JP3639256B2 - Polygon image display method, polygon image display device, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image display technique, and more particularly to a technique for displaying a stereoscopic image using a polygon.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a technique for displaying a three-dimensional image, one using a polygon is known. Image display technology using polygons is generally performed by dividing the surface of a three-dimensional object with a complicated shape into fine polygons (polygons) and pasting patterns and patterns called textures on each of these polygons. Has been.
[0003]
The technology using such polygons is superior in that it requires less data than moving a real image such as a photo when it is necessary to create a movie, and still provides realistic video. ing. An image using a polygon is very excellent in that a three-dimensional expression is possible. Therefore, a technique using polygons has become widespread in game devices and the like in which it is indispensable to change images quickly in accordance with player instructions using these characteristics. Against this background, the image display technology using polygons aims at reducing both the burden on the device and displaying a realistic image with a rich stereoscopic effect. Research has progressed.
[0004]
By the way, as the use of polygons progresses, the advantage that the amount of data processing for displaying an image can be reduced and a real image can be displayed may be highlighted. For example, if a moving image created using a large number of cell images is displayed as a moving image using polygons, not only the burden on the apparatus but also the human burden associated with the creation of the cell image can be reduced. .
[0005]
However, moving images using polygons are very realistic because of the background of their development, and it is not necessarily good at expressing images composed of contour lines + solid images in moving images created using cell images. do not do. Therefore, at present, there is no technology for creating a moving image similar to that created using a cell image using an image display technology using a polygon.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the current situation as described above, and is intended to broaden the application range of image display technology using polygons by allowing contour lines to be attached to stereoscopic images using polygons. Let that be the issue.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the present invention, an outline is attached to a stereoscopic image displayed using polygons by two approaches described below. Each will be described in turn below.
[0008]
A first method of the present invention is a method executed in an apparatus for displaying a polygon image generated by combining basic polygons for drawing a three-dimensional object on a predetermined display, on the front side of the basic polygons, A polygon image display method including a process of drawing a pair of face-down similar polygons that are larger than the basic polygons and have a similar shape to the basic polygons.
[0009]
This polygon image display method is a convention used in the image display technology using polygons, that is, a convention that the polygon is regarded as invisible when viewed from the back in order to prevent flickering of the image. It is used. The display of the similar polygon image as described above in addition to the basic polygon image as in the first method means that the entire three-dimensional object constituted by the combination of the basic polygons is different from these polygons. It means wrapping with similar polygons that have a relationship of orientation. When such processing is performed, the end portion of the similar polygon that is pasted to the basic polygon that is behind and not to be displayed appears on the stereoscopic image. In other words, the first method uses a portion of the similar polygon that protrudes from the basic polygon as the outline of the basic polygon. As is clear from the above description, the similar polygon is made larger than the basic polygon because it needs to protrude from the basic polygon. Further, since the thickness of the protruding portion is made substantially constant and functions as the outline of the basic polygon, the shape is similar to the basic polygon. Note that when the similar polygon has a shape similar to the basic polygon, there is an advantage that the similar polygon can be easily generated from the data related to the basic polygon. In order to emphasize similar polygons as contour lines, similar polygons can be provided with textures different from those provided for basic polygons.
[0010]
The similar polygon in this case can be created when displaying a polygon image by calculating based on the basic polygon data related to the basic polygon, or it can be created in advance in pairs with the basic polygon data. It is. When the similar polygon data is previously created in pairs with the basic polygon data, it can be recorded by the recording means and the similar polygon can be displayed based on the similar polygon data. In the latter case, it is not necessary to perform computation when displaying similar polygons, so it is necessary to display not only a predetermined image but also an image according to the player's operation contents each time. Suitable for application in the game field.
[0011]
In this method, the centroid of the similar polygon can be made to coincide with the centroid of the basic polygon that is paired with the similar polygon. By doing so, the width of each portion of the similar polygon that protrudes from the periphery of the basic polygon becomes constant, which is favorable for using the similar polygon as an outline.
[0012]
In the above method, the order of drawing the basic polygon and the similar polygon is not particularly limited. Either may be drawn first, or both may be drawn simultaneously. If the basic polygon is drawn after drawing the similar polygon, the image obtained by this polygon image display method is obtained by edging the image of the basic polygon. In other words, when multiple similar polygons or basic polygons overlap, the polygon closest to the viewpoint is displayed with priority, so draw the similar polygon first and paste it on this similar polygon. If the basic polygon is displayed later, the part of the similar polygon that is originally displayed as a contour line that has the basic polygon on both sides is not displayed on the polygon image because it is hidden by the basic polygon. It becomes like this. Therefore, according to this method, only the outline corresponding to the outer edge portion of the three-dimensional object displayed by the set of basic polygons as viewed from the current viewpoint is displayed on the three-dimensional image, and an edge effect can be obtained. .
[0013]
In the method described above, normal vectors of other basic polygons adjacent to each vertex of the basic polygon are detected, a unit vector whose direction is equal to the sum vector of these normal vectors is obtained, and the vertex is used as a base end. It is possible to include a process of taking contour points at the tips of the unit vectors and moving the corresponding vertices of the similar polygon onto the contour points. According to this method, each vertex of the similar polygon that determines the width of the protruding portion of each similar polygon can be arranged at a position separated by a unit vector from the vertex of the basic polygon. Since the width of the drawn contour line can be kept constant, a beautiful contour line can be displayed. This process can be performed in advance at the stage of creating data for drawing a similar polygon. If data for drawing similar polygons is created in this way in advance, only the similar polygons and basic polygons created by such data are displayed, and no special computation is required for display. Both can display beautiful outlines.
[0014]
In this case, a transition vector is obtained by multiplying the unit vector by a predetermined coefficient, a contour point is taken at the tip of the transition vector based on the points at both ends of the contour side, and the contour points The corresponding vertices of the similar polygon can be moved respectively. In this way, each contour line drawn by the protruding portion of the similar polygon can be drawn with a predetermined width. Thereby, since the strength of the contour line can be added, variations of the contour line display are enriched. The coefficient can be the same for all unit vectors, or can be different for each unit vector. In the latter case, the coefficients can be determined in advance with different values for each vertex of the basic polygon.
[0015]
The first method of the present invention described above can be realized by the following apparatus. Recording means for recording basic polygon data related to a basic polygon for drawing a three-dimensional object, and similar polygon data related to a reverse facing polygon that is larger than the basic polygon and has a similar shape to the basic polygon, and the recording means Based on the basic polygon data read from and the similar polygon data, the basic polygon and similar polygons that are paired with each basic polygon are generated, and the basic polygon image that is paired with the image of the basic polygon is displayed on a predetermined display. One example is a polygon image display device that includes a control unit that displays a polygon image including the image of the similar polygon arranged on the surface of the polygon.
[0016]
The first method of the present invention described above can also be realized by causing a predetermined computer device, for example, a game computer device or a home computer device to read the program code recorded on the recording medium. For example, from a recording means in which basic polygon data related to a basic polygon for drawing a three-dimensional object, and similar polygon data related to a reverse facing polygon that is larger than the basic polygon and similar in shape to the basic polygon are recorded in pairs, A process of reading the basic polygon data and the similar polygon data, a process of generating a basic polygon and a similar polygon that is paired with each basic polygon based on the read data, and an image of the basic polygon on a predetermined display An example is a computer-readable recording medium in which a program code for causing a computer device to execute processing for displaying a polygon image including the image of the similar polygon arranged on the surface of a pair of basic polygons is recorded. It is. The program code referred to in the present specification is a concept including not only the program itself but also data necessary for causing the game machine to execute the game and control parameters.
[0017]
The second method of the present invention is a method executed in an apparatus for displaying a stereoscopic image generated by combining basic polygons for drawing a three-dimensional object on a predetermined display. From this, a contour side consisting of a side where there is no adjacent basic polygon and a side shared with the adjacent basic polygon and where the adjacent basic polygon cannot be seen from the current viewpoint is extracted. A polygon image display method including a process of drawing a line segment along the line.
[0018]
In this method, among the sides of each basic polygon for generating a stereoscopic image, there are sides that do not have an adjacent basic polygon, and sides that are shared with the adjacent basic polygon, and the adjacent basic polygons from the current viewpoint. The side where the polygon cannot be seen is extracted as the contour side where the contour line should be drawn. By performing such extraction, writing a line segment along the contour side, and using this as a contour line, the contour line can be written at a required portion. In addition, when “the basic polygon is not visible”, there is another basic polygon on the front side so that another basic polygon is hidden behind it, or the surface where the basic polygon is not displayed faces the viewpoint side. Including cases. In the latter case, when a stereoscopic image is displayed using polygons, it is normal not to display polygons that face down to prevent image flickering. It is used for. In this method, it is not necessary to execute the method in the procedure of drawing the basic polygon first on the screen and then drawing the line segment. Regardless of the display procedure, it suffices that a line segment is finally displayed along the outside of the contour side of the basic polygon. The line segment may be drawn by placing a predetermined width inside each side of the basic polygon, by placing a texture different from the texture placed on the basic polygon, and a predetermined width outside each side of the basic polygon. This may be done by arranging a texture different from the texture arranged for the basic polygon, or both.
[0019]
In the second method, not only the side where the adjacent basic polygon does not exist is extracted, but also the side shared with the adjacent basic polygon and the side where the adjacent basic polygon cannot be seen from the current viewpoint is extracted. There is a need. This extraction may be performed by any method. For example, the normal vector of each basic polygon is identified, the inner product of these normal vectors and the line-of-sight vector along the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint is obtained, and the adjacent basic polygon is determined according to whether the inner product is positive or negative. Extracting invisible edges, assigning order information in a predetermined order to each vertex or each side of each polygon, detecting the order information for each polygon, and arranging the order information from the viewpoint By extracting the side where the adjacent basic polygon cannot be seen, the side where the adjacent basic polygon exists but the adjacent basic polygon cannot be seen when viewed from the current viewpoint is extracted. It is possible to do. As an example of the latter, when order information is followed, it can be determined whether the order is clockwise or counterclockwise as viewed from the viewpoint.
[0020]
In this second method, the line segment is drawn along the outside of the contour side, and when the line segment and the polygon overlap when displayed, the polygon is preferentially displayed. ,be able to. In this way, if the basic polygon exists on both sides of the line segment that becomes the contour line, the state is the same as if it was overwritten by the basic polygon located on both sides, and it is not displayed on the polygon image. . Therefore, according to this method, only the contour line at the outer edge viewed from the current viewpoint of a certain three-dimensional object displayed by the set of basic polygons is displayed on the three-dimensional image, and the other contour lines are not displayed. Become. In other words, this method can perform border processing when displaying a stereoscopic image.
[0021]
In the second method of the present invention described above, it is necessary to draw a contour line along the contour side. In this case, any contour drawing method may be employed. For example, the following method may be employed. That is, a normal vector of each of the basic polygons adjacent to the points on both ends of the contour side is detected, a unit vector having the same direction as the sum vector of these normal vectors is obtained, and the points on both ends of the contour side are determined. A contour point is taken at the end of the unit vector as an end, and an image different from the texture arranged on the basic polygon including the contour side is formed between the contour side and the contour side obtained by connecting the contour points. This is a method of drawing a line segment along the contour side. According to this method, the width of each contour line is determined according to the position of the contour point, but this contour point is arranged at a position separated from the vertex of the basic polygon by a unit vector. A beautiful outline can be displayed by keeping the width of the drawn outline constant.
[0022]
In this method, a transition vector is obtained by multiplying the unit vector by a predetermined coefficient, a contour point is taken at the tip of the transition vector based on points at both ends of the contour side, and these contour points are obtained. A line segment is drawn along the contour side by arranging an image different from the texture disposed on the basic polygon including the contour side between the contour outer side obtained by tying and the contour side. be able to. In this way, each contour line to be drawn can be drawn with a predetermined width. As a result, the strength of the contour line can be added, so that variations of the contour line display can be enriched. The coefficient can be the same for all unit vectors, or can be different for each unit vector. In the latter case, the coefficients can be determined in advance with different values for each point of the basic polygon.
[0023]
The second method of the present invention described above can be realized by the following apparatus. A recording unit in which basic polygon data related to a basic polygon for drawing a three-dimensional object is recorded, and the basic polygon is generated based on the basic polygon data read from the recording unit, and adjacent to each of the sides of each basic polygon A contour side consisting of a side that does not have a basic polygon and a side that is shared with an adjacent basic polygon that cannot be seen from the current viewpoint is extracted and drawn along this contour side. One example is a polygon image display device that includes a control unit that generates a line segment to be generated and displays a polygon image including the basic polygon image and the line segment image on a predetermined display. .
[0024]
The second method of the present invention described above can also be realized by causing the program code recorded on the recording medium to be read by a predetermined computer device such as a game computer device or a home computer device. For example, a process of reading basic polygon data related to a basic polygon for drawing a three-dimensional object, a process of generating a three-dimensional image based on a combination of basic polygons based on the read data and an image of a similar polygon that is paired with each basic polygon, Out of the sides of each basic polygon, a contour side consisting of a side where there is no adjacent basic polygon and a side shared with the adjacent basic polygon that cannot be seen from the current viewpoint. For causing the computer device to execute a process of extracting, a process of generating a line segment drawn along the contour side, and a process of displaying the image of the basic polygon and the image of the line segment on a predetermined display One example is a computer-readable recording medium on which the program code is recorded.
[0025]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred first and second embodiments of the present invention will be described.
[0026]
First embodiment:The first embodiment relates to a method of displaying a polygon image with a contour line using similar polygons.
[0027]
The polygon image display method of this embodiment is executed by the following polygon image display device. This polygon image display is configured as a game apparatus body 2 that forms part of the video game apparatus. As the game apparatus main body 2, for example, the one described in JP-A-8-212377 can be used. A specific configuration example of the game apparatus main body 2 is as shown in FIG. 1. The main control unit 10, the image processing unit 20, the sound processing unit 30, the disk control unit 40, the communication control unit 50, and the functions described above. A main bus B for connecting the blocks 10 to 50 so as to be capable of bidirectional communication is provided.
[0028]
The main control unit 10 includes a CPU 11, a peripheral device controller 12 that performs interrupt control, DMA (direct memory access) transfer control, and the like, a main memory 13 that temporarily records game programs and presentation expression data, and an image processing unit 20. The ROM 14 stores an operating system (OS) for managing the acoustic processing unit 30 and the like. The CPU 11 is a RISC (reduced instruction setcomputor) CPU, which controls the basic operation of the entire apparatus by executing the OS recorded in the ROM 14 and executes a game program in the main memory 13. A plurality of functional blocks to be described later are realized.
[0029]
The image processing unit 20 is a geometry transfer engine (GTE) 21 that performs high-speed coordinate conversion or the like on the recording data in the main memory 13, and a polygon or sprite (polygon such as a triangle or a quadrangle: based on a drawing instruction from the CPU 11: Hereinafter, a graphics processing unit (GPU) 22 that performs a rendering process of a 3D CG image composed of a combination such as a sprite is also included in the concept of a polygon, and a 3D CG image rendered by the GPU 22 A frame buffer 23 for temporarily recording and an image decoder (MDEC) 24 for decoding compressed image data as necessary are provided. The display device 25 reads and displays the three-dimensional CG image recorded in the frame buffer 23. By continuously performing the above-described drawing processing by the GPU 22 and recording in the frame buffer 23, a three-dimensional CG image including a moving image element can be displayed on the display device 25.
[0030]
The sound processing unit 30 temporarily records a sound reproduction processing processor (SPU) 31 that generates sound effects, voices, musical sounds, and the like, sound effect data, and other sound source data based on background environment data related to sound. And a speaker 33 for outputting sound effects generated by the SPU 31. The SPU 31 has, for example, an ADPCM decoding function for reproducing sound source data subjected to adaptive differential encoding (ADPCM), a function for reproducing sound effects by reproducing sound source data recorded in the sound buffer 32, and a recording in the sound buffer 32. For example, a modulation function for modulating and reproducing reproduced sound source data. By providing such a function, the sound processing unit 30 can be used as a sampling sound source that generates sound effects based on sound source data recorded in the sound buffer 32.
[0031]
The disk control unit 40 reproduces the game program and effect expression data recorded on the CD-ROM 44 (hereinafter, the reproduced data is referred to as reproduction data), and error correction ( A CD-ROM decoder 42 that decodes the ECC (ECC) code when it is added, and a buffer 43 that temporarily records the reproduction data from the disk drive device 41 before recording it in the main memory 13. . The decoder 42 also constitutes a part of the sound processing unit 30. The audio output of the decoder 42 once enters the SPU 31, is mixed with the SPU output, and becomes the final audio output via the reverb unit.
[0032]
The communication control unit 50 includes a communication control device 51 that controls communication with the CPU 11 via the main bus B, a controller 52 that inputs instructions from the player, and a memory card 53 that records game settings and the like. I have. The controller 52 is an interface component for inputting the player's intention, and includes various commands that are displayed as well as a start key for instructing the start of a game, a reset key for instructing a game reset, and a movement of the character up, down, left and right. A selection key for matching the cursor to the menu or item, an instruction key for instructing a detailed operation of the character and an instruction of the selection menu, and the like are provided, and the state of each key is transmitted to the communication control device 51 by synchronous communication. The communication control device 51 transmits the state of each key of the controller 52 to the CPU 11. Thereby, an instruction from the player is transmitted to the CPU 11, and the CPU 11 performs image display and game development processing according to the instruction from the player based on the game program being executed.
[0033]
Further, the CPU 11 transmits various data at that time to the communication control device 51 when it is necessary to record the setting of the game in progress according to the scenario, the end of the game, or an intermediate result. The communication control device 51 records transmission data from the CPU 11 in the memory card 53. Since the memory card 53 is separated from the main bus B, the memory card 53 can be attached and detached while the power is on. As a result, game settings and the like can be recorded on a plurality of memory cards 53.
[0034]
The game apparatus body 2 includes a parallel input / output (I / O) port 61 connected to the main bus B and a serial input / output (I / O) port 62. Then, it is possible to connect to peripheral devices via the parallel I / O port 61, and to communicate with other video game devices and the like via the serial I / O port 62. Can be done.
[0035]
In the game apparatus body 2 configured as described above, when the power-on or reset process is performed with the CD-ROM 44 corresponding to the recording medium of the present invention mounted on the disk drive device 41, the CPU 11 executes the OS recorded in the ROM 14. To do. When the OS is executed, the CPU 11 initializes the entire apparatus, such as operation check, and controls the disk control unit 40 to read and execute the game program recorded on the CD-ROM 44 to the main memory 13. To do. By executing this game program, the CPU 11 forms a functional block as shown in FIG. The basic polygon data recorded in the basic polygon data recording units 240 and 440 described later and the similar polygon data recorded in the similar polygon data recording unit 250 have a considerably large data capacity. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the data is read directly from the CD-ROM 44 instead of being expanded to
[0036]
As shown in FIG. 2, the video game apparatus 2 of this embodiment includes an instruction information analysis unit 210, an image determination unit 220, a control unit 230, a basic polygon data recording unit 240 as a recording unit, and a similar polygon data recording unit 250. Is included.
[0037]
The instruction information analysis unit 210 is connected to the controller 52 and determines the operation content input from the controller 52 by the player's operation. The image determination unit 220 is connected to the instruction information analysis unit 210, and the display device 25 is based on the data about the operation content sent from the instruction information analysis unit 210, the game scenario, the game rules, and the like that have been preliminarily stored. The image to be displayed is determined.
[0038]
The control unit 230 includes a polygon generation unit 231 and an image generation unit 232.
[0039]
In the basic polygon data recording unit 240, data related to basic polygons for drawing a person or landscape to be displayed on the display device 25 by a combination thereof is recorded. The basic polygon data includes data that defines the shape and size of each basic polygon, the positional relationship with other basic polygons, the color and the texture of the pattern arranged on each basic polygon, and the like. In the similar polygon data recording unit 250, similar polygon data relating to similar polygons paired with each basic polygon is recorded. The similar polygon data includes data similar to that included in the basic polygon data. Here, each similar polygon is larger than the corresponding basic polygon, is similar in shape to the corresponding basic polygon, and has a different texture from the texture allocated to the corresponding basic polygon. There is a reverse relationship. That is, the similar polygon is such that a solid object formed by combining the polygons can wrap a solid object formed by combining the basic polygons face down.
[0040]
The polygon generation unit 231 reads basic polygon data and similar polygon data based on the data about the image to be displayed determined by the image determination unit 220, and generates the basic polygon and the similar polygon based on this data. ing. In addition, the polygon generation unit 231 includes an alignment unit 233 that detects the center of gravity of the basic polygon and the center of gravity of the similar polygon and aligns them.
[0041]
The image generation unit 232 generates a polygon image to be displayed on the display device 25 by combining the basic polygon and the similar polygon generated by the polygon generation unit 231. The image generation unit 231 includes an adjustment unit 234. The adjustment unit 234 functions to enhance the beauty of the contour line by finely adjusting the images of the basic polygon and the similar polygon assembled by the image generation unit 231.
[0042]
Next, an operation of the game apparatus body 2 will be described, and an example of a polygon image display method according to the present invention will be described.
[0043]
The game apparatus body 2 can execute a predetermined game according to a predetermined scenario, rule, and the like. Then, a polygon image is formed as follows when an image is displayed on the display device 25 accompanying the execution of the game or when a demonstration screen is displayed. The flow of processing is as shown in FIG.
[0044]
In displaying the polygon image, first, the instruction information analysis unit 220 determines the operation content input from the controller 52 including the presence or absence of input (S301). Data regarding the operation content determined by the instruction information analysis unit 210 is sent to the image determination unit 220. The image determination unit 220 determines an image to be displayed on the display device 25 based on the data and the game scenario (S302). Then, data related to the basic polygon necessary for creating the image is sent to the polygon generation unit 231, and other data necessary for the image generation is sent to the image generation unit 232.
[0045]
The polygon generation unit 231 reads the basic polygon data and the similar polygon data from the basic polygon data recording unit 240 and the similar polygon data recording unit 250, respectively, and generates a basic polygon and a similar polygon based on the basic polygon data and the similar polygon data (S303).
[0046]
The alignment unit 233 detects the centroids of the generated basic polygons and similar polygons, aligns the centroids of the paired basic polygons and similar polygons, and aligns the two (S304).
[0047]
Based on the data about the image to be displayed on the display device 25 sent from the image determination unit 220 and the data about the basic polygon and the similar polygon sent from the polygon generation unit 231, the image generation unit 232 Are combined as appropriate, and similar polygons corresponding to the basic polygons are arranged on the respective front sides of the basic polygons, and appropriate textures are arranged on the basic polygons and the similar polygons, respectively, so that the display device 25 finally A polygon image to be displayed is generated (S305). For example, a polygon image is generated by arranging a basic polygon, a similar polygon, and a predetermined texture while corresponding to a wire frame as shown in FIG. The reason why the wire frames are displayed in duplicate is that two wire frames, a basic polygon and a similar polygon, are illustrated. That is, the inner wire frame is composed of basic polygons, and the outer wire frame is composed of similar polygons. When placing or pasting basic polygons and similar polygons, first, they are placed or pasted from similar polygons, and then basic polygons are placed or pasted. When polygons overlap, the one closest to the viewpoint is preferentially displayed. Therefore, the polygon display image obtained in this example is one in which a contour line as a border line is displayed. The principle of outline display will be described later.
[0048]
Here, in the polygon image display method according to the present embodiment, the outline can be made beautiful by fine adjustment of the similar polygon by the adjustment unit 234. FIG. 5 conceptually shows the process. 5 (a) to (d) show the positions of the vertices of a similar polygon (not shown) as the vertices on the basic polygon corresponding to the vertices of the similar polygon whose position is to be adjusted (in this example, V₀And V₁) Is shown moving to a point determined based on the position.
[0049]
As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the process for drawing a beautiful contour line is a normal vector of each basic polygon. In this figure, the vector h₀, H₁, H₂, H₃, H₄Start by detecting. The normal vector is the vertex V of the basic polygon corresponding to the vertex of the similar polygon to be moved.₀, V₁Detects all basic polygons in contact with. In this example, vertex V₀H as the normal vector of the basic polygon that touches₀And h₂, H₃, H₄And the vertex V₁H as the normal vector of the basic polygon that touches₀, H₁, H₃, So h₀, H₁, H₂, H₃, H₄Each normal vector is detected.
[0050]
Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the vertex V of the basic polygon₀, V₁Each vertex V₀, V₁Finds the sum of normal vectors of basic polygons in contact with. Then, a unit vector whose direction is equal to the sum vector is set to each vertex V₀, V₁Ask every time. In this example, vertex V₀About the vector h₀+ Vector h₂+ Vector h₃+ Vector h₄And the vector e as its unit vector₀, Vertex V₁About the vector h₀+ Vector h₁+ Vector h₃And the vector e as its unit vector₁Ask for.
[0051]
Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, the unit vector e₀, E₁Is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient to determine each vertex V₀, V₁A transition vector is obtained every time. This coefficient is calculated for each vertex V₀, V₁For each vertex V₀For α, V₁Can be determined in advance such as β. In this example, the vector e₀As the product of the coefficient α₀Transition vector αe for₀The vector e₁Vertex V as multiplied by coefficient β₀Transition vector βe for₀To seek.
[0052]
Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (d), each vertex V₀, V₁And the transition vector αe₀, Βe₀This transition vector αe₀, Βe₀As a point at the tip of the contour point V₀ ^', V₁ ^'To decide. This contour point V₀ ^' , V₁ ^'Is the vertex V₀, V₁And a point indicating the position to move the vertex on the corresponding polygon.
[0053]
Finally, this contour point V₀ ^' , V₁ ^'Above, vertex V on similar polygon₀, V₁The corresponding vertex (not shown) is moved, and the similar polygon is finely adjusted. Contour lines thus obtained are joined together without deviation between adjacent contour lines. Further, for example, it is possible to display contour lines having different widths in the case of a distant view and in the case of a close view, or to display a thick contour line depending on a portion to be emphasized.
[0054]
In the example shown in FIG. 5, the contour point V₀ ^', V₁ ^'To the transition vector αe₀, Βe₀Is determined as the point of the tip of₀, V₁A unit vector e₀, E₀The point at the tip of the contour point V₀ ^', V₁ ^'And the contour point V₀ ^', V₁ ^'Above, vertex V on similar polygon₀, V₁And the corresponding vertex (not shown) may be moved. In this embodiment, the adjustment unit 234 is arranged in the image generation unit 232. However, the adjustment unit 234 can be arranged in the polygon generation unit 231 or the similar polygon data recording unit 250. . Accordingly, if the polygon generation unit 231 generates a similar polygon that has been corrected in advance using the method described with reference to FIG. 5, the image generation unit 232 displays an image in which the corrected similar polygon and the basic polygon are combined. If the process to generate is performed, it will suffice. It is also possible to generate similar polygon data for the modified similar polygon image in advance and record it in the similar polygon data recording unit 250 from the beginning.
[0055]
After fine-tuning the similar polygon, a texture is placed on the similar polygon. This texture must be different from the texture that is placed on the basic polygon that is paired with the similar polygon. In this example, a texture of one black color is placed on each similar polygon. It is made to stand out as a contour line. In addition, instead of arranging a texture different from the texture arranged on the paired basic polygons on the similar polygons, a process of filling the similar polygons with, for example, a single color so as to display differently from the basic polygons may be performed.
[0056]
Then, the data related to the polygon image created by the image generation unit 232 is sent to the display device 25, and based on this, the desired polygon image is displayed on the display device 25 (S306).
[0057]
An example of such a polygon image is shown in FIG. In this example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the sphere A is expressed by a basic polygon. Although omitted in the drawing, the sphere A is represented by a set of a large number of basic polygons. On the outside of the sphere A, a sphere B expressed by a set of similar polygons is displayed. The similar polygon that displays the sphere B has a reverse-facing relationship with the basic polygon that displays the sphere A. When this is viewed from the current viewpoint X, only the hemisphere part closer to the viewpoint X is displayed for the sphere A under the rule that the polygons facing away from the predetermined viewpoint are not displayed. In other words, for the sphere B, only the hemispherical part far from the viewpoint X is displayed. Accordingly, an image when the sphere A and the sphere B are viewed from the viewpoint X is as shown in FIG. 6B. From the sphere A indicated by the similar polygon, the sphere A indicated by the basic polygon is used. The protruding portion appears to be the outline of the sphere A indicated by the basic polygon.
[0058]
Second embodiment:The second embodiment relates to a method of displaying a polygon image with a contour line by extracting a contour side from which a contour line is to be drawn from each side of the basic polygon and arranging a line segment there. In addition, illustration is abbreviate | omitted about the part similar to the case of 1st Embodiment among description of 2nd Embodiment.
[0059]
The polygon image display method according to the second embodiment is executed by the game apparatus main body 2 similar to that described in the first embodiment. The specific configuration of the game apparatus body 2 is as illustrated in FIG. In the game apparatus body 2 having such a configuration, when the power-on or reset process is performed with the CD-ROM 44 corresponding to the recording medium of the present invention mounted on the disk drive device 41, the CPU 11 executes the OS recorded in the ROM 14. To do. When the OS is executed, the CPU 11 initializes the entire apparatus, such as operation check, and controls the disk control unit 40 to read and execute the game program recorded on the CD-ROM 44 to the main memory 13. To do. By executing this game program, the CPU 11 forms a functional block as shown in FIG.
[0060]
As shown in FIG. 7, the video game apparatus 2 of the present embodiment includes an instruction information analysis unit 410, an image determination unit 420, a control unit 430, and a basic polygon data recording unit 440 as a recording unit. The instruction information analysis unit 410 and the image determination unit 420 have the same functions as the instruction information analysis unit 410 and the image determination unit 420 of the first embodiment.
[0061]
The basic polygon data recording unit 440 stores basic polygon data similar to that recorded by the basic polygon data recording unit 440 of the first embodiment.
[0062]
The control unit 430 includes a basic polygon generation unit 431, a contour side determination unit 432, and a line segment generation unit 433. The basic polygon generation unit 431 reads basic polygon data based on data about an image to be displayed determined by the image determination unit 420, and generates a basic polygon based on the data.
[0063]
The contour side determination unit 432 selects a contour line from among the sides of each polygon based on the data about the image to be displayed determined by the image determination unit 420, the data about the basic polygon sent from the basic polygon generation unit 431, and the like. Has a function of extracting a contour side to be drawn.
[0064]
The line segment generation unit 433 receives data on the contour side sent from the contour side determination unit 432, and generates a line segment to be arranged along the contour side based on the data.
[0065]
The image generation unit 434 receives the data about the basic polygon generated by the basic polygon generation unit 431, the data about the contour side extracted by the contour side determination unit 432, and the data about the line segment generated by the line segment generation unit 433. Based on these, a polygon image to be displayed on the display device 25 is generated.
[0066]
Next, an operation of the game apparatus body 2 will be described, and an example of a polygon image display method according to the present invention will be described. The flow of processing in such a case is as shown in FIG.
[0067]
The game apparatus body 2 can execute a predetermined game according to a predetermined scenario, rule, and the like. Then, a polygon image is formed as follows when an image is displayed on the display device 25 accompanying the execution of the game or when a demonstration screen is displayed.
[0068]
In displaying the polygon image, first, the instruction information analysis unit 410 determines the operation content input from the controller 52 including the presence / absence of input (S501). Data relating to the operation content determined by the instruction information analysis unit 410 is sent to the image determination unit 420. The image determination unit 420 determines an image to be displayed on the display device 25 based on the data and the game scenario (S502). Then, data related to the basic polygon necessary for creating the image is sent to the basic polygon generation unit 431, and other data necessary for the image generation is sent to the image generation unit 434.
[0069]
The basic polygon generation unit 431 reads basic polygon data from the basic polygon data recording unit 440 and generates a basic polygon based on the basic polygon data (S503).
[0070]
Next, based on the data sent from the image determination unit 420 and the data sent from the basic polygon generation unit 431, the contour side determination unit 432 extracts a predetermined contour side (S504). Such contour sides are sides of each basic polygon that do not have an adjacent basic polygon and sides that are shared with the adjacent basic polygon, and are sides where the adjacent basic polygon cannot be seen from the current viewpoint (in other words, In other words, the side that is shared with the basic polygon that is not drawn because the adjacent basic polygon is facing away from the viewpoint). An edge where there is no adjacent basic polygon can be easily determined by using the data sent from the image determination unit 420 and the data sent from the basic polygon generation unit 431 to determine how to combine the basic polygons. Can be sorted. In the example shown in FIG. 9, two basic polygons C (rectangular basic polygons defined by four vertices c1 to c4) and D (rectangular basic polygons defined by four vertices d1 to d4) are provided. Of these, the side c1c2 (meaning the side whose ends are defined by the vertices c1 and c2; the same applies hereinafter), the side c1c3, and the side c3c4 are sides where no adjacent basic polygons exist and are determined to be contour sides. become. The side c4c1 is a side shared with the adjacent basic polygon and is a side where the adjacent basic polygon cannot be seen from the current viewpoint, and is also determined as a contour side. Here, the side shared with the adjacent basic polygon and the side where the adjacent basic polygon cannot be seen from the current viewpoint is, as described above, the adjacent basic polygon facing away from the viewpoint. This means that the edge shared by the user can be selected by judging the front and back of adjacent basic polygons. The determination of the front and back of adjacent basic polygons can be performed, for example, by the following two methods.
[0071]
The first method is to identify the normal vectors of each basic polygon, find the inner product of these normal vectors and the line-of-sight vector along the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint, and determine the adjacent basic polygons according to whether the inner product is positive or negative By extracting the side that cannot be seen. This will be described with reference to FIG. The normal vectors Cn and Dn for the basic polygons C and D shown in FIG. 9 are detected, and the inner product of these and the line-of-sight vector Xv along the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint X is obtained by calculation. Assuming that the angle formed by the normal vector of the basic polygon and the line-of-sight vector Xv is θ, the calculation result is negative when 90 ° <θ <270 °, positive when −90 ° <θ <90 °, and θ = 0 when ± 90 °. These correspond to the case where the basic polygon is displayed face up, the basic polygon is not displayed because it is face down, and the case where the basic polygon cannot be displayed because it is horizontal. By performing the calculation in this way, it is determined that the side c2c4 corresponds to a side where there is an adjacent basic polygon but cannot be seen, that is, a contour side.
[0072]
The following method assigns a predetermined order information in advance to each vertex or each side of each polygon, detects the order information for each of the polygons, depending on how the order information is arranged from the viewpoint, This is a method of extracting a side where the adjacent basic polygon cannot be seen. This will be described with reference to FIG. In this example, codes c1 to c4 are assigned to the vertices of the basic polygon. The numbers c1 to c4 function as order information. Then, by following such numbers from c1 to c3, it is possible to discriminate the front and back sides of the basic polygons C and D by determining whether they are aligned clockwise or counterclockwise as viewed from the viewpoint X. . If the position coordinates of the vertices c1 to c3 dropped on the plane are (c1x, c1y), (c2x, c2y), (c3x, c3y), the outer product value is-(c3y-c2y) * (c1x-c3x) It is calculated | required by the type | formula of + (c3x-c2x) * (c1y-c3y). In this case, the outer product value> 0 when the vertices c1 to c3 are clockwise, the outer product value <0 when the vertices c1 to c3 are counterclockwise, and the outer product value is 0 when the vertices c1 to c3 are on the same line. . When the cross product value is positive, it corresponds to the case where the basic polygon is face up, when the cross product value is negative, it corresponds to the case where the basic polygon is not displayed face down, and when the cross product value is 0, the basic polygon is displayed sideways. Corresponding to the impossible case. If the calculation is performed in this way, it is determined that the side c2c4 corresponds to a side where there is an adjacent basic polygon but cannot be seen, that is, a contour side.
[0073]
The contour side is extracted as described above. In the example of FIG. 9, all of the side c1c2, the side c1c3, the side c3c4, and the side c2c4 are extracted as contour sides. The data about the contour side is sent from the contour side determination unit 432 to the line segment generation unit 433. The line segment generation unit 433 generates a line segment to be arranged along the contour side based on the received data (S505).
[0074]
The image generation unit 434 receives the data about the image to be displayed on the display device 25 sent from the image determination unit 420, the data about the basic polygon sent from the basic polygon generation unit 431, and the data from the line segment generation unit 433. Based on the data related to the line segment, the basic polygons are appropriately combined, and the line segment is arranged on each of the outline sides of the basic polygon, thereby generating a polygon image to be finally displayed on the display device 25 (S506). .
[0075]
Then, the data related to the polygon image created by the image generation unit 434 is sent to the display device 25, and based on this, the desired polygon image is displayed on the display device 25 (S507). An example of such a polygon image is shown in FIG. In this example, an L-shaped three-dimensional object is represented by a polygon and its outline is displayed. The line segment is displayed in black for emphasizing the outline.
[0076]
In addition, in order to create an image by the image generation unit 434, when combining a basic polygon and a line segment, the line segment is drawn along the outside of the contour side, and when the display is performed, the line segment and the line segment are combined. If the polygon overlaps, the polygon can be displayed with priority. By doing so, the contour lines other than the border line are in the same state as when they are filled with the basic polygons on both sides thereof, so that the polygon image can be bordered. An example of the polygon image displayed in this way is shown in FIG. In this case, unlike the example shown in FIG. 10 (a), the line segment on the contour return other than the border line (in this figure, the line segment on the contour side below the L horizontal bar) disappears. As a result, the trimming process is performed.
[0077]
When a line segment is drawn outside the contour side, the line segment generation (S505) can be performed using the following method.
[0078]
An example of this line segment generation will be described with reference to FIG. This FIG. 11 shows h₀, H₁, H₂, H₃, H₄Vertices V among the sides of each basic vector whose normal vector is₀And V₁Contour side V defined by₀And V₁A method for generating a line segment to be placed outside the line will be described.
[0079]
As shown in FIG. 11 (a), this processing is performed by using the normal vector h of each basic polygon.₀, H₁, H₂, H₃, H₄Start by detecting. The normal vector is the side V where the contour is to be drawn.₀V₁Vertex V at both ends of₀, V₁Detects all basic polygons in contact with. In this example, vertex V₀H as the normal vector of the basic polygon that touches₀And h₂, H₃, H₄And the vertex V₁H as the normal vector of the basic polygon that touches₀, H₁, H₃, So h₀, H₁, H₂, H₃, H₄Each normal vector of is detected.
[0080]
Next, as shown in FIG.₀, V₁For each of the vertices V₀, V₁Finds the sum of normal vectors of basic polygons in contact with. Then, a unit vector whose direction is equal to the sum vector is set to each vertex V₀, V₁Ask every time. In this example, vertex V₀Vector e as the unit vector for₀, Vertex V₁Vector e as the unit vector for₁For each.
[0081]
Next, as shown in FIG. 11C, the unit vector e₀, E₁Is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient to determine each vertex V₀, V₁A transition vector is obtained every time. This coefficient is calculated for each vertex V₀, V₁For each vertex V₀For α, V₁Can be determined in advance such as β. In this example, the vector e₀As the product of the coefficient α₀Transition vector αe for₀The vector e₁Vertex V as multiplied by coefficient β₀Transition vector βe for₀Ask for.
[0082]
Then, as shown in FIG. 11D, each vertex V₀, V₁And the transition vector αe₀, Βe₀This transition vector αe₀, Βe₀As a point at the tip of the contour point V₀ ^', V₁ ^'To decide.
[0083]
Finally, this contour point V₀ ^' , V₁ ^'And the original vertex V₀, V₁The rectangle surrounded by₀V₁It is determined as a line segment to be arranged along. Since the line segments obtained in this manner are joined without deviation at the joints between adjacent line segments, the resulting contour line is very beautiful. It is also possible to change the width of the contour line between a distant view and a close view, or to display a thick contour line depending on the portion to be emphasized.
[0084]
In the example shown in FIG. 11, the contour point V₀ ^', V₁ ^'To the transition vector αe₀, Βe₀Is determined as the point of the tip of₀, V₁A unit vector e₀, E₀The point at the tip of the contour point V₀ ^', V₁ ^'And the contour point V₀ ^', V₁ ^'Top and vertex V₀, V₁A rectangular part surrounded by₀V₁It can also be determined as a line segment to be arranged along.
[0085]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to add a contour line to a stereoscopic image using a polygon or to perform a bordering process. Can contribute to broaden the application range. This method is particularly suitable for displaying cartoon-like and animation-like images using polygons.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a game apparatus main body to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of a video game apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a process flow of a polygon image display method according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a wire frame used for arranging basic polygons and similar polygons by the method of the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting the position of the vertex of a similar polygon.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a polygon image displayed by the polygon image display method according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of a video game apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a processing flow of a polygon image display method according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a diagram conceptually showing a contour edge extraction method by the method according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a polygon image displayed by the polygon image display method according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a line segment generation method;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Game console
2 Video game device
210, 410 Instruction information analysis unit
220, 420 Image determination unit
230, 430 control unit
240, 440 Basic polygon data recording part
250 Similar polygon data recording part

Claims (10)

A polygon image generated by combining basic polygons for drawing a three-dimensional object is displayed on a predetermined display, and is a method executed by an apparatus including a control unit that generates a polygon image,
The control unit is
A process of reading out the basic polygon data from a predetermined recording means in which basic polygon data relating to a basic polygon for drawing a three-dimensional object is recorded, and generating a basic polygon based on the basic polygon data,
Out of the sides of each basic polygon, a contour side consisting of a side where there is no adjacent basic polygon and a side shared with the adjacent basic polygon that cannot be seen from the current viewpoint. The process of extracting and drawing a line segment along this contour side,
Contains
In addition, when the line segment is drawn along the outside of the outline side and displayed on the display, if the line segment and the basic polygon overlap, the control unit is configured to display the basic polygon. Display with priority,
Polygon image display method. A polygon image generated by combining basic polygons for drawing a three-dimensional object is displayed on a predetermined display, and is a method executed by an apparatus including a control unit that generates a polygon image,
The control unit is
A process of reading out the basic polygon data from a predetermined recording means in which basic polygon data relating to a basic polygon for drawing a three-dimensional object is recorded, and generating a basic polygon based on the basic polygon data,
Out of the sides of each basic polygon, a contour side consisting of a side where there is no adjacent basic polygon and a side shared with the adjacent basic polygon that cannot be seen from the current viewpoint. The process of extracting and drawing a line segment along this contour side,
Contains
In addition, the control unit detects a normal vector of each basic polygon adjacent to both ends of the contour side and obtains a unit vector whose direction is equal to the sum vector of the normal vectors, and A contour point is taken at the tip of the unit vector with the points at both ends as bases, and the contour polygon is arranged between the contour outer side obtained by connecting these contour points and the contour side, and arranged on the basic polygon including the contour side Draw a line segment along the contour side by arranging an image different from the texture.
Polygon image display method. The control unit identifies normal vectors of the respective basic polygons, obtains an inner product of these normal vectors and a line-of-sight vector along the line-of-sight direction from the viewpoint, and determines whether the adjacent product is different depending on whether the inner product is positive or negative. Extract the side where the basic polygon is not visible,
The polygon image display method according to claim 1 or 2. The control unit previously assigns a predetermined order information to each vertex or each side of each basic polygon, detects the order information for each basic polygon, and determines how the order information is arranged from the viewpoint. Separately, the side where the adjacent basic polygon cannot be seen is extracted.
The polygon image display method according to claim 1 or 2. The control unit obtains a transition vector by multiplying the unit vector by a predetermined coefficient, takes a contour point at the tip of the transition vector based on points at both ends of the contour side, and sets the contour points. A line segment is drawn along the contour side by disposing an image different from the texture disposed on the basic polygon including the contour side between the contour outer side obtained by connecting the contour line and the contour side. Item 3. The polygon image display method according to Item 2. The coefficient is determined in advance with a different value for each vertex of the basic polygon.
The polygon image display method according to claim 5. Predetermined recording means in which basic polygon data relating to a basic polygon for drawing a three-dimensional object is recorded;
The basic polygon is generated based on the basic polygon data read from the recording means, and among the sides of each basic polygon, there are sides that do not have an adjacent basic polygon and sides that are shared with the adjacent basic polygon. Extracting a contour side consisting of a side where the adjacent basic polygon cannot be seen from the current viewpoint, generating a line segment drawn along the contour side, and displaying the image of the basic polygon on the predetermined display Control means for displaying a polygon image including a line segment image;
Comprising
The control means draws the line segment along the outside of the contour side, and when the line segment and the basic polygon overlap when displaying, the basic polygon is preferentially displayed. Is supposed to
Polygon image display device. Predetermined recording means in which basic polygon data relating to a basic polygon for drawing a three-dimensional object is recorded;
The basic polygon is generated based on the basic polygon data read from the recording means, and among the sides of each basic polygon, there are sides that do not have an adjacent basic polygon and sides that are shared with the adjacent basic polygon. Extracting a contour side consisting of a side where the adjacent basic polygon cannot be seen from the current viewpoint, generating a line segment drawn along the contour side, and displaying the image of the basic polygon on the predetermined display Control means for displaying a polygon image including a line segment image;
Comprising
The control means detects a normal vector of each of the basic polygons adjacent to the points at both ends of the contour side, obtains a unit vector having the same direction as the sum vector of the normal vectors, and obtains a unit vector at both ends of the contour side. A contour point is taken at the tip of the unit vector with a point as a base, and a texture disposed on a basic polygon including the contour side between the contour side and the contour side obtained by connecting the contour points; By arranging different images, a line segment is drawn along the contour side.
Polygon image display device. A polygon image generated by combining basic polygons for drawing a three-dimensional object is displayed on a predetermined display, and the computer of the apparatus comprising a computer for generating a polygon image is provided with the computer.
A process of reading basic polygon data related to a basic polygon for drawing a three-dimensional object from a predetermined recording means;
A process of generating a stereoscopic image based on the combination of the basic polygons based on the read data;
Out of the sides of each of the basic polygons, a contour side consisting of a side where there is no adjacent basic polygon and a side shared with the adjacent basic polygon that cannot be seen from the current viewpoint Processing to extract,
Processing to generate line segments drawn along this contour side,
Processing for displaying the basic polygon image and the line segment image on the predetermined display;
The line segment is drawn along the outside of the contour side, and when the line segment and the basic polygon overlap when displayed, a process of displaying the basic polygon preferentially;
Is a computer-readable recording medium on which program code for executing the program is recorded. A polygon image generated by combining basic polygons for drawing a three-dimensional object is displayed on a predetermined display, and the computer of the apparatus comprising a computer for generating a polygon image is provided with the computer.
A process of reading basic polygon data related to a basic polygon for drawing a three-dimensional object from a predetermined recording means;
A process of generating a stereoscopic image based on the combination of the basic polygons based on the read data;
Out of the sides of each of the basic polygons, a contour side consisting of a side where there is no adjacent basic polygon and a side shared with the adjacent basic polygon that cannot be seen from the current viewpoint Processing to extract,
Processing to generate line segments drawn along this contour side,
Processing for displaying the basic polygon image and the line segment image on the predetermined display;
Detecting normal vectors of the respective basic polygons adjacent to the points at both ends of the contour side and obtaining unit vectors having the same direction as the sum vector of these normal vectors, and using the points at both ends of the contour side as base ends An outline point is taken at the tip of the unit vector, and an image different from the texture arranged on the basic polygon including the outline side is arranged between the outline side obtained by connecting the outline points and the outline side. The process of drawing a line segment along the contour side,
Is a computer-readable recording medium on which program code for executing the program is recorded.

Images