for shooting the object;
A program characterized by making it function. The calculation means calculates, as the correction information, information related to the vertical length of the object with respect to the vertical length of the reference object.
The program according to claim 1. The correcting unit corrects at least one of a vertical component of the reference position and a vertical component of a reference photographing direction according to the correction information;
The program according to claim 1 or 2. The object is a plurality of objects;
The calculation means calculates, as the correction information, information related to an average size of each predetermined portion of the plurality of objects with respect to the size of the predetermined portion of the reference object.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Other objects other than the object are arranged in the three-dimensional virtual space,
The calculation means further calculates information of a relative position of the object with respect to the other object,
The correcting unit corrects at least one of the reference position and the reference photographing direction according to the information on the relative position;
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The reference position and the reference shooting direction are recorded for each frame in the recording unit,
The reading means reads the reference position and the reference photographing direction for each frame,
The correction unit corrects the reference position and the reference photographing direction for each frame read by the reading unit according to the correction information.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A program recording unit that records the program according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A computer for executing the program recorded in the program recording unit;
An image processing apparatus comprising:

Images