JP7353418B1 - Program, method, image generation device, and game system for generating images - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a program capable of generating an image of a 3D object according to the angle of a virtual camera.
A program according to an embodiment of the present invention is a program for generating an image of a 3D object in a virtual space as seen from a virtual camera, and the program is a program for generating an image of a 3D object in a virtual space as seen from a virtual camera. A plurality of camera reference positions are determined according to the position of the virtual camera from a plurality of camera reference positions included in the reference data in which the 3D data and the camera reference position are stored in association with each other, and the determined camera reference position is determining a weight for each; and generating an image of the 3D object as seen from the virtual camera based on the 3D data associated with each of the determined camera reference positions and the determined weight. It is a program to be executed.
[Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a program, a method, an image generation device, and a game system for generating an image, and in particular, a program, a method, an image generation device, and a game system for generating an image of a 3D object in a virtual space as seen from a virtual camera. and game systems.

In various contents such as games, images of virtual objects such as characters are generated. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to generating a face image of a character placed in a three-dimensional space.

Patent No. 4244352

When generating a face image of a 3D model of a character, if you set the position of the mouth, nose, etc. so that it looks natural when the character is viewed from an angle other than the front, such as diagonally to the side, the mouth, nose, etc. There was a problem that the position of the camera would shift. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that generates an image of a character using a drawing method widely used in manga and animation, but when the character is viewed from different viewpoints, the positions of the mouth, nose, etc. are misaligned. In order to prevent this, a technique is disclosed in which the position of objects such as a mouth and nose that are additionally placed on the character's head is corrected so that they approach the viewpoint. However, Patent Document 1 discloses that when a 3D model (3D character) represented by bones, meshes, etc. including facial parts such as a mouth and a nose is viewed from a virtual camera at an arbitrary angle, a portion of the 3D model is No technology has been disclosed for generating an image of a character without causing defects (inconsistencies) such as misalignment of facial parts that make up the character. Under these circumstances, in order to prevent problems from occurring when a 3D model such as a 3D character including facial parts is viewed from a virtual camera at an arbitrary angle, the 3D model (3D object) is created according to the angle of the virtual camera. ) was needed.

The present invention was made to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a program and the like that can generate an image of a 3D object according to the angle of a virtual camera.

[1] A program according to an embodiment of the present invention is
A program for generating an image of a 3D object in a virtual space as seen from a virtual camera, the program comprising:
A plurality of camera reference positions corresponding to the position of the virtual camera are selected from a plurality of camera reference positions included in reference data in which 3D data of a 3D object viewed from the camera reference position and the camera reference position are stored in association with each other. determining a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions;
generating an image of the 3D object as seen from the virtual camera based on the 3D data associated with each of the determined camera reference positions and the determined weight;
It is a program that executes.

[2] In one embodiment of the present invention,
The 3D data is the program described in [1], which is bone data or mesh data that constitutes a 3D object.

[3] In one embodiment of the present invention,
The program is a program for a game that is played by placing 3D objects in a virtual space.
Perform a step to determine the position of the virtual camera as the game progresses,
The step of determining weights includes determining a plurality of camera reference positions corresponding to the determined virtual camera position from a plurality of camera reference positions, and determining a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions.
This is the program described in [1] or [2].

[4] In one embodiment of the present invention,
3D objects are defined by a local coordinate system,
The camera reference position is defined as the rotation angle α in the horizontal direction of a direction vector from the reference point of the local coordinate system to the virtual camera with respect to the front-facing vector of the 3D object corresponding to one direction of the local coordinate system, and the angle β formed with the horizontal direction. is associated with the position in the αβ plane represented by
The step of determining the weight is based on a position in the αβ plane corresponding to the position of the acquired virtual camera and a plurality of positions in the αβ plane to which a plurality of camera reference positions are associated. determining a plurality of camera reference positions according to the camera position, and determining a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions;
The program is the program described in any one of [1] to [3].

[5] In one embodiment of the present invention,
The αβ plane has multiple areas formed by multiple camera reference positions,
In the step of determining the weight, a plurality of camera reference positions are determined from the area to which the position in the αβ plane corresponding to the position of the virtual camera belongs, and the camera reference positions determined from the position in the αβ plane corresponding to the position of the virtual camera are determining the weight of each of the camera reference positions according to the length to the position to which the position is associated;
This is the program described in [4].

[6] In one embodiment of the present invention,
The reference data includes a camera reference position on the front direction vector of the 3D object, and basic 3D data that is 3D data of the 3D object associated with the camera reference position,
3D data other than the basic 3D data included in the reference data is data expressed by differences from the basic 3D data,
Generating an image of the 3D object as seen from the virtual camera by blending the 3D data of the 3D object associated with each of the determined camera reference positions into the base 3D data based on the respective determined weights. The program according to any one of [1] to [5], which includes generating an image of a 3D object.

[7] In one embodiment of the present invention,
The 3D object is a face object representing the face of a 3D character,
The basic 3D data is 3D data of a face object when it is expressionless,
The reference data includes facial expression data representing a difference between the 3D data of the facial object and the basic 3D data when the facial object has a predetermined facial expression;
The step of generating an image of the 3D object includes blending the 3D data of the 3D object corresponding to each of the determined camera reference positions with the basic 3D data based on each determined weight, and further blending the corresponding facial expression data. The program described in [6] includes generating an image of a 3D object viewed from a virtual camera by doing so.

[8] In one embodiment of the present invention,
The reference data includes 3D data of the 3D object when viewed from the camera reference position from the diagonally lower right direction, and 3D data of the 3D object when viewed from the camera reference position from the diagonally lower left direction, [1 ] to [7].

[9] The method of one embodiment of the present invention includes:
A computer-implemented method for generating a virtual camera view of a 3D object, the method comprising:
A plurality of camera reference positions corresponding to the position of the virtual camera are selected from a plurality of camera reference positions included in reference data in which 3D data of a 3D object viewed from the camera reference position and the camera reference position are stored in association with each other. determining a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions;
generating an image of the 3D object as seen from the virtual camera based on the 3D data associated with each of the determined camera reference positions and the determined weight;
A method including:

[10] An image generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:
An image generation device that generates an image of a 3D object viewed from a virtual camera,
storing 3D data of a 3D object when viewed from a camera reference position in association with each of the camera reference positions;
determining a plurality of camera reference positions corresponding to the position of the virtual camera from the plurality of stored camera reference positions, determining a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions;
generating an image of the 3D object as seen from the virtual camera based on the 3D data associated with each of the determined camera reference positions and the determined weight;
This is an image generation device configured as follows.

[11] A game system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:
A game system that generates an image of a 3D object viewed from a virtual camera,
storing 3D data of a 3D object when viewed from a camera reference position in association with each of the camera reference positions;
determining a plurality of camera reference positions corresponding to the position of the virtual camera from the plurality of stored camera reference positions, determining a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions;
generating an image of the 3D object as seen from the virtual camera based on the 3D data associated with each of the determined camera reference positions and the determined weight;
This is a game system configured as follows.

According to the present invention, it is possible to generate an image of a 3D object according to the angle of the virtual camera.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the face image of the target character when seen from the front direction created beforehand. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a face image of a target character created in advance when viewed diagonally from the lower left direction. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a face image of the target character when the face image of the target character shown in FIG. 4 is viewed from the front. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the position of a virtual camera with respect to the face of a target character using angles α and β. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of reference positions in the αβ plane that are associated with camera reference positions. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a plurality of regions formed by a plurality of reference positions in the αβ plane. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual camera position within the αβ plane corresponding to the virtual camera position determined by the game control unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing how the weight of each reference position of the virtual camera position Q in three reference positions P1, P2, and P3 is determined by a plane function. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual camera position within the αβ plane corresponding to the virtual camera position determined by the game control unit. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual camera position within the αβ plane corresponding to the virtual camera position determined by the game control unit. It is a flow chart showing processing of a game device of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a plurality of regions formed by a plurality of reference positions in the αβ plane. It is a figure which shows an example of the predetermined function F1.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the game device 10 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The game device 10 is an example of a game system that includes one or more devices. The game device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention provides a game (hereinafter referred to as game A) in which a virtual object such as a virtual character is placed in a virtual space. For example, in game A, a user operates a virtual character by operating a controller. In this embodiment, the virtual space is a three-dimensional space, and the virtual object is a 3D object (3D model) of a face portion of a virtual character. A virtual object such as a virtual character is composed of bone data including known bones and joints, for example. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, generation of a face image of one 3D character (hereinafter referred to as "target character") placed in a virtual space as viewed from a virtual camera will be described.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a face image of the target character created in advance when viewed from the front direction, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a face image of the target character created in advance when viewed from the diagonally lower left direction. It is a figure showing an example. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the face image of the target character when the face image of the target character shown in FIG. 4 is viewed from the front. In other words, FIG. 5 is an image showing the face generated from the bone data forming the face of the target character shown in FIG. 4 when viewed from the front. In the face image of the target character shown in FIG. 5, parts such as the mouth and nose are shifted from the face image of the desired target character as shown in FIG. Similarly, in the face image of the target character when the face image of the target character shown in FIG. 3 is viewed from diagonally downward to the left, parts such as the mouth and nose are also shifted. The game device 10 can perform image generation processing to solve such problems.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a game device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Game device 10 includes a processor 11 , an input device 12 , a display device 13 , a storage device 14 , and a communication device 15 . Each of these components is connected by a bus 16. It is assumed that an interface is provided between the bus 16 and each component device as necessary. In this embodiment, the game device 10 includes a home game machine and a game application (game software) that can realize the game A. The game device 10 can include a configuration similar to a general PC or the like.

Processor 11 controls the overall operation of game device 10 . For example, the processor 11 is a CPU. The processor 11 executes various processes by reading and executing programs and data stored in the storage device 14. Processor 11 may be composed of multiple processors.

The input device 12 is a user interface that accepts input from a user to the game device 10, and in this embodiment is a controller connected to a home game machine. Input device 12 may be, for example, a touch panel, touch pad, keyboard, mouse, or button. The display device 13 is a display that displays application screens and the like to the user of the game device 10 under the control of the processor 11 .

The storage device 14 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The main memory is, for example, a volatile memory capable of reading and writing information at high speed, and is used as a storage area and a work area when the processor 11 processes information. The auxiliary storage device stores various programs and data used by the processor 11 when executing each program. The auxiliary storage device is nonvolatile storage or nonvolatile memory, for example, a flash memory such as eMMC, UFS, or SSD, and may be removable.

The communication device 15 is a module, device, or apparatus that can exchange data with a user terminal or another computer such as a server via a network. The communication device 15 can be a wireless communication device or module, or a wired communication device or module. When the game device 10 does not communicate with other devices, the game device 10 does not need to include the communication device 15.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the game device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The game device 10 includes a game control section 21, and the game control section 21 includes a weighting determination section 23 and a 3D model image generation section 24. In this embodiment, these functions are realized by the processor 11 executing a program stored in the storage device 14 or received via the communication device 15. In this way, various functions are realized by reading a program, so that another part may have part or all of one part (function). However, these functions may also be realized by hardware by configuring an electronic circuit or the like to realize some or all of the functions.

The game control unit 21 performs basic control in realizing the game A, and can include functions provided by known game programs and game servers. The game control unit 21 determines the position of the virtual camera in the virtual space according to the progress of the game (for example, according to the progress of the game originally incorporated in the game or according to input from the user). In one example, the game control unit 21 changes the position of a virtual camera placed in the virtual space or causes a 3D character in the virtual space to move in response to input from a user via a controller. be able to.

The storage device 14 stores bone data that constitutes the face (face object) of the target character. The bone data that constitutes the face of the target character is data related to a plurality of bones. A local coordinate system is set for the target character, and the position of each bone is expressed in the local coordinate system. When the bones (bone data) that make up the face are determined, the mesh (polygon mesh) that makes up the face is also uniquely determined. Mesh corresponds to skin. In one example, the data of each bone included in the bone data constituting the face of the target character is determined by known Translation (position), Rotation (rotation), and Scale (scale). For example, in this case, Translation (position) represents the coordinates of the bone and is represented by the translation values of X, Y, and Z, and Rotation (rotation) represents the twist of the bone and is expressed by the X, Y, and Z axes. Each rotation angle is represented, and Scale represents the size of the bone, and is represented by a magnification in the X direction, a magnification in the Y direction, and a magnification in the Z direction. In one example, the storage device 14 stores game-related data including data regarding virtual objects constituting the virtual space, the local coordinate system of the target character, or the world coordinate position where each bone data is placed. For example, bone data forming the face of the target character is included in the game-related data.

In game A, the position of the virtual camera 32 with respect to the target character's face 31 (face object 31) is determined using angles α and β. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the position of the virtual camera 32 with respect to the face 31 of the target character using angles α and β. In this embodiment, the reference point of the local coordinate system is set at the center position of the target character's face 31 (for example, the center position of a plurality of bone data forming the face), and this reference point is the origin 41 of the local coordinate system. . As shown in Figure 6, the local coordinate system is arranged so that the z-axis direction is the front direction of the target character, the xz plane is the horizontal plane (horizontal direction), and the y-axis direction is the vertical direction. Set. The front vector 42 is a vector in the front direction (z-axis direction) of the target character's face, and the virtual camera position vector 43 is a vector from the reference point to the position of the virtual camera 32. The angle α is the angle (rotation angle) around the y-axis of the projection vector 44 obtained by projecting the virtual camera position vector 43 with respect to the front-facing vector 42 onto the xz plane, and the angle from the +z-axis direction to the +x-axis direction is a positive angle. , the angle toward the −x-axis direction is defined as a negative angle. The angle β is the angle formed by the virtual camera position vector 43 with the xz plane (horizontal direction), and the angle from the reference point in the +y-axis direction is defined as a positive angle, and the angle in the -y-axis direction is defined as a negative angle. It is something that

The storage device 14 stores each of the plurality of camera reference positions in association with each piece of bone data (or face image of the target character) that constitutes the face of the target character when viewed from each of these camera reference positions. do. In this embodiment, data in which each of the plurality of camera reference positions and each piece of bone data are stored in association with each other is called reference data, and is created in advance by, for example, a game developer. For example, the reference data is included in the game-related data. The reference data may be stored in a database format. When each piece of bone data that makes up the face of the target character is created, the mesh that makes up the face is uniquely determined, so the bone data that makes up the face of the target character must be stored in the form of a face image of the target character. I can do it. The camera reference position is the position of a virtual camera set in advance, and the face image (bone data) of the target character stored in association with the camera reference position is the target character's face image (bone data) as seen from the virtual camera placed at the camera reference position. This is a character's face image (bone data). For example, the camera reference position is set by a game developer or the like. The camera reference position is set at a plurality of positions separated by a predetermined distance from the reference point and having different directions (angles). Therefore, the plurality of camera reference positions are set to positions having the same distance from the reference point.

In the present embodiment, the camera reference positions CR include a position CR1 in the front direction of the target character, a position CR2 in the right direction, a position CR3 in the left direction, a position CR4 in the front diagonally upward direction (overhead direction), and a front diagonally downward direction (overhead direction). position CR5 in the diagonal direction), position CR6 in the diagonally lower right direction, and position CR7 in the diagonally lower left direction. In one example, the position CR1 of the target character in the front direction is a position where α=0° and β=0°, and the position CR2 in the right direction is a position where α=−90° and β=0°. , the position CR3 in the left direction is the position where α=90° and β=0°, the position CR4 in the diagonally upward direction from the front is the position where α=0° and β=60°, and the position CR3 in the diagonally downward direction from the front is the position where α=0° and β=60°. Position CR5 is a position where α=0° and β=-60°, and position CR6 diagonally downward to the right is a position where α=-70° and β=-55°, and a position diagonally downward to the left. CR7 is at the position α=70° and β=−55°. For example, each piece of bone data that constitutes the face of the target character when viewed from each of the camera reference positions is created in advance by a game developer or the like.

In the reference data, bone data constituting the face of the target character stored in association with the camera reference position CR1 in the front direction of the target character is stored as basic bone data. Bone data constituting the target character, which is included in the reference data and is stored in association with a position other than the camera reference position CR1 in the front direction of the target character, is data expressed by a difference from the basic bone data.

The weighting determination unit 23 determines a plurality of camera reference positions corresponding to the position of the virtual camera determined by the game control unit 21 from the plurality of camera reference positions included in the reference data, and calculates each of the determined camera reference positions. Determine the weight. The 3D model image generation unit 24 generates a face image of the target character viewed from the virtual camera based on the bone data associated with each of the determined camera reference positions and the determined weight. Note that the weighting determining unit 23 may simultaneously determine a plurality of camera reference positions according to the position of the virtual camera and their respective weights.

As mentioned above, the camera reference position is a position in virtual space, but since it is uniquely determined by the angle α and β, each camera reference position can be expressed as a position on the αβ plane. . The storage device 14 stores each of the camera reference positions included in the reference data in association with a position within the αβ plane. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of reference positions 51 to 57 in the αβ plane to which camera reference positions CR1 to CR7 are associated. In FIG. 7, the reference position 51 corresponds to the camera reference position CR1 in the front direction of the target character, the reference position 52 corresponds to the camera reference position CR2 in the right direction of the target character, and the reference position 53 corresponds to the camera reference position CR1 in the front direction of the target character. The reference position 54 corresponds to a camera reference position in the left direction, the reference position 54 corresponds to a camera reference position diagonally above the front of the target character, and the reference position 55 corresponds to a camera reference position diagonally below the front of the target character. The reference position 56 corresponds to the camera reference position in the diagonally lower right direction of the target character, and the reference position 57 corresponds to the camera reference position in the diagonally lower left direction of the target character.

On the αβ plane, a plurality of regions 61 to 72 are set based on a plurality of reference positions 51 to 57. The storage device 14 stores a plurality of regions 61 to 72 formed by a plurality of reference positions 51 to 57 on the αβ plane. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of regions formed by a plurality of reference positions on the αβ plane. FIG. 8 shows a plurality of regions 61-72 formed by a plurality of reference positions 51-57. The plurality of regions 61-72 include inner regions 61-66 formed inside the plurality of reference positions 51-57 and outer regions 67-72 formed outside. The inner regions 61 to 66 include triangular regions formed by three vertices of the plurality of reference positions 51 to 57, and the outer regions 67 to 72 include two vertices of the plurality of reference positions 51 to 57. Contains a polygonal region containing .

In the present embodiment, the weighting determination unit 23 determines a plurality of camera standards according to the position of the virtual camera based on the virtual camera position in the αβ plane corresponding to the position of the virtual camera and the plurality of reference positions 51 to 57. Determine the position.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual camera position 81 in the αβ plane corresponding to the position of the virtual camera determined by the game control unit 21. The virtual camera position 81 in the αβ plane shown in FIG. 9 is located in the inner regions 61 to 66. The weighting determination unit 23 determines a plurality of reference positions 51, 53, and 54 from the area 61 to which the virtual camera position 81 in the αβ plane corresponding to the position of the virtual camera determined by the game control unit 21 belongs. In this case, the weighting determination unit 23 determines three reference positions 51, 53, and 54, which are three vertices constituting the area to which the virtual camera position 81 belongs. The weight determination unit 23 determines the weight of each of the reference positions 51, 53, and 54, that is, the camera reference positions CR1, CR3, and Determine the weight for each of CR4.

For convenience of explanation, the camera reference position in the virtual space and the reference position in the αβ plane are expressed separately, but since the reference position in the αβ plane represents the camera reference position, they are the same. It can be treated as For example, determining the plurality of reference positions 51, 53, 54 can mean determining the plurality of camera reference positions CR1, CR3, CR4, and determining the plurality of camera reference positions CR1, CR3, CR4. Doing can mean determining a plurality of reference positions 51, 53, 54. Also, for example, determining the weight of each of the plurality of reference positions 51, 53, 54 can mean determining the weight of each of the plurality of camera reference positions CR1, CR3, CR4. Determining the weight of each of the positions CR1, CR3, CR4 can mean determining the weight of each of the plurality of reference positions 51, 53, 54.

In the present embodiment, when determining three reference positions, the weighting determining unit 23 determines that the weight is determined according to the length from the virtual camera position to the reference position in the αβ plane, and the sum of the weights of the reference positions is The weight of each of the three reference positions (camera reference positions) is determined so that 1 (100%). For example, the weighting determining unit 23 uses the αβw coordinate obtained by adding a weight w axis perpendicular to the αβ plane to determine the standard at three reference positions P1 (α1, β1), P2 (α2, β2), and P3 (α3, β3). The weight w1 at the position P1 is determined by the value of the weight w at the virtual camera position Q of a plane function where w=1 at P1 and w=0 at P2 and P3. In this case, similarly, the weight w2 of the reference position P2 is determined by the value of the weight w at the virtual camera position Q of the plane function where w=1 at P2 and w=0 at P1 and P3, and The weight w3 of P3 is determined by the value of the weight w at the virtual camera position Q of the plane function where w=1 at P3 and w=0 at P1 and P2. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how the weight of each reference position of the virtual camera position Q in the three reference positions P1, P2, and P3 is determined by a plane function.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual camera position 82 in the αβ plane corresponding to the position of the virtual camera determined by the game control unit 21. The virtual camera position 82 in the αβ plane shown in FIG. 11 is located in the outer regions 67-72. The weighting determination unit 23 determines a plurality of reference positions 53 and 54 from the area 67 to which the virtual camera position 82 in the αβ plane corresponding to the position of the virtual camera determined by the game control unit 21 belongs. In this case, the weighting determining unit 23 determines two reference positions 53 and 54 that are part of the vertices forming the area to which the virtual camera position 82 belongs. The weight determination unit 23 determines each of the reference positions 53 and 54 according to the length from the intersection of the perpendicular line to the straight line passing through the reference positions 53 and 54 of the virtual camera position 82 in the αβ plane to each of the reference positions 53 and 54. , that is, the weight of each of the camera reference positions CR3 and CR4.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual camera position 83 in the αβ plane corresponding to the position of the virtual camera determined by the game control unit 21. As in the case of the virtual camera position 82, the weighting determination unit 23 selects a plurality of reference positions 53, 54 from the area 67 to which the virtual camera position 83 in the αβ plane corresponding to the virtual camera position determined by the game control unit 21 belongs. Determine. In this case, the intersection of the perpendicular to the straight line passing through the reference positions 53 and 54 of the virtual camera position 83 in the αβ plane is not between the reference positions 53 and 54 but outside the reference position 53, so the weighting determination unit 23 The weight of the position 53 is determined to be 1, and the weight of the reference position 54 is determined to be 0.

In the present embodiment, the 3D model image generation unit 24 blends bone data forming the face of the target character associated with each of the determined camera reference positions with basic bone data based on each determined weight. By doing so, a face image of the target character as seen from the virtual camera is generated. For example, if the weights w1, w3, and w4 of the camera reference positions CR1, CR3, and CR4 are 0.7, 0.2, and 0.1, respectively, the 3D model image generation unit 24 associates the weights with the camera reference position CR3. A difference of 0.2 times the difference represented by the bone data associated with the camera reference position CR4 and a difference of 0.1 times the difference represented by the bone data associated with the camera reference position CR4 are blended into the basic bone data (for example, each Bone data is generated by adding the differences), and a face image of the target character is generated using the bone data.

Next, the processing of the game device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 13.

In step 101, the weight determination unit 23 determines a plurality of camera reference positions and determines a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions.

In step 102, the 3D model image generation unit 24 generates a face image of the target character as seen from the virtual camera based on the determined weights and bone data associated with each of the determined camera reference positions. .

Next, the main effects of the game device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be explained. In this embodiment, the game device 10 stores reference data created by a game developer or the like. The weight determination unit 23 determines a plurality of camera reference positions corresponding to the position of the virtual camera from a plurality of camera reference positions included in the reference data, and determines a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions. The 3D model image generation unit 24 generates a face image of the target character viewed from the virtual camera based on the bone data associated with each of the determined camera reference positions and the determined weight.

Conventionally, there has been a problem in that it is difficult to eliminate problems (inconsistencies) caused by misalignment of the mouth, nose, etc. that may occur when the face of a 3D model character is viewed from a virtual camera at an arbitrary angle. With the configuration of this embodiment, even if the virtual camera is changed to an arbitrary angle (position), the virtual camera can be adjusted to prevent problems such as the mouth and nose being misaligned. It is possible to generate a face image of the target character according to the angle. Further, with such a configuration, for example, in a game where the position of the virtual camera moves in real time, it becomes possible to dynamically generate an image of a 3D object according to the angle of the virtual camera. Note that in the embodiment of the present invention, increasing the camera reference position and the number of bone data stored in association with each other will improve the accuracy of the image, but the processing speed of the weighting determination unit 23 etc. will decrease, so the seven camera standards in FIG. Like the position, an appropriate number of camera reference positions are set.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, bone data other than the basic bone data is stored as difference data from the basic bone data, and the 3D model image generation unit 24 is configured to blend the difference according to the weight with the basic bone data. By doing so, it becomes possible to further reduce the amount of calculation in order to realize dynamic processing.

The above-mentioned effects are the same in other embodiments and modifications unless otherwise specified.

The bone data configuring the face of the target character described in the embodiment of the present invention is an example of 3D data (3D model data) representing the face of the target character. For example, basic bone data is an example of basic 3D data. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the 3D data representing the face of the target character may be mesh data (for example, polygon mesh data) that constitutes the face of the target character. In this case, the storage device 14 stores mesh data representing the face of the target character.

The generation of a face image of a 3D character in a virtual space by the game device 10 (the weighting determination unit 23 and the 3D model image generation unit 24) described in the embodiment of the present invention is an example of image generation of a 3D object by the game device 10. It is. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the game device 10 generates, for any 3D object, an image of the 3D object viewed from the virtual camera in the same manner as the face of the target character described in the above embodiments. can do. For example, in this case, the storage device 14 stores, as reference data, each of the plurality of camera reference positions and each piece of 3D data of the 3D object when viewed from each of the camera reference positions in association with each other. The 3D object may be part or all of a 3D character including a face, or may be any virtual object other than a virtual character. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the game device 10 (weighting determination unit 23 and 3D model image generation unit 24) can generate an image of any 3D object including a virtual character that is not an operation target, Furthermore, for example, images of a plurality of virtual characters can be generated simultaneously or sequentially. The game device 10 can also generate an image of a virtual space including the 3D object.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the game device 10 will be described as generating an image of a 3D object placed in a virtual space in game A, but the game device 10 is not limited to this. The game device 10 can generate an image of a 3D object placed in a virtual space in the same way as the target character in game A in any system other than game A, for example in any simulation system.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the game control unit 21 is a functional unit realized by the entire game program, and the weighting determination unit 23 and the 3D model image generation unit 24 are functions of the game program referenced by the main program among the game programs. Although it can be considered as a functional unit (software module) that realizes a part of the system, it is not limited thereto. The functions of the weighting determination section 23 and the 3D model image generation section 24 may be incorporated into the main program. For example, the game control unit 21 determines the position of the virtual camera according to the progress of the game, the weighting determination unit 23 acquires the determined position of the virtual camera, and sets a plurality of camera standards according to the acquired position of the virtual camera. The positions may be determined and a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions may be determined. Alternatively, for example, the game control unit 21 determines the position of the virtual camera according to the progress of the game, and determines a plurality of camera reference positions according to the determined virtual camera position, and each of the determined camera reference positions weight can be determined.

The local coordinate system shown in FIG. 6 described in the embodiment of the present invention is an example of a local coordinate system set to the face 31 of the target character. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, any local coordinate system can be set for the 3D object (face 31 of the target character). For example, the origin 41 of the local coordinate system can be any position other than the center position of the face 31 of the target character. For example, the coordinate axes of the local coordinate system may be set differently with respect to the face 31 of the target character, the xy plane may be horizontal and the z direction may be vertical, or the yz plane may be horizontal and x The direction may be vertical. For example, the local coordinate system does not need to be set so that the front vector 42 is in the same direction as the z-axis. Further, for example, the reference point and the origin 41 may not be at the same position. Further, for example, the reference point is preferably set at a position around the center of the face 31, but may be set at another position.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, when having the same functions as the weighting determination unit 23 and the 3D model image generation unit 24 of the embodiment of the present invention, the angle α and the angle β are different from those shown in FIG. It may be set as follows.

The plurality of regions based on the plurality of reference positions shown in FIG. 8 and described in the embodiment of the present invention are examples of regions set on the αβ plane. For example, a game developer or the like can set an area different from the area shown in FIG. 8 on the αβ plane based on reference positions corresponding to a plurality of camera reference positions included in the reference data. For example, in the αβ plane, areas having four reference positions as vertices may be set. In this case, if there is a virtual camera position in the αβ plane corresponding to the virtual camera position within this area, the weighting determining unit 23 determines four reference positions constituting this area, and determines the four reference positions of the four reference positions. After determining each weight, the 3D model image generation unit 24 generates a 3D image as seen from the virtual camera based on the 3D data (bone data) associated with each of the four reference positions and each of the determined weights. An image of the object (face image of the target character) can be generated.

The camera reference positions CR1 to CR7 included in the reference data described in the embodiment of the present invention are examples of camera reference positions. A game developer, etc. selects a plurality of arbitrary camera reference positions, and associates each of these camera reference positions with each piece of bone data that constitutes the target character's face when viewed from each of the camera reference positions. can be stored as reference data. However, the camera reference position includes the position CR1 in the front direction of the target character. In one preferred example, the camera reference positions CR included in the reference data are a position CR1 in the front direction of the target character, a position CR2 in the right direction, a position CR3 in the left direction, a position CR4 in the front diagonal upper direction, and a front diagonal lower direction. , a position CR6 in the diagonally lower right direction, and a position CR7 in the diagonally lower right direction. In the embodiment of the present invention, the face of the target character when viewed from a virtual camera placed diagonally below the target character, and the face of the target character when viewed from a virtual camera placed in front of the target character. In this case, problems such as misalignment of the mouth and nose are particularly likely to occur, so by configuring the camera reference position to include position CR6 in the diagonally lower right direction and position CR7 in the diagonally lower left direction, it is possible to This makes it possible to further suppress the occurrence of such problems.

In the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, a reference position in the αβ plane that is associated with the camera reference position is set according to the setting of the camera reference position, and a plurality of regions formed in the αβ plane are Set. Therefore, when different camera reference positions are set, the reference positions in the αβ plane become different, and the plurality of regions based on the plurality of reference positions also become different. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of regions formed by a plurality of reference positions on the αβ plane. FIG. 14 shows a plurality of reference positions O, V, VO, D, DO, RF, R, RO, LF, L, LO, DR, DL, DRO, and DLO associated with each of the plurality of camera reference positions. A plurality of regions a1 to a26 are shown.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the game control unit 21 may determine the position of the virtual camera such that the virtual camera position in the αβ plane is an area inside the plurality of reference positions. You can choose the location.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, when three reference positions are determined, the weighting determination unit 23 uses a predetermined function so that the total weight of the reference positions becomes 1 (100%). The weight of each of the three reference positions (camera reference positions) can be determined. For example, the weighting determining unit 23 uses the αβw coordinate obtained by adding a weight w axis perpendicular to the αβ plane to determine the standard at three reference positions P1 (α1, β1), P2 (α2, β2), and P3 (α3, β3). The weight w1 at the position P1 is determined by the value of the weight w at the virtual camera position Q of a predetermined function F1, where w=1 at P1 and w=0 at P2 and P3. In this case, similarly, the weight w2 of the reference position P2 is determined by the value of the weight w at the virtual camera position Q of the predetermined function F2, where w=1 at P2 and w=0 at P1 and P3, and The weight w3 at the position P3 is determined by the value of the weight w at the virtual camera position Q of a predetermined function F3 where w=1 at P3 and w=0 at P1 and P2. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the predetermined function F1. The predetermined functions F1, F2, and F3 are set such that F1(Q)+F2(Q)+F3(Q)=1 for any position Q in a region within at least three reference positions P1, P2, and P3. A function is set. Note that even when two reference positions or four or more reference positions are determined, the weighting determination unit 23 uses a predetermined function so that the total weight of the reference positions becomes 1 (100%). The weight of each reference position (camera reference position) can be determined.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, when the virtual camera position in the αβ plane is between a plurality of regions, the weighting determination unit 23 determines that the virtual camera position in the αβ plane belongs to one of the regions according to a preset rule. Multiple camera reference positions can be determined. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, when the virtual camera position in the αβ plane is between a plurality of regions, the weight determination unit 23 determines the weight as belonging to which of the plurality of regions. It is possible to set a function to be used for each region when determining the weight so that the same value is obtained even when the weight is determined.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the storage device 14 stores, as reference data, bone data constituting an expressionless face or a face with a normal expression of the target character in association with the camera reference position CR1 in the front direction of the target character. .

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the storage device 14 includes, as reference data, bone data that constitutes an expressionless face of the target character in association with the camera reference position CR1 in the front direction of the target character, and one or more predetermined It is possible to store facial expression data related to facial expressions. In this embodiment, the face with one or more predetermined expressions includes a smiling face, an angry face, a sad face, etc., and the facial expression data includes the target character's neutral expression of bone data that constitutes the target character's face with the predetermined expression. This data is expressed by the difference from the bone data that makes up the face. In this embodiment, for example, the game control unit 21 determines the facial expression of the target character according to the progress of the game. In this case, the 3D model image generation unit 24 blends the bone data constituting the face of the target character associated with each of the determined camera reference positions with the basic bone data based on the respective determined weights, and further By blending the facial expression data corresponding to the facial expression of the target character determined by the game control unit 21 (for example, by adding the difference between the corresponding facial expression data), it is possible to generate a facial image of the target character as seen from the virtual camera. In this way, the image generation process of the game device 10 of this embodiment can be applied even when the face of the target character has multiple expressions.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, in the reference data, the bone data constituting the face of the target character stored in association with the camera reference position CR1 in the front direction of the target character may not be stored as basic bone data. good. That is, the reference data does not need to include basic bone data. In this case, the bone data constituting the target character stored in the reference data in association with the camera reference position other than the camera reference position CR1 in the front direction of the target character is not a difference from the basic bone data, but each This is the bone data itself that constitutes the target character when viewed from the camera reference position. Alternatively, in the reference data, bone data constituting the target character stored in association with a camera reference position other than the camera reference position CR1 in the front direction of the target character may be stored as basic bone data.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, when the virtual camera position in the αβ plane is the same as the camera reference position, the weighting determining unit 23 determines one camera reference position. In this case, the 3D model image generation unit 24 generates an image of the 3D object using 3D data associated with the determined camera reference position.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the camera reference positions may not be at the same distance from the reference point. In this case, the 3D model image generation unit 24 generates an image of the 3D object in consideration of the distance of the virtual camera.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the game device 10 is an example of a game system that includes one or more devices, and the game system includes a client terminal operated by a user and a server that provides a game. It may also be a client server system with a

In other embodiments of the present invention, a program that implements the functions of the embodiment of the present invention described above and the information processing shown in the flowchart, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the program may be used. In other embodiments, a program having the functions of the weighting determining section 23 and the 3D model image generating section 24, which are independent of a main program such as a game, or an image generating device or an image generating system having the functions may be provided.

In other embodiments, a method may be used to implement the functions of the embodiments of the present invention described above and the information processing shown in the flowcharts. In other embodiments, a server can be used that can supply a computer with a program that implements the functions of the embodiments of the present invention described above and the information processing shown in the flowcharts. In other embodiments, the game system or image generation system that implements the functions of the embodiments of the present invention described above and the information processing shown in the flowcharts may be a virtual machine or a cloud system.

In the processing or operation described above, the processing or operation can be freely changed as long as there is no contradiction in processing or operation. Further, each of the embodiments described above is an illustration for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof.

10 Game device 11 Processor 12 Input device 13 Display device 14 Storage device 15 Communication device 16 Bus 21 Game control section 23 Weighting determination section 24 3D model image generation section 31 Face 32 Virtual camera 41 Origin 42 Front vector 43 Virtual camera position vector 44 Projection vectors 51-57 Reference positions 61-72 Areas 81-83 Virtual camera positions

Claims (10)

A program for generating an image of a 3D object in a virtual space as seen from a virtual camera, the program comprising:
A plurality of camera reference positions corresponding to the position of the virtual camera are selected from a plurality of camera reference positions included in reference data in which 3D data of a 3D object viewed from the camera reference position and the camera reference position are stored in association with each other. determining a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions;
generating an image of the 3D object as seen from the virtual camera based on the 3D data associated with each of the determined camera reference positions and the determined weight;
run the
The reference data includes a camera reference position on the front direction vector of the 3D object, and basic 3D data that is 3D data of the 3D object associated with the camera reference position,
3D data other than the basic 3D data included in the reference data is data expressed by differences from the basic 3D data,
Generating an image of the 3D object as seen from the virtual camera by blending the 3D data of the 3D object associated with each of the determined camera reference positions into the base 3D data based on the respective determined weights. generating an image of the 3D object;
program. The program according to claim 1, wherein the 3D data is bone data or mesh data constituting a 3D object. The program is a program for a game that is played by placing 3D objects in a virtual space.
Perform a step to determine the position of the virtual camera as the game progresses,
The step of determining weights includes determining a plurality of camera reference positions corresponding to the determined virtual camera position from a plurality of camera reference positions, and determining a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions.
The program according to claim 1. 3D objects are defined by a local coordinate system,
The camera reference position is defined as the rotation angle α in the horizontal direction of a direction vector from the reference point of the local coordinate system to the virtual camera with respect to the front-facing vector of the 3D object corresponding to one direction of the local coordinate system, and the angle β formed with the horizontal direction. is associated with the position in the αβ plane represented by
The step of determining the weight is based on a position in the αβ plane corresponding to the position of the acquired virtual camera and a plurality of positions in the αβ plane to which a plurality of camera reference positions are associated. determining a plurality of camera reference positions according to the camera position, and determining a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions;
The program according to claim 1. The αβ plane has multiple areas formed by multiple camera reference positions,
The step of determining weights includes determining a plurality of camera reference positions from the area to which the position in the αβ plane corresponding to the position of the virtual camera belongs, and determining the camera reference positions determined from the position in the αβ plane corresponding to the position of the virtual camera. determining the weight of each of the camera reference positions according to the length to the position to which the position is associated;
The program according to claim 4. The 3D object is a face object representing the face of a 3D character,
The basic 3D data is 3D data of a face object when it is expressionless,
The reference data includes facial expression data representing a difference between the 3D data of the facial object and the basic 3D data when the facial object has a predetermined facial expression;
The step of generating an image of the 3D object includes blending the 3D data of the 3D object corresponding to each of the determined camera reference positions with the basic 3D data based on each determined weight, and further blending the corresponding facial expression data. 6. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , comprising: generating an image of the 3D object as seen from a virtual camera. The reference data includes 3D data of the 3D object when viewed from the camera reference position from the diagonally lower right direction, and 3D data of the 3D object when viewed from the camera reference position from the diagonally lower left direction. The program described in 1. A computer-implemented method for generating a virtual camera view of a 3D object, the method comprising:
A plurality of camera reference positions corresponding to the position of the virtual camera are selected from a plurality of camera reference positions included in reference data in which 3D data of a 3D object viewed from the camera reference position and the camera reference position are stored in association with each other. determining a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions;
generating an image of the 3D object as seen from the virtual camera based on the 3D data associated with each of the determined camera reference positions and the determined weight;
including ;
The reference data includes a camera reference position on the front direction vector of the 3D object, and basic 3D data that is 3D data of the 3D object associated with the camera reference position,
3D data other than the basic 3D data included in the reference data is data expressed by differences from the basic 3D data,
Generating an image of a 3D object as seen from a virtual camera by blending the 3D data of the 3D object associated with each of the determined camera reference positions into the base 3D data based on each determined weight. generating an image of the 3D object;
Method. An image generation device that generates an image of a 3D object viewed from a virtual camera,
storing 3D data of a 3D object when viewed from a camera reference position in association with each of the camera reference positions;
determining a plurality of camera reference positions corresponding to the position of the virtual camera from the plurality of stored camera reference positions, determining a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions;
generating an image of the 3D object as seen from the virtual camera based on the 3D data associated with each of the determined camera reference positions and the determined weight;
configured as,
The reference data includes a camera reference position on the front direction vector of the 3D object, and basic 3D data that is 3D data of the 3D object associated with the camera reference position,
3D data other than the basic 3D data included in the reference data is data expressed by differences from the basic 3D data,
Generating an image of a 3D object as seen from a virtual camera by blending the 3D data of the 3D object associated with each of the determined camera reference positions into the base 3D data based on each determined weight. generating an image of the 3D object;
Image generation device. A game system that generates an image of a 3D object viewed from a virtual camera,
storing 3D data of a 3D object when viewed from a camera reference position in association with each of the camera reference positions;
determining a plurality of camera reference positions corresponding to the position of the virtual camera from the plurality of stored camera reference positions, determining a weight for each of the determined camera reference positions;
generating an image of the 3D object as seen from the virtual camera based on the 3D data associated with each of the determined camera reference positions and the determined weight;
It is configured as follows ,
The reference data includes a camera reference position on the front direction vector of the 3D object, and basic 3D data that is 3D data of the 3D object associated with the camera reference position,
3D data other than the basic 3D data included in the reference data is data expressed by differences from the basic 3D data,
Generating an image of a 3D object as seen from a virtual camera by blending the 3D data of the 3D object associated with each of the determined camera reference positions into the base 3D data based on each determined weight. generating an image of the 3D object;
game system.

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