JPH10302086A - Image generating device and information storing medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image generating device capable of really expressing the sense of abundant masses and the sense of softness of a display object and an information storing medium. SOLUTION: Each of objects 20-1 to 20-5 is constituted of plural polygons and has curved surfaces near junction boundaries 22-1 to 22-4 on adjacent objects. These objects 22-1 to 22-5 are continued in a mutually superposed state. The superposed relation of the polygons on the junction boundaries 22-1 to 22-4 of adjacent objects is changed in real time to express the sense of abundant masses of the display object. When these objects 20-1 to 20-5 are spheres, a distance between adjacent objects is D and the radiuses of respective objects are R1 and R2, the relation of R1-R2<D<R1+R2 or R1-R2<D<=(R1<2> -R2<2> )<1/2> is formed. It is also available to set up the numbers of divided polygons of objects to respectively different numbers for each display object.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image generating apparatus and an information storage medium for generating a view image at a given viewpoint in an object space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an image generating apparatus which arranges a plurality of objects in an object space which is a virtual three-dimensional space and generates a view image from a given viewpoint. It is popular because it allows you to experience the so-called virtual reality.

In order to realize virtual reality, in this type of image generation apparatus, a display object is represented using an object composed of a plurality of primitive surfaces such as polygons and curved surfaces.
However, this method using objects composed of polygons is suitable for expressing solid objects,
It is not suitable for expressing soft or bushy objects.
Therefore, for example, it was not possible to realistically express a soft and bushy object such as the tail of a horse in a horse racing game.

The present invention has been made to solve the above technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to generate an image capable of realistically expressing the fullness and softness of a display object. An object is to provide an apparatus and an information storage medium.

[0005]

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image generating apparatus for generating a view image at a given viewpoint in an object space, wherein each object includes a plurality of objects. Prepare a plurality of objects that are constituted by primitive surfaces and have a curved surface at least near a joint boundary with an adjacent object, and prepare a plurality of objects that are connected to each other while overlapping each other, and that an overlapping relationship of the primitive surfaces at the joint boundary of adjacent objects is real-time. It is characterized by including means for changing, and means for generating a view image including images of the plurality of objects.

[0006] According to the present invention, a plurality of objects that are connected to each other while overlapping each other are prepared. Each of these objects is composed of a primitive surface such as a polygon or a curved surface. Each object is
It has a curved surface near the joint boundary between adjacent objects. Then, in the present invention, the view image is synthesized while changing the overlapping relationship of the primitive surfaces at the joint boundary in real time. With this configuration, the vertical relationship between the primitive surface of one object and the primitive surface of the other object changes in real time at the joint boundary, so that the fullness and softness of the display object can be realistically expressed.

In order to realize a more realistic feeling of fullness and the like, it is desirable to change the position and direction of the joining boundary in real time. Further, the shape of the object only needs to have a curved surface at least near the joint boundary, and various objects such as a spherical object and an elliptical spherical object can be considered. However, a curved surface here means that a surface composed of a plurality of primitive surfaces is entirely approximated by a curved surface.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that one adjacent object overlaps with the other object, and the one object and the other object are in a non-inclusive relation. In this way, it is possible to guarantee that a joint boundary is provided between adjacent objects, and a natural representation of a display object having a fullness can be achieved.

[0009] The present invention also relates to a tangent vector of the curved surface at the joint boundary of the one object and a tangent vector of the curved surface at the joint boundary of the other object, wherein the direction of the joint boundary is determined by the direction of the joint boundary. It is characterized by being in the same quadrant in a coordinate system defined by orthogonal directions. In this way, it is possible to prevent a conspicuous dent from occurring at the joint boundary between objects, and it is possible to represent a display object having a smooth outer shape.

The present invention is also characterized in that each of the plurality of objects is a sphere object, and the radius of one adjacent sphere object is different from the radius of the other sphere object. In this way, for example, a streamlined display object or the like can be represented by a simple method of simply connecting a plurality of spherical objects by overlapping them.

Further, according to the present invention, the distance between the centers of the one spherical object and the other spherical object is D, the radius of the one spherical object is R1, and the radius of the other spherical object is R2 (R1> R2). ), Then R
1−R2 <D <R1 + R2. By doing so, it is possible to guarantee that a joint boundary is provided between adjacent sphere objects, and a natural representation of a display object having a bushy feeling can be achieved.

Further, according to the present invention, R1−R2 <D ≦ (R1 ²
−R2 ² ) ^1/2 is satisfied. By doing so, a noticeable depression can be prevented from occurring at the joint boundary between the spherical objects, and a display object having a smooth outer shape can be expressed.

[0013] The present invention is also characterized in that the number of divisions of the primitive surface of a plurality of objects representing a first display object is made different from the number of divisions of the primitive surface of a plurality of objects representing a second display object. Features. As described above, if the number of divisions of the primitive surface is made different for each display object, the number of junction boundaries and the degree of change in the overlapping relationship of the primitive surfaces can be made different for each display object. Therefore, a display object having a different fullness can be expressed, and the variety of images obtained can be increased.

According to the present invention, at least one of a position of a representative point of the plurality of objects, a direction of an arc connecting the object representative points, a distance between the object representative points, and a size of the plurality of objects is determined. It is characterized by changing. By employing such a method, it is possible to easily change, for example, the overlapping relationship of the primitive surfaces at the joint boundary of the objects. However, the method of changing the joining boundary and the overlapping relationship is not limited to the above method.

Further, the present invention is an image generating apparatus for generating a view image at a given viewpoint in an object space,
Each object is composed of a plurality of primitive planes spatially discretely arranged and has a joint boundary between adjacent objects, and prepares a plurality of objects overlapping and continuous with each other, and joining the adjacent objects. It is characterized by including means for changing the overlapping relationship of the primitive surfaces at the boundary in real time, and means for generating a view image including images of the plurality of objects.

According to the present invention, a plurality of continuous objects are prepared while overlapping each other. Each of these objects is composed of primitive planes that are spatially discretely arranged. Further, each object has a joint boundary between adjacent objects. Then, in the present invention, the view image is synthesized while changing the overlapping relationship of the primitive surfaces at the joint boundary in real time. This enables a realistic expression of the fullness and softness of the display object. In addition, in order to realize a more realistic feeling of fullness, it is desirable to change the position, direction, and the like of the joining boundary in real time.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the principle of the present embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, a plurality of objects 20-1 to 20
Prepare -5. These objects 20-1, 20-2,
Each of 20-3, 20-4, and 20-5 is composed of a plurality of primitive surfaces (polygons, curved surfaces, etc.). Also, at least the joint boundaries 22-1 and 22- between the adjacent objects.
It has curved surfaces near 2, 22-3 and 22-4. Here, the curved surface means that a surface formed by some primitive surfaces is approximated by a curved surface as a whole. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, which will be described later, the overlapping relationship between the primitive surfaces at the joint boundaries 22-1 to 22-4 of the adjacent objects is changed in real time.
Then, a view image including images of these objects 20-1 to 20-5 is generated. This makes it possible to express the feeling that the tail and the like of the horse are bushy, and can greatly increase the reality of the obtained image. In this embodiment, the joining boundary 2
Since the positions, directions, and the like of 2-1 to 22-4 can be changed in real time, more realistic expression of the fullness can be achieved.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the objects 20-1 to 20-5 employed in this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the objects 20-1 to 20-5 are spherical objects composed of a plurality of polygons. The radius of one adjacent object is different from the radius of the other object. An image as shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained by overlapping these objects 20-1 to 20-5 under a constraint condition defined by a relational expression described later.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a description will be given of the overlapping relationship at the joint boundary of polygons constituting an object. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the drawing priority order when erasing the hidden surfaces of the polygons 30 and 32 is determined by the depth values Z1 and Z2 of the polygon representative points 36 and 38.

In FIG. 3A, since the depth value Z1 of the polygon 30 is smaller than the depth value Z2 of the polygon 32, it is determined that the polygon 30 is on the near side with respect to the screen. Therefore, the polygon 30 is overwritten on the portion E of the polygon 32, and the portion E of the polygon 32 is not drawn.

On the other hand, in FIG. 3B, since the depth value Z2 of the polygon 32 is smaller than the depth value Z1 of the polygon 30, it is determined that the polygon 32 is on the near side with respect to the screen. You. Therefore, F of polygon 30
Is overwritten with the polygon 32, and the portion F of the polygon 30 is not drawn.

That is, when the positional relationship between the polygon representative points 36 and 38 changes, the overlapping relationship between the polygons 30 and 32 changes. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the position of the joint boundary 34 between adjacent objects can be changed.

In this embodiment, as will be described later, the position of a representative point of an adjacent object, the direction of an arc connecting the object representative points, the distance between the object representative points, and the like are changed. As a result, the positional relationship between the representative points 36 and 38 of the polygons 30 and 32 near the joint boundary 34 of the object changes, and as a result, as shown in FIGS. , 32 will change.

In order to realistically express the fullness and softness of the display object, it is desirable to apply a shading process to the display object based on a given light source, as shown in FIG. That is, the shading of one polygon at the joint boundary of one object is usually different from the shading of the other polygon at the joint boundary of the other object. This is because the direction to the light source is usually different between the one polygon and the other polygon. If the shading of one polygon is different from the shading of the other polygon, as shown in FIG.
When the overlapping relationship of the polygons changes as shown in FIG. 7B, the player can effectively recognize the change in the overlapping relationship. That is, it is possible to more effectively convey the fullness of the displayed object to the player.

The images shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 show how the overlapping relationship of polygons at the joint boundary of adjacent objects changes in real time. For example, in FIG. , Object 20
The -3 polygons 40 and 42 are both above the polygons 44 and 46 of the object 20-2. However, after a given time, the polygon 40 will be below the polygons 44, 46, as shown in FIG. 5, and after a further given time, as shown in FIG. Both polygons 40 and 42 are below polygons 44 and 46 of object 20-2. That is, the overlapping relationship of the polygons changes. This makes it possible to realistically express the fullness and softness of the display object.

In FIG. 1 and FIG.
Although a spherical object is adopted as -1 to 20-5, various objects such as an elliptical spherical object having a contour of a cut surface of an ellipse can be adopted. That is, the objects 20-1 to 20-5 have at least the joining boundaries 22-1 to 22.
Any material having a curved surface near -4 may be used. Each of the objects 20-1 to 20-5 can be formed by various more complicated primitive surfaces in addition to polygons and curved surfaces. Also, the arrangement relationship between the objects 20-1 to 20-5 can be maintained in the form of the display object represented by the object with respect to any deformation operation, particularly as shown in FIG. It is not limited to the one shown in FIG. Further, the magnitude relationship between the objects is not limited to that shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a functional block diagram of the image generating apparatus according to the present embodiment. Here, the operation unit 10 is for inputting operation information from the player, and the operation information obtained by the operation unit 10 is input to the processing unit 100. The processing unit 100 performs a process of setting an object space in which a plurality of objects representing display objects are arranged based on the operation information and a given program or the like. It is composed of hardware. The image generation unit 200 performs a process of generating a view image that can be viewed from a given viewpoint in the set object space.
P, an IC dedicated to image generation, and hardware such as a memory. The view image obtained by the image generation unit 200 is displayed on the display unit 12.

Here, the processing unit 100 includes the joining boundary changing unit 1
10 inclusive. Then, the joint boundary changing unit 110 performs a process of changing the overlapping relationship of the primitive surfaces at the joint boundary of the adjacent objects in real time. More specifically, as described later, processing is performed to change the positions of the representative points of the plurality of objects, the direction of the arc connecting the object representative points, the distance between the object representative points, the size of the object, and the like.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a visual field image generated by this embodiment. In this embodiment, the horse 6 displayed on the screen is displayed.
This is a virtual experience of the zero jockey 62.
Operate the horse 60 on the screen and enjoy a horse racing game that competes with other horses 64 and 66. At this time, the image of the third person viewpoint is projected on the display. For this reason, the player can see the image of the tail 68 of the horse 60 operated by the player. In the present embodiment, the tail 68 is represented by a plurality of objects as shown in FIG. And this tail 6
8 sways swaying as the horse 60 moves up, down, left and right. That is, in this embodiment, the position of the object representative point, the direction of the arc connecting the object representative points, and the like are changed according to the up, down, left, and right movements of the horse 60, and the tail 6
8 is expressed. When the position or the like of the object representative point changes, the overlapping relationship of the polygons at the joint boundary of the objects changes. As a result, the fullness of the tail 68 can be expressed, and the reality of the obtained image can be significantly increased.

In this embodiment, the positional relationship between a plurality of objects is set as follows. First, the positional relationship between the objects is set so that one adjacent object overlaps the other object and one object and the other object do not have an inclusive relationship. Taking the case where the object is a sphere object as an example, the results are as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. That is, the distance between the centers of the adjacent objects 70-1 and 70-2 having different radii is D, the radius of the object 70-1 is R1, and the radius of the object 70-2 is R2 (R1> R
In the case of 2), the positional relationship between the objects 70-1 and 70-2 is set such that the relationship of R1-R2 <D <R1 + R2 is satisfied. By establishing such a relationship, it is possible to provide a joint boundary between the objects 70-1 and 70-2. As a result, it is possible to change the overlapping relationship of polygons at the joining boundary, and it is possible to express a bushy feeling.

When a display object such as a tail is represented by a plurality of objects, it is desirable to make the external shape of the display object look as smooth as possible. In particular, even when the display object is deformed by changing the position or the like of the object representative point (when the tail is bent up, down, left, or right), it is desirable that the outer shape of the display object is smooth. However, if the positional relationship between the objects is set as shown in FIG. 10A, the dent becomes conspicuous at positions such as E, F, and G, which are the joining boundaries between the objects, and the outer shape of the display object 72 is reduced. Not smooth. On the other hand, FIG.
If the setting is made as shown in (B), the dent is not conspicuous at the positions of H, I, and J, which are the joining boundaries between the objects, and the outer shape of the display object 74 is smooth.

In this embodiment, in order to represent a display object having a smooth outer shape as shown in FIG. 10B, a tangent vector of a curved surface at a joint boundary of one adjacent object is obtained.
The tangent vector of the curved surface at the joint boundary of the other object is set to be the same quadrant in the coordinate system defined by the direction of the joint boundary and the direction orthogonal thereto.

That is, in FIG. 11A, the tangent vector 82 of the curved surface 78 at the joint boundary 76 of one object
Is in the third quadrant in a coordinate system (U, V coordinate system) defined by the direction of the joint boundary 76 and the direction orthogonal thereto. On the other hand, the tangent vector 84 of the curved surface 80 at the joint boundary 76 of the other object is different from the tangent vector 82 and is in the second quadrant. When the positional relationship between the objects is set in this way, as shown by K in FIG. 11A, the dent at the joining boundary 76 becomes very conspicuous, and the external shape of the display object cannot be kept smooth.

On the other hand, in FIG. 11B, the tangent vector 82 of the curved surface 78 at the joint boundary 76 of one object and the tangent vector 84 of the curved surface 80 at the joint boundary 76 of the other object are both within the third quadrant. It is in. In this embodiment, since the positional relationship between the objects is set as described above, the depression at the joint boundary 76 can be made inconspicuous as shown by L in FIG. It is possible to keep it smooth.

That is, in FIG. 11B, before the tangent vector of the curved surface 78 exceeds the V axis and enters the fourth quadrant, the joint boundary 7
6 is coming. That is, the tangent vector 82 at the joint boundary 76
Is in the third quadrant, not the fourth quadrant. Therefore, the curved surface 7
8, and 80 are regarded as one curved surface, the direction of the tangent vector of the curved surface regarded as one is represented by tangent vector 8
In the direction of the tangent vector 84 from the direction of No. 2, it changes smoothly at the junction boundary 76. Therefore, the outer shape of the display object is kept smooth.

The setting of such a positional relationship is as follows when the object is a spherical object.

That is, in FIG.
The distance between the centers of -1 and 70-2 is D, the radius of the object 70-1 is R1, and the radius of the object 70-2 is R2 (R1>
When R2), the relationship of D> (R1 ² −R2 ² ) ^1/2 holds. In this case, as shown by M in FIG. 12A, a dent at the joining boundary becomes conspicuous.

On the other hand, in FIGS. 12B and 12C, D ≦
The relationship of (R1 ² −R2 ² ) ^1/2 is established. In this case, as shown by N and O in FIGS. 12B and 12C, the dent at the joining boundary is not conspicuous, and even when the display object is deformed, the outer shape of the display object can always be kept smooth. It becomes possible.

For example, in FIG. 12A, the joint boundary 58 between the spherical objects 70-1 and 70-2 is at the curved surface Q as shown in FIG. Therefore, the junction boundary 58 comes after the curved surface changes from P to Q, that is, after the tangent vector moves from the second quadrant to the first quadrant as shown by R and S. For this reason, the depression of the outer shape becomes conspicuous.
On the other hand, in FIGS. 12B and 12C, the joining boundary 58 is at the curved surface P as shown in FIG. 13B. Therefore,
Before the surface moves from P to Q, that is, the tangent vector is T, W
Before the transition from the second quadrant to the first quadrant, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the depression of the outer shape is not conspicuous, and the outer shape of the display object can be kept smooth.

As described above, when the object is a spherical object, it is desirable that the relationship of R1−R2 <D <R1 + R2 holds. And to smooth the outline of the display object is further D ≦ Additionally (R1 ² -R
2 ² ) ^1/2 is satisfied, that is, R1−R2 <D
It is desirable that the relationship of ≦ (R1 ² −R2 ² ) ^1/2 be satisfied.

In order to represent the display object 74 having a shape as shown in FIG. 10B, for example, first, the radius of the object 70-1 is determined from the maximum waist of the display object 74. The above relation R1-R2 <D ≦ (R1 2 -R2 2)
The radius of the object 70-2 is determined by applying ^1/2 to the objects 70-1 and 70-2, and the object 70-4 is applied to the object 70-1 and 70-4. Determine the radius of Further, the above relational expression R1-R2 <
D ≦ (R1 ² −R2 ² ) ^1/2 is calculated using the objects 70-2 and 7
The radius of the object 70-3 is determined by applying it between 0-3, and the radius of the object 70-5 is determined by applying it between the objects 70-4 and 70-5. In this manner, a display object having a streamlined shape in which the depression of the outer shape is not conspicuous as shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment, the number of divisions of polygons (primitive surfaces) of a plurality of objects representing a first display object is made different from the number of divisions of polygons of a plurality of objects representing a second display object. I have. For example, in FIG. 14, the polygon division number (the number of longitude lines and latitude lines) of the object 88 representing the tail 86 is large, and the polygon division number of the object 89 representing the tail 87 is small.
By doing so, it is possible to make the tail feeling of the tail 86 and the tail feeling of the tail 87 different. If the number of polygon divisions is large, the number of junction boundaries increases, the number of places where the overlapping relationship of polygons changes will increase, the surface of the display object will change more finely, and if the number of polygon divisions is small, the number of junction boundaries will decrease, This is because the number of places where the overlapping relationship of polygons changes is reduced, and the surface of the display object changes more coarsely. That is, by adjusting the number of divisions of the polygon, it is possible to adjust the fullness of the displayed object. For example, in FIG. 8, the horse 60 operated by the player
If the number of polygon divisions of the tail 68 is different from the number of polygon divisions of the tails 65 and 67 of the horses 64 and 66 operated by another player or computer, the tail 68 has a fullness.
The tail feeling of the tails 65 and 67 can be made different, and the variety of images that can be expressed can be significantly increased.

There are various methods for changing the overlapping relationship of polygons at the joint boundary between objects. For example, in FIG. 15A, the positions of the object representative points 90-1, 90-2, 90-3, and 90-4 (x
1, y1, z1), (x2, y2, z2), (x3, y3, z
3), (x4, y4, z4) or the directions (α1, β) of the arcs 92-1, 92-2, 92-3 connecting the object representative points.
1, γ1), (α2, β2, γ2), (α3, β3, γ3). When the object is a sphere object, for example, the center point of the sphere is the object representative point, but other various points can be used as the object representative point. When the position of the object representative point or the direction of the arc changes, the positional relationship between adjacent objects also changes. As a result, the overlapping relationship of the polygons at the joint boundary also changes.

In FIG. 15B, the distance D1 between the object representative points 90-1 and 90-2, the object representative point 9
Distance D2 between 0-2 and 90-3, object representative point 90-
3, the distance D3 between 90-4 is changed. When the distances D1, D2, and D3 are changed in this manner, the positional relationship between adjacent objects also changes, as in FIG. 15A, so that the overlapping relationship of polygons at the joint boundary also changes.

In FIG. 15C, the object 70
-1, 70-2, and 70-3 are changed in size. In the case of a spherical object, for example, a radius R1 of each object,
R2 and R3 are changed. When the size of the object is changed in this way, the positional relationship between the adjacent objects also changes as in FIGS. 15A and 15B, so that the overlapping relationship of the polygons at the joint boundary also changes.

As a method of changing the overlapping relation of polygons at the joint boundary of objects, FIG.
The present invention is not limited to the methods shown in (A), (B), and (C), and may employ a combination of these methods or various methods other than these methods.

Next, an example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the device shown in the figure, the CPU 1000, the ROM 1002, the RA
M1004, information storage medium 1006, sound generation IC 100
8, image generation IC 1010, I / O port 1012, 1
014 are connected to each other via a system bus 1016 so that data can be transmitted and received therebetween. And the image generation IC1
010 is connected to a display 1018 to generate a sound I
A speaker 1020 is connected to C1008, a control device 1022 is connected to I / O port 1012, and a communication device 1024 is connected to I / O port 1014.

The information storage medium 1006 mainly stores programs, image information for expressing a display object, sound information, and the like, and includes a CD-ROM, a game cassette, and an IC.
Cards, DVDs, MOs, FDs, memories and the like are used.
For example, in a home game machine, a CD-ROM, a game cassette, a DVD, or the like is used as an information storage medium for storing a game program and the like. In the arcade game machine, a memory such as a ROM is used. In this case, the information storage medium 1006 is the ROM 1002.

The control device 1022 corresponds to a game controller, an operation panel, and the like, and is a device for inputting a result of a determination made by a player in accordance with the progress of a game to a main body of the device.

The program stored in the information storage medium 1006, the system program (initialization information of the apparatus main body) stored in the ROM 1002, the control apparatus 102
CPU 1000 according to a signal input by
Controls the entire apparatus and performs various data processing. RAM10
Reference numeral 04 denotes storage means used as a work area or the like of the CPU 1000. The information storage medium 1006 and the ROM 10
02, or the calculation result of the CPU 1000 or the like is stored. Further, a data structure having a logical configuration such as table data is constructed on the RAM or the information storage medium.

Further, this type of device includes a sound generation IC 100
8 and an image generating IC 1010 are provided so that a suitable output of game sounds and game images can be performed.
The sound generation IC 1008 includes the information storage medium 1006 and the ROM 1
This is an integrated circuit that generates game sounds such as sound effects and background music based on the information stored in 002, and the generated game sounds are output by the speaker 1020. The image generation IC 1010 includes a RAM 1004,
An integrated circuit that generates pixel information to be output to the display 1018 based on image information sent from the ROM 1002, the information storage medium 1006, and the like. Note that a so-called head-mounted display (HMD) can also be used as the display 1018.

The communication device 1024 exchanges various types of information used inside the game device with the outside. The communication device 1024 is connected to another game device to transmit and receive given information according to the game program. It is used for transmitting and receiving information such as a game program via a communication line.

The various processes described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 15C correspond to an information storage medium 1006 storing a program for performing a given process and a C operating according to the program.
PU1000, image generation IC1010, sound generation IC10
08 or the like. Note that the image generation IC 101
0, processing performed by the sound generation IC 1008, etc.
000 or a general-purpose DSP or the like.

FIG. 17 shows an example in which this embodiment is applied to an arcade game device. The player rides a ride 1110 made to resemble a horse. And display 1
While watching the game image projected on the screen 100, the ride 1110 is swung right and left and back and forth, thereby manipulating the horse (see FIG. 8) projected on the screen and enjoying the horse racing game. A CPU, an image generation IC, a sound generation IC, and the like are mounted on a system board 1106 built in the apparatus. Then, each object is constituted by a plurality of primitive surfaces and has a curved surface at least near a joint boundary with an adjacent object, and prepares a plurality of objects that are connected to each other while overlapping each other. Information for changing the overlapping relationship of the primitive surfaces in real time, information for generating a view image including images of the plurality of objects, each object is configured by a plurality of primitive surfaces spatially discretely arranged And a plurality of objects that have a joint boundary between adjacent objects and overlap with each other and are continuous while overlapping each other, and information and the like for changing in real time the overlapping relationship of the primitive surfaces at the joint boundary of the adjacent objects. Is Is stored in the memory 1108 is an information storage medium on the system board 1106. Hereinafter, such information is referred to as stored information. The stored information includes at least one of a program code, image information, sound information, shape information of a display object, table data, list data, player information, and the like for performing the various processes described above.

FIG. 18A shows an example in which this embodiment is applied to a home game machine. The player enjoys the game by operating the game controllers 1202 and 1204 while watching the game image projected on the display 1200. In this case, the stored information is stored in a CD-ROM 1206, which is an information storage medium that is
It is stored in cards 1208, 1209 and the like.

FIG. 18B shows a host device 1300,
An example in which the present embodiment is applied to a game device including the host device 1300 and terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n connected via a communication line 1302 will be described. In this case, the storage information is stored in an information storage medium 1306 such as a magnetic disk device, a magnetic tape device, or a memory that can be controlled by the host device 1300. Terminal 1304-1-1
In the case where 304-n has a CPU, an image generation IC, and a sound generation IC and can generate a game image and a game sound in a stand-alone manner, the host device 1300 can generate a game image and a game sound. Is delivered to the terminals 1304-1 to 1304-n. on the other hand,
If it cannot be generated standalone, the host device 1
300 generates a game image and a game sound, and
The data is transmitted to 304-1 to 1304-n and output at the terminal.

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

For example, in the present embodiment, a case has been described in which a plurality of spherical objects composed of a plurality of polygons are connected, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 19A, the object 94 is composed of a plurality of primitive surfaces such as polygons and curved surfaces that are spatially discretely arranged. Then, as shown in FIG. 19B, the objects 94-1 and 9
4-2, 94-3, 94-4, and 94-5 are connected while overlapping each other. These objects 94-1 to 94-5
Are the joint boundaries 96-1 and 96- between adjacent objects.
It has 2, 96-3 and 96-4. And, for example, FIG.
By using the methods described in (A), (B), and (C), the joining boundaries 96-1, 96-2,
The overlapping relationship of polygons at 96-3 and 96-4 is changed in real time. By doing so, for example, it is possible to express the softness and fullness of a display object such as a tree or a bonbon of Cheerleader.

In the present invention, objects of various shapes such as an elliptical sphere object other than the sphere object can be adopted. Also, when a spherical object is adopted, only a portion that can be seen on the screen may be prepared, and an invisible portion may be omitted (for example, a hemisphere).

Also, a method of changing the overlapping relationship between the primitive surfaces at the joint boundary is shown in FIGS.
The method described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 13B is particularly preferable for setting the positional relationship between the objects without being limited to the method illustrated in FIG. 9C, but is not limited thereto.

The present invention can be applied not only to the generation of an image of the tail of a horse, but also to the synthesis of various images such as bonbons, worms and the like, and female ponytails of a cheerleader.

The present invention is not limited to home and business game machines, but also includes a simulator, a large attraction device in which many players participate, a personal computer,
The present invention can be applied to various game apparatuses such as a multimedia terminal and a system board for synthesizing a game image.

[0065]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an object.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining changes in the overlapping relationship of polygons.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the overlapping relationship of polygons at a joint boundary changes in real time.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing how the overlapping relationship of polygons at a joint boundary changes in real time.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a manner in which the overlapping relationship of polygons at a joint boundary changes in real time.

FIG. 7 is an example of a functional block diagram of the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an example of a view image generated according to the present embodiment.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams for describing setting of a positional relationship between objects. FIG.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the shape of a display object formed by a plurality of objects.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining setting of a positional relationship between objects;

FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C are diagrams for describing the setting of the positional relationship between objects;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams for describing setting of a positional relationship between objects. FIG.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a method of making the number of polygon divisions of an object different for each display object.

FIGS. 15A, 15B, and 15C are diagrams for describing a method of changing the overlapping relationship of polygons at a joint boundary.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration that implements the present embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining various types of apparatuses to which the present embodiment is applied.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are diagrams for explaining various types of apparatuses to which the present embodiment is applied.

FIGS. 19A and 19B are diagrams for explaining a method of configuring each object by polygons that are spatially discretely arranged.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Operation part 12 Display part 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, 20-5 Object 22-1, 22-2, 22-3, 22-4 Joining boundary 100 Processing part 110 Joining boundary change Unit 200 Image generation unit

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An image generating apparatus for generating a view image at a given viewpoint in an object space, wherein each object is constituted by a plurality of primitive surfaces and at least near a joint boundary with an adjacent object. Having a curved surface, preparing a plurality of objects that are connected to each other while overlapping each other, means for changing the overlapping relationship of the primitive surfaces at the joint boundary of adjacent objects in real time, and a view image including images of the plurality of objects. An image generating apparatus. 2. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one adjacent object overlaps another object, and the one object and the other object have a non-inclusional relationship. 3. The tangent vector of the curved surface at the joint boundary of the one object and the tangent vector of the curved surface at the joint boundary of the other object according to the direction of the joint boundary. An image generation apparatus characterized by being in the same quadrant in a coordinate system defined by a direction orthogonal to this. 4. The image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of objects is a spherical object, and a radius of one adjacent spherical object is different from a radius of the other spherical object. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the distance between the center of the one spherical object and the center of the other spherical object is D, the radius of the one spherical object is R1, and the radius of the other spherical object is R2 (R1
> R2), the relationship of R1-R2 <D <R1 + R2 is satisfied. 6. The image generation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a relationship of R1−R2 <D ≦ (R1 ² −R2 ² ) ^1/2 is satisfied. 7. The division method according to claim 1, wherein the number of divisions of the primitive surface of the plurality of objects representing the first display object and the number of divisions of the primitive surface of the plurality of objects representing the second display object. An image generation device characterized by different numbers. 8. The object according to claim 1, wherein a position of a representative point of the plurality of objects, a direction of an arc connecting the object representative points, a distance between the object representative points, and a position of the plurality of objects. An image generating apparatus, wherein at least one of the sizes is changed. 9. An image generating apparatus for generating a view image at a given viewpoint in an object space, wherein each object is constituted by a plurality of spatially discretely arranged primitive surfaces and is adjacent to each other. Means for preparing a plurality of objects having a joint boundary between the objects and overlapping and overlapping each other, changing an overlapping relation of the primitive surfaces at the joint boundary of adjacent objects in real time, an image of the plurality of objects Means for generating a view image including: 10. An information storage medium for storing at least information for generating a view image at a given viewpoint in an object space, wherein each object is constituted by a plurality of primitive surfaces and at least adjacent to each other. A plurality of objects having a curved surface near a joint boundary with a matching object, preparing a plurality of continuous objects while overlapping each other, and changing the overlapping relationship of the primitive surfaces at the joint boundary of adjacent objects in real time; Information for generating a view image including an image of the object. 11. An information storage medium for storing at least information for generating a field-of-view image at a given viewpoint in an object space, wherein each object has a plurality of spatially discretely arranged primitive surfaces. And has a joint boundary between adjacent objects, and prepares a plurality of objects that are connected to each other while overlapping each other, and for changing the overlapping relationship of the primitive surfaces at the joint boundary of the adjacent objects in real time. An information storage medium comprising: information; and information for generating a view image including images of the plurality of objects.