JP2883514B2 - Image synthesis device and game device using the same - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a real-time display type image synthesizing apparatus using a texture mapping technique and a game apparatus using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a real-time display type image synthesizing apparatus for synthesizing a pseudo three-dimensional image using a computer graphics technique is known. For example, it is used for various video games, flight simulators for airplanes and various vehicles. Widely used.

FIG. 10 shows the principle of such an image synthesizing apparatus. In this image synthesizing apparatus, image information on the three-dimensional object 310 in the virtual three-dimensional space 300 is stored in advance. The image information on the three-dimensional object 300 is expressed as a polyhedron divided into polygons, that is, a polyhedron divided into polygons (1) to (6) (polygons 4 to 6 are not shown) and stored in a memory in advance. Have been.

In a driving game, for example, the three-dimensional object 310 is a racing car, and various other three-dimensional objects representing a background such as a road and a house are arranged in the virtual three-dimensional space 300. I have.

[0005] When the player 312 performs an operation such as rotation and translation using a handle or the like provided on the operation panel 314, the apparatus rotates and translates the three-dimensional object 310, which is a racing car, based on the operation signal. And other information are calculated in real time. The three-dimensional object 300 and other three-dimensional objects are
Perspective projection transformation is performed on a perspective projection plane 316 in the viewpoint coordinate system,
It is displayed as a pseudo three-dimensional image 318. As a result, the player 312 rotates the three-dimensional object 300, which is a racing car, in real time by his own operation,
The translation becomes possible, and the virtual three-dimensional space can be virtually simulated.

[0006]

In such a real-time display type image synthesizing apparatus, it is desired to synthesize a high quality image while reducing the load on hardware.

However, in the conventional image synthesizing apparatus, there is a problem that, when an attempt is made to improve the image quality of an image, the amount of data to be processed by hardware increases, and the number of display objects per screen is restricted.

For example, in a drive game or the like,
Buildings (three-dimensional objects 310) as shown in FIG. 11 are displayed on both sides or one side of the road. This building 310
Is composed of a combination of a plurality of surfaces 350-1, 350-2, and 350-3. In the computer graphics method, each of these surfaces 350-1, 350-2, 3-2
Each of these can be displayed as a quadrilateral polygon only in the case where there is no unevenness in the area 50-3.

However, in order to increase the reality of the building, windows 352 are provided on the side surfaces 350-1 and 350-2 of the building.
, A dent representing the entrance 354, and furthermore, the entrance 3
It is necessary to provide a convex portion or the like representing the refrigerator 356 on the top 54.

In computer graphics, a figure with a hole is dealt with by dividing the figure into a plurality of polygons without a hole, and a convex portion such as a cell 356 is divided into a plurality of polygons. To deal with. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, in order to express the building 310 with windows, entrances and rooms with reality, it is necessary to use the side surfaces 350-1 and 350-3.
50-2 must be divided into a larger number of polygons. For example, when representing a three-dimensional object as shown in FIG. 11, the two surfaces 350-1 and 350-2 are approximately 1
It will be represented by 00 polygons.

However, in the computer graphics technology, the operation of polygons is an operation that places a heavy burden on hardware. As the number of polygons for forming one three-dimensional object increases, the number of hardware operations increases, and the number of objects that can be displayed per field is limited.

For example, one field (6
When the number of polygons of the computer that can be processed within 1/0 second) is 3000, the number of buildings as shown in FIG. 11 is 3000/200 = 15, and only 15 at maximum can be displayed per screen. However, in an actual game screen, a plurality of objects such as roads and other vehicles must appear in addition to buildings, so that only four to five buildings can be displayed in a drive game. However, there has been a problem that the game screen has little change.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to simplify and express a three-dimensional object having uneven surfaces with a combination of a small number of polygons, and to provide a three-dimensional appearance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a real-time display type image synthesizing apparatus capable of synthesizing a high-quality image and a game apparatus using the same.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a three-dimensional camera arranged in a virtual three-dimensional space.
Projects the object onto the projection plane in the viewpoint coordinate system, and
An apparatus for forming an image , comprising:
A surface including at least one of concave and convex is represented by a simple polygon.
For the simplified simple three-dimensional object,
The image of the object viewed diagonally from the predetermined position is the texture information
A previously stored texture information storage means as the
Simplified three-dimensional object, an image forming means for forming the display image by mapping the texture information corresponding, to be characterized by containing Mukoto. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a three-dimensional object arranged in a virtual three-dimensional space is moved.
Projection transformation to the projection plane of the viewpoint coordinate system
Device , wherein the concave and convex of the three-dimensional object are
A simple polygon in which at least one surface is represented by a simple polygon
For a three-dimensional object, the plurality of representative positions along the movement path in the viewpoint coordinate system are used to calculate the three-dimensional object.
Are recorded in advance as texture information.
The stored texture information storage means and the simple three-dimensional
In the object, the viewpoint coordinate system and the simple 3D object
Texture information corresponding to the relative position
And an image forming means for forming the display image. The invention according to claim 3 is based on player operation means operated by a player, an input signal from the player operation means, and a game program stored in advance.
Indentation of 3D object in virtual 3D game space
A surface that includes at least one of
To perform game calculations involving simple 3D objects
With the simple 3D object in the viewpoint coordinate system.
A game space calculating means for outputting projected converts the projection surface, before
For the simple three-dimensional object, the three-dimensional object
Image seen Me obliquely the door from the predetermined position to the texture information
A texture information storage means stored Me child Te, the simple
The texture information corresponding to the three-dimensional object is
Image forming means for mapping to form a game image . According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the game space calculation means is configured such that the viewpoint coordinate system is
Performs game calculations to move in a virtual three-dimensional game space,
The texture information storage unit is configured to transfer the viewpoint coordinate system.
From a plurality of representative positions along the path, the three-dimensional object
Multiple images of the project viewed diagonally as texture information
The image forming means is stored in advance and the simple three-dimensional object
In the object, the viewpoint coordinate system and the simple three-dimensional object
Before mapping the texture information corresponding to the relative position of
The game image is formed . Claim 5
The invention according to claim 2, wherein the texture information storage means is used.
The step is at least far along the movement path of the viewpoint coordinate system.
From the representative positions of distance, middle distance, and short distance, the three-dimensional
Multiple images of the object viewed diagonally provide texture information and
And the image forming means is provided with a simple three-dimensional
In the object, the viewpoint coordinate system and the simple 3D object
Texture information corresponding to the relative distance to the text
It is special to read and map from the
Sign. The invention of claim 6 is based on any of claims 1, 2, and 5
In this case, the simplified three-dimensional object is
Characterized by being fixedly arranged in a three-dimensional game space
You. The invention of claim 7 is any of claims 1, 2, 5, and 6
In the above, the texture information includes the three-dimensional object.
Image of a model or real object representing a project obliquely viewed from a predetermined position
It is characterized by being formed as an image. The invention of claim 8
5. The texture information storage means according to claim 4,
Is at least a long distance along the movement path of the viewpoint coordinate system.
From the representative positions of separation, middle distance, and short distance,
Multiple images of a project viewed diagonally as texture information
The image forming means is a simple three-dimensional object.
Object, the viewpoint coordinate system and a simple 3D object
Texture information corresponding to the relative distance to the text
Read from the storage unit and perform mapping
And The invention of claim 9 is any of claims 3, 4, and 8
In the above, the simple three-dimensional object is
Characterized by being fixedly located in the original game space
You. The tenth aspect of the present invention includes any of the third, fourth, eighth, and ninth aspects.
In this case, the texture information may include the three-dimensional object.
A model or real object that represents a project is viewed obliquely from a predetermined position
It is characterized by being formed as an image.

[0015]

[0016]

[0017]

[0018]

SUMMARY OF] According to the present invention, the three-dimensional object, images when viewed in an oblique direction from a predetermined viewpoint is prestored as texture information. Thus, an image of a three-dimensional object viewed obliquely from a predetermined angle has a three-dimensional appearance.

Therefore, the texture information is converted into a simple tertiary
By mapping to the original object , it is possible to synthesize a high-quality image having a feeling of unevenness without dividing each polygon into a plurality according to the unevenness.

As described above, according to the present invention, a high-quality image having a three-dimensional effect can be synthesized while reducing the load on hardware.

[0021] In particular, the present invention be used in real-time display type image synthesizing apparatus, as far as almost supposed viewpoint or near the simple three-dimensional object, a surface with irregularities of the simple three-dimensional objects in a number of polygons It can be displayed in real time as a complex and precise image having a three-dimensional effect similar to the case where it is created.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, even when non-real-time image synthesis is performed, the uneven surface of a simple three-dimensional object can be formed using one piece of texture information. The time required for the operation can be greatly reduced.

Further, according to the second aspect of the invention, a typical multiple angles along the path of movement of the viewpoint coordinate system, images viewed the three-dimensional object in an oblique direction is previously stored as texture information I have. For this reason, by mapping the texture information according to the relative position between the viewpoint coordinate system and the simple three-dimensional object to the simple three-dimensional object , a high-quality image richer in reality for a plurality of viewpoint positions can be obtained in real time. Can be synthesized.

Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since a high-quality image can be synthesized while reducing the load on hardware required for displaying one three-dimensional object, a large number of images can be displayed on the game screen. Introduce Objut,
A variety of highly realistic game screens can be synthesized in real time.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the real-time display type image synthesizing apparatus according to the present invention. In addition,
Members corresponding to the above-mentioned prior art are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

The image synthesizing apparatus of the embodiment converts a three-dimensional object 310 represented by combining a plurality of polygons in a virtual three-dimensional space 300 into a predetermined perspective projection plane 3 of a viewpoint coordinate system.
In this case, perspective projection transformation is performed on the image 16 and a display image 318 is synthesized.

In synthesizing the image, the image synthesizing apparatus of the embodiment uses a technique called texture mapping. That is, as shown in FIG.
The ten pieces of image information are stored in the polygons 320-1, 320-2, 320-3,.
And the graphics information (hereinafter referred to as texture information) to be attached to each polygon are stored separately, and when outputting an image, each polygon 320-1, 320-2, 32
Image synthesis is performed by pasting the corresponding texture information 340 and 342 to 0-3.

According to this texture mapping method, the pattern, color and the like of a figure can be made finer without increasing the number of polygons to be processed.

However, when expressing a three-dimensional object 310 having a concave portion or a convex portion as shown in FIG.
The fact that 350-2 and 350-3 must be divided into a large number of polygons in accordance with the irregularities is the same even when texture mapping is used.

As described above, when real-time display is performed using a three-dimensional computer graphics system, there is a certain limit to the number of polygons that can be displayed per second. A feature of the present embodiment is that in a real-time computer graphics system in which the number of display polygons is limited, a complicated and precise image is synthesized with a minimum number of polygons without impairing a three-dimensional effect.

FIG. 4 shows the principle of image composition according to the present invention.

First, in the case where the house 110 as shown in FIG. 4A is represented as a three-dimensional object 310, data is carefully created using many polygons by another computer graphics system which is not real time. I do. In this case, the window, the window frame, and the entrance forming the recess are each represented as a combination of a plurality of polygons. Further, the refrigerator constituting the convex portion is also represented as a combination of a plurality of polygons.

The house 110 (three-dimensional object 310) thus constructed is viewed from a predetermined viewpoint in FIG.
As shown in (B), a figure viewed in an oblique direction is created by rendering. Also in this case, the rendering process is performed by another computer graphics system that is not real-time. Then, the perspective distortion is removed from the rendered image, and the three-dimensional object 3 is removed.
FIG. 4 shows a diagram representing each side surface 50-1, 50-2 of FIG.
Texture information 360- as shown in (C) and (D)
1, 360-2, and is stored in advance in a texture information storage unit 42 described later.

In the image synthesizing apparatus according to the embodiment, FIG.
Each side 10 of the three-dimensional object 110 shown in FIG.
0 and 200 are simply represented by one polygon, as shown in FIG.

Then, for each polygon shown in FIG.
By performing the so-called texture mapping of pasting the texture information shown in FIGS. 4C and 4D, an image having the same quality as that shown in FIG. 4B can be formed.

That is, the real-time computer graphics system of the present invention which employs such a simplified method, as long as the three-dimensional object 310 is viewed near the supposed viewpoint, the surface with irregularities is formed by many polygons. The image can be expressed as an image having a three-dimensional effect that is the same as when it is created.

In particular, in the specific example shown in FIG.
A three-dimensional object represented by two polygons can be represented by two polygons. Therefore, for example, when a computer graphics system for real-time display in which the number of polygons that can be displayed per second is 3000 is used, 1500 objects that can be expressed only by 30 in the conventional technology can be expressed. It is possible to display 50 times the number of polygons per screen even with simple calculations.

FIG. 4F shows an image of computer graphics displayed on a display in real time by using such a texture mapping method. As shown in FIG. The image synthesizing device can express a complex, varied, and highly realistic image using many objects.

In addition, the texture information may be created by parallelly projecting the figure of each side of the house shown in FIG. 4 (A) from a predetermined angle and then removing the distortion. Alternatively, it may be created for each dot in the manner of drawing a picture.

Furthermore, a model or a real object is photographed obliquely from a predetermined angle, and an image of a necessary portion is taken in as dot image information by a scanner or the like, and distortion in the distance is removed to obtain texture information. Can also.

That is, the generation of texture information is roughly classified into a method using a three-dimensional object created using polygons, a method for creating an image for each dot in the manner of drawing a picture, and a method for creating image information from a photograph. There is a method of taking in and creating. As a method using the three-dimensional polygons, as described above, a figure in which each surface of the three-dimensional object 310 shown in FIG. 4A is viewed obliquely from a predetermined viewpoint is created by rendering and rendered. A method of removing texture distortion from a figure to create texture information, and removing a distortion after parallel projecting a figure of each surface of a three-dimensional object 310 shown in FIG. There is a method of creating texture information. The texture information may be created by appropriately selecting these methods.

FIG. 5 shows an example of an image of a three-dimensional object obtained by using the method of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows an example of an image of a three-dimensional object obtained by using another method.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the image shown in FIG. 5 is rendered in a state where the three-dimensional object is viewed from an oblique direction, and texture information of each side surface having irregularities is created in advance. Then, the texture information obtained in this way is attached to the polygons on each side surface forming the three-dimensional object, thereby performing image composition of the object as shown in FIG. 5B.

On the other hand, in the method shown in FIG. 6A, texture information is created by rendering each side of the three-dimensional object having irregularities from the front.
The texture information is pasted on each side surface of the three-dimensional object, and an image is synthesized. When an image in which each side surface of the three-dimensional object 310 is rendered from the front is used for texture mapping, an image of the object obtained by this process has a window frame that should not be seen as shown in FIG. Or the direction of the refrigerator goes wrong, and the irregularities become unnatural.

When looking at a three-dimensional object from a moving viewpoint coordinate system, viewing it from an oblique direction is far more common than viewing it from the front. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, by creating the texture information of each surface of the three-dimensional object so as to be viewed from an oblique direction,
It is possible to easily compose an image with a high sense of reality with a three-dimensional effect.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a state in which a display image of the building 110 formed by using the method of the present invention is displayed while moving the viewpoint coordinate system.

First, as shown in FIG.
It is assumed that, in a three-dimensional virtual space 300, a racing car 120 controlled by a player, a road 130 on which the racing car 120 runs, and a building 110 installed facing the road 130 exist as three-dimensional objects. I do. Here, it is assumed that the image of the building 110 is synthesized by the texture mapping method shown in FIG. The texture information in FIGS. 4C and 4D is obtained by rendering the building 110 viewed from the viewpoint position 120A in FIG.

When an image viewed from the racing car 100 is displayed on the display in the virtual three-dimensional space 300 formed in this way, the viewpoint coordinate system together with the racing car 100 moves in the virtual three-dimensional space 300. Moving.

Particularly, in a driving game or the like, since the racing car 120 moves along the road 130,
The movement route of this viewpoint coordinate system is also predetermined.

Assuming that the viewpoint coordinate system for the building 110 is in the area A, the area B, and the area C, the building 110 is displayed on the display as shown in FIG. Become.

Even if the image viewed from the oblique direction is displaced to some extent from the viewpoint position 120A set at the time of creating the texture information, the stereoscopic effect is not impaired and the image has high reality.

In particular, the effects of the present invention become remarkable in the areas B and A where the racing car 100 approaches the building 110.

In the present invention, in addition to the above-described building 110, various three-dimensional objects can be represented by a small number of polygons by using the same texture mapping technique as described above.

For example, when expressing a high-rise building as shown in FIG. 12 (A), as shown in FIG. 12 (B), it suffices to form in advance texture information in which the side surface is viewed obliquely. Further, even when expressing a high-rise building as shown in FIG. 13, a similar method may be used.

As shown in FIG. 14, when an image of a facility around a road is synthesized as shown in FIG. 14, for example, as shown in FIG. Good.

Further, when the scene in the tunnel as shown in FIG. 15A or the image of the guardrail as shown in FIG. 16 is synthesized, as shown in FIG. By forming each part of the above and each part of the guardrail as shown in FIG. 16B as texture information in the same manner, it is possible to synthesize an image having a three-dimensional effect with a small number of polygons.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an image synthesizing apparatus for a game machine to which the present invention is applied.

The image synthesizing apparatus of the embodiment includes a player operation unit 10, a game space calculation unit 20, a sorting processing unit 30, and an image synthesizing unit 40, and displays a synthesized display image on a display 46. Is formed.

The player operation section 10 is provided on the above-described operation panel 314 or the like, and is formed so that the player 312 can input various operation signals. For example, taking a drive game as an example, the player operation unit 10
Is composed of an operation panel 314 and a handle, a brake, an accelerator and the like provided in the vicinity thereof.

The game space calculation unit 20 is based on an input signal from the player operation unit 10 and a game program stored in advance, and a three-dimensional space represented by a combination of polygons in a virtual three-dimensional game space 300. The game in which the dimensional object 310 appears is calculated. Then, the three-dimensional object 310 is perspective-projection-transformed onto the perspective projection plane 316 of the moving viewpoint coordinate system, and the information is output to the sorting processing unit 30.

To perform such calculations, the game calculation unit 20 of the embodiment includes a main CPU 22 and a three-dimensional calculation unit 2.
4 and a three-dimensional information memory 26.

In FIGS. 2 and 4, the image information on the three-dimensional object 310 is represented by a polygonal polygon, for example, polygons 320-1 and 320- in FIG.
2,320-3, ... 320-6 (polygons 320-4 ~
320-6 is expressed as a polyhedron divided into polygons, and the coordinates of each vertex of each polygon, various kinds of image information for each vertex, and accompanying data are stored in the three-dimensional information memory 26 in advance.

Further, in the image synthesizing apparatus according to the embodiment, the coordinate conversion such as rotation, translation, perspective projection conversion, and the like of the three-dimensional object 310 and clipping processing are performed for each polygon constituting each surface (specifically, for each polygon). At each vertex)
For the texture information, the processing is performed separately from the polygon processing. The texture information itself in this case is stored in a texture information storage unit 42 described later. The specification of the texture information corresponds to the vertex texture coordinates VTX,
This is performed by giving image information consisting of VTY. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, for each vertex of the polygon 320-1, (VTX0, VTY0), (VTX1, VTY1),
Vertex texture coordinates of (VTX2, VTY2) and (VTX3, VTY3) are given. These vertex texture coordinates are stored in the three-dimensional information memory 26.

The configuration of the game space calculation section 20 of the embodiment will be described in more detail by taking a game machine for playing a driving game as an example. Image information of the three-dimensional object 310 representing a racing car, a road, a building, and the like, which are components of the game, is stored in the three-dimensional information memory 26. In the apparatus according to the embodiment, the driving game space 300 is formed by performing various image calculation processes such as coordinate conversion, rotation, and translation on the image information of the three-dimensional object.

The main CPU 22 performs various game calculations based on a predetermined game program and an input signal from the player operation section 10. For example, in order to form the driving game space 300, as shown in FIG. 7, various three-dimensional objects 310 such as a racing car, roads, and buildings, which are components of the driving game, are placed on the virtual three-dimensional game space 300. Must be placed in a predetermined position. Therefore, an object number and position information indicating which three-dimensional object is to be arranged and where is needed. These object numbers and position information are calculated by the main CPU 22 and output to the three-dimensional calculation unit 24.

The three-dimensional operation unit 24 reads out the image information of the corresponding three-dimensional object from the three-dimensional information memory 26 using the object number as an address. For example, building 1 whose object number is shown in FIG.
In the case of designating 10, the image information of the building 110 is read from the three-dimensional information memory 26. 3
In the dimension information memory 26, image information such as a building is represented and stored as a set of a plurality of polygons (the building 110 shown in FIG. 4 is a set of two polygons). The three-dimensional information calculation unit 24 forms data called object data and polygon data from the data read from the three-dimensional information memory 26.

Here, the object data is data composed of position information, rotation information, and other accompanying data of a three-dimensional object such as a building. The polygon data is data obtained by dividing the image information of the building or the like into polygons, and is data composed of polygon vertex coordinates, vertex texture coordinates, luminance information, and other accompanying data. These data are formed as data of a predetermined format.

Then, the three-dimensional operation unit 24 outputs the main CP
Various coordinate transformations are performed on polygon data based on the viewpoint information of the player input from U22 and the object data. That is, rotation of the polygon data to the local coordinate system, translation to the world coordinate system, and rotation to the viewpoint coordinate system are performed.

Then, clipping processing is performed on the polygon data on which the coordinate conversion has been completed, and the data on which the clipping processing has been completed is output to the sorting processing unit 30 in the next stage.

The sorting processing unit 30 determines the order of the image information of the polygons to be processed in the next-stage image synthesizing unit 40 using the data input in this way, the data for sorting processing, and the like. The image information of each polygon is output to the image synthesizing unit 40 according to the order.

The image synthesizing section 40 includes a texture information storage section 4 in which texture information for each polygon is stored.
2, and an image forming unit 44 that maps the corresponding texture information stored in the texture information storage unit 42 to the perspective projection-transformed polygon of the three-dimensional object to form a display image.

FIG. 9 shows the texture information storage section 42.
Are schematically illustrated. The texture storage plane of the embodiment is divided into a plurality of blocks, and each block is divided into 256 × 256 characters. Each character is divided into 16 × 16 dot pixels, and each character stores a picture element for forming a texture storage plane.

The texturing for each polygon is performed by using the coordinates T of each piece of texture information to be pasted on the polygon.
This is performed by designating X and TY. However, it is not possible to specify a polygon that extends between blocks.

The texture information storage unit 42 configured as described above stores a three-dimensional object from normal texture information formed when a polygon is viewed from the front and a representative angle along the movement path of the viewpoint coordinate system. The texture information of each polygon formed as viewed obliquely is stored. As the latter texture information, for example, FIG.
There is texture information as shown in (C) and (D).

The image forming section 44 calculates the polygon outline and the internal image information from each vertex image information of the polygon input from the three-dimensional operation section 24 via the sorting processing section 30. That is, 3
In the dimension calculation unit 24 and the sorting processing unit 30, rotation,
Coordinate transformation such as translation, perspective projection transformation, clipping processing,
Since complicated arithmetic processing such as sorting processing must be performed, all of these processing is performed for each polygon and each vertex in order to reduce the load on hardware. Then, the image forming unit 44 forms the outlines of the polygons necessary for actually displaying an image and the image information inside the polygons.

At this time, the image forming unit 44 determines, from the vertex texture coordinates VTX, VTY of the input polygon, the texture coordinates TX, used as the texture information read address, for all the dots in the polygon.
Find TY. Then, the texture coordinates TX, TY
The corresponding texture information is read from the texture information storage unit 42 using the address as an address, and the three-dimensional object to which the texture information is mapped is synthesized and displayed on the display 46. The details of such a texture mapping image synthesizing technique have already been proposed by the present applicant as Japanese Patent Application No. 4-252139.

In the image synthesizing apparatus according to the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, an image of the three-dimensional object 310 viewed obliquely is simply represented by a small number of polygons (here, two polygons). 4 (C) and 4 (D) can be displayed by mapping the texture information, so that the amount of data and the amount of calculation required to display a three-dimensional object per one are greatly reduced,
Many high-quality three-dimensional objects can be displayed in one screen.

Further, according to the image synthesizing apparatus of the embodiment,
For example, by storing in advance the texture information of the three-dimensional object shown in FIGS. 13 to 16 at a predetermined angle in the texture information storage unit 42, the three-dimensional object shown in FIG. 13 can be simplified without impairing the three-dimensional effect. The game screen can be displayed in a different form, and the quality of the game screen can be remarkably improved as compared with a conventional game machine.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an image synthesizing apparatus for a game has been described as an example.
The present invention is not limited to this, and various other uses, for example,
It can be used for various three-dimensional image generation simulators and other applications.

The mapping of texture information to polygons is not limited to the above embodiment, and various mapping methods can be used as needed.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The texture information to be attached to each polygon forming the three-dimensional object 120 is obtained from the viewpoint (the racing car 120).
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of types of texture information of each polygon are prepared by changing the viewpoint position, and the texture information is prepared according to a predetermined position for each polygon. In this case, the most suitable texture information may be selected and mapped. This makes it possible to form an image with higher reality.

The racing car 120 is located on the building 110
120B or approaching a parking space provided near the building 110, the building 1
Instead of being formed by the simple polygons shown in FIG. 4B, 10 may be switched to those formed by detailed polygons as shown in FIG. 4A. Even in this case, since the building 110 can be displayed with a smaller number of calculations using simple polygons until the racing car 120 approaches the building 110, more three-dimensional objects can be displayed accordingly.

[0085]

As described above, according to the present invention,
There is an effect that an image synthesizing apparatus capable of expressing an uneven surface of a three-dimensional object with a combination of a small number of polygons and synthesizing an image with high image quality and a three-dimensional effect and a game apparatus using the same can be provided. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of an image synthesizing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view showing the principle of the image synthesizing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the principle of texture mapping of the image synthesizing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an image synthesis principle of the present invention performed using a texture mapping technique.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of texture information used in the present invention and an image of a three-dimensional object formed using the texture information.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of texture information formed using a normal technique and a display image of a three-dimensional object formed using the texture information.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a relationship between a three-dimensional object set in a virtual three-dimensional space and a moving viewpoint coordinate system.

8 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an image of a three-dimensional object viewed from a moving viewpoint coordinate system shown in FIG. 7;

9 is an explanatory diagram of a texture information storage unit of the circuit shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the principle of a general image synthesizing apparatus.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a polygon conventionally used for displaying a three-dimensional object.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a case where an image of a high-rise building is synthesized by the method of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a case where an image of another high-rise building is synthesized by the method of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a case where images of road peripheral facilities are synthesized by the method of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a case where an image of a scene in a tunnel is synthesized by the method of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a case where an image of a guardrail is synthesized by the method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 player operation unit 20 game space calculation unit 22 main CPU 24 three-dimensional calculation unit 26 three-dimensional information storage unit 30 sorting processing unit 40 image synthesis unit 42 texture information storage unit 44 image formation unit 46 display 110 building 300 virtual three-dimensional space 310 3D object 312 player 316 perspective projection plane

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP 1-54748 (JP, B2) DEBEVEC P, et al. Proc, 1996, Vol. 1996. p. 11-20 http: // alberti. cs. berkley. edu / ￣de bevec / Research / ("Modeling and Rendering from Photographs": confirmed on January 8, 1999) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G06T 15/00-17 / 50 JICST file (JOIS)

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. An apparatus for forming a display image by projecting a three-dimensional object arranged in a virtual three-dimensional space onto a projection plane of a viewpoint coordinate system, comprising at least one of a concave part and a convex part of the three-dimensional object. surface in the for simple three-dimensional object represented by a simple polygon, a previously stored texture information storage means image viewed obliquely the three-dimensional object from a predetermined position as the texture information, the simple visible obliquely from the viewpoint position An image forming unit that maps the corresponding texture information to a three-dimensional object to form the display image. 2. An apparatus for projecting a three-dimensional object arranged in a virtual three-dimensional space onto a projection plane of a moving viewpoint coordinate system to form a display image, wherein at least one of a concave and a convex of the three-dimensional object is provided. For a simple three-dimensional object whose surface including is represented by a simple polygon, a plurality of images obtained by obliquely viewing the three-dimensional object from a plurality of representative positions along the movement path of the viewpoint coordinate system are used as texture information. The texture information corresponding to the relative position between the viewpoint coordinate system and the simple three-dimensional object is mapped to the previously stored texture information storage means and the simple three-dimensional object obliquely viewed from the viewpoint position to form the display image. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit. 3. A three-dimensional object having concave and convex portions in a virtual three-dimensional game space based on player operation means operated by a player, an input signal from the player operation means, and a game program stored in advance. In addition to performing a game calculation in which a simple three-dimensional object whose surface including at least one is represented by a simple polygon appears,
A game space calculation means for projecting and transforming the three-dimensional object onto a projection plane in a viewpoint coordinate system, and for the simple three-dimensional object, an image of the three-dimensional object obliquely viewed from a predetermined position is stored in advance as texture information. A game apparatus, comprising: texture information storage means; and image forming means for forming a game image by mapping the corresponding texture information to the simple three-dimensional object obliquely viewed from a viewpoint position . 4. The game space calculation unit according to claim 3, wherein the viewpoint coordinate system performs a game calculation in which the viewpoint coordinate system moves in a virtual three-dimensional game space, and the texture information storage unit includes a movement path of the viewpoint coordinate system. A plurality of images obtained by obliquely viewing the three-dimensional object from a plurality of representative positions along are stored in advance as texture information, and the image forming means stores the viewpoint coordinate system and the simple three-dimensional object in a simple three-dimensional object. A game device, wherein texture information corresponding to a relative position with respect to an object is mapped to form the game image. 5. A three-dimensional camera arranged in a virtual three-dimensional space.
Projection transformation of the projection onto the projection plane of the moving viewpoint coordinate system
In a device for forming a display image , at least one of concave and convex of the three-dimensional object is
Simple 3D object whose surface is represented by a simple polygon
A plurality of representatives along the movement path of the viewpoint coordinate system for
A plurality of the three-dimensional objects viewed diagonally from the target position
Is stored in advance as texture information.
Key information storage means and the viewpoint coordinate system and the simplified three-dimensional object
Texture corresponding to relative position with 3D object
Image forming means for mapping information to form the display image
And a step , wherein the texture information storage means includes at least a long distance along a movement path of the viewpoint coordinate system,
A plurality of images obtained by obliquely viewing the three-dimensional object from representative positions at a medium distance and a short distance are stored in advance as texture information. An image synthesizing apparatus, wherein texture information corresponding to a relative distance to a dimensional object is read from the texture information storage means and mapped. 6. The image synthesizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the simple three-dimensional object is fixedly arranged in the three-dimensional game space. 7. The texture information according to claim 1, wherein the texture information is formed as an image of a model or a real object representing the three-dimensional object viewed obliquely from a predetermined position. Image synthesizing device. 8. Player operation means operated by a player
And an input signal from the player operation means,
Virtual 3D game space based on
Inside, at least one of concave and convex of the three-dimensional object
Simple three-dimensional object whose surface including
In addition to performing game calculations in which
Projects a 3D object onto the projection plane in the viewpoint coordinate system.
Game space computing means for powering, and the three-dimensional object for the simple three-dimensional object.
The image of the object viewed diagonally from the predetermined position is the texture information and
Texture information storage means stored in advance, and the texture corresponding to the simple three-dimensional object.
Image forming hands that map gamer information to form game images
And a step , wherein the game space calculation means includes a game space coordinate system that moves in the virtual three-dimensional game space.
The texture information storage means, at least a long distance along the movement path of the viewpoint coordinate system,
A plurality of images obtained by obliquely viewing the three-dimensional object from representative positions at a medium distance and a short distance are stored in advance as texture information, and the image forming means stores the viewpoint coordinate system and the simple three-dimensional object in a simple three-dimensional object. A game apparatus wherein texture information corresponding to a relative distance to a dimensional object is read from the texture information storage means and mapped. 9. The game device according to claim 3, wherein the simple three-dimensional object is fixedly arranged in the three-dimensional game space. 10. The texture information according to any one of claims 3, 4, 8, and 9, wherein the texture information is formed as an image of a model or a real object representing the three-dimensional object viewed obliquely from a predetermined position. Game device.