JPH11175766A - Image generating device and information storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image generating device which can generate a real image where a road state is reflected, and an information storage medium. SOLUTION: While a virtual camera 22 is moved following up a moving body 20, the virtual camera 22 is vibrated with a specified cycle, an amplitude, and a waveform to generate an image viewed at a three-person viewpoint through the virtual camera 22. Part or the whole of the moving body 20 is vibrated so that the cycle, amplitude, and waveform are different from those of the virtual camera 22. If the moving body 20 jumps or turns over, the vibration of the virtual camera 22 is stopped. As the speed of the moving body 20 increases, the cycles of the vibration of the virtual camera 22 is made short and the amplitude is made large. According to the area where the moving body 20 moves, the cycle of the vibration of the virtual camera 22 is varied. Attribute data for specifying the cycle, etc., of the vibration is given to polygons constituting a course 40 and according to the attribute data that the polygon where the moving body 20 is positioned has, the virtual camera 22 is vibrated.

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 an image at a given viewpoint in an object space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image generation for arranging a plurality of objects in an object space which is a virtual three-dimensional space and generating an image viewed from a given viewpoint in the object space. Equipment developed,
It has been put to practical use and is very popular as a virtual reality experience. Taking an image generation device capable of enjoying a racing car game as an example, a player enjoys a three-dimensional game by driving a moving body such as a car operated by the player in an object space.

[0003] In such an image generating apparatus, there is a problem of improving the virtual reality of the player. For this purpose, it is desired to generate a real image reflecting a road surface condition and the like.

However, in the conventional image generating apparatus, when a moving object generates an image from a third-person viewpoint displayed on a screen, it is possible for the player to experience the rattling of the road surface or a change in the road surface. There was a problem that it was not possible.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image generating apparatus and an information storage medium capable of generating a real image reflecting road surface conditions and the like. It is in.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to an image generating apparatus for generating an image at a given viewpoint in an object space, wherein the moving object is moved in the object space. Means for performing an operation for causing the virtual camera to follow the moving object, and means for vibrating the virtual camera with a given cycle, a given amplitude, and a given waveform; and Means for generating a visible image and an image from a third-person viewpoint including the image of the moving object.

According to the present invention, an image from a third-person viewpoint is generated from a virtual camera that moves so as to follow a moving object. The virtual camera vibrates at a given cycle, amplitude, and waveform, for example, independently of the vibration of the moving object.
By doing so, it is possible to generate an image in which not only a moving object but also a background such as a course appears to vibrate. This makes it possible to provide a realistic image reflecting the road surface condition and the like, and improve the virtual reality.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a part or all of the moving body is vibrated so that at least one of a cycle, an amplitude and a waveform is different from the vibration of the virtual camera. By doing so, the virtual camera and the moving object vibrate independently at different periods or the like. This makes it possible to reliably generate an image in which the moving object appears to vibrate.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the vibration of the virtual camera is stopped when a given condition is satisfied. By doing so, a situation in which an unnatural image is displayed can be prevented.

In this case, it is desirable to stop the vibration of the virtual camera when at least one of the case where the moving body is flying and the case where the moving body is overturned.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that as the speed of the moving body increases, the period of vibration of the virtual camera is shortened. By doing so, it is possible to give the player the feeling that the time interval such as vertical sway becomes shorter as the speed of the moving body increases.

Further, according to the present invention, as the speed of the moving body increases, the amplitude of the vibration of the virtual camera increases. By doing so, it is possible to give the player a feeling that the magnitude of the up-down swing or the like increases as the speed of the moving body increases.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that at least one of a period, an amplitude and a waveform of the vibration of the virtual camera is changed according to an area where the moving body moves. By doing so, it is possible to increase the degree of variety in the driving sensation given to the player, and it is possible to improve the virtual reality of the player.

According to the present invention, each primitive surface constituting a map on which the moving object moves has attribute data for specifying at least one of the period, amplitude, and waveform of the vibration of the virtual camera. Is characterized by vibrating the virtual camera based on attribute data of a primitive surface where is located. This makes it possible to more precisely control the change in the road surface condition.

[0015]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following, a case where the present invention is applied to a bicycle game will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 1 shows an example of an external view of the case where the image generating apparatus of the present embodiment is applied to an arcade game device.

Here, the riding housing 16 is made by imitating an actual bicycle, and a player (not shown) sits on the saddle 17 of the riding housing 16. The display 18 displays a moving object 20 which is a virtual bicycle, a course on which the moving object 20 runs, and the surrounding scenery. The player looks at this image and looks at the handle 32
Is operated left and right to determine the moving direction of the moving body 20 projected on the display 18. By moving the pedal 30 as indicated by A1, the moving body 20 is advanced in the course traveling direction.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a functional block diagram of the image generating apparatus of the present embodiment.

The operation unit 10 is used by a player to input operation data by operating the steering wheel 32 or pedaling the pedal 30 shown in FIG. 1. The operation data obtained by the operation unit 10 is It is input to the processing unit 100.

The processing unit 100 performs a process of arranging a display object in an object space and a process of generating an image from a given viewpoint in the object space based on the operation data and a given program. It is. The function of the processing unit 100 is a CPU (CISC type, RISC type),
It can be realized by hardware such as a DSP and a gate array IC.

The information storage medium 190 stores programs and data. The functions of the information storage medium 190 are as follows: CD-ROM, game cassette, IC card, M
It can be realized by hardware such as O, FD, DVD, hard disk, and memory. The processing unit 100 performs various processes based on the program and data from the information storage medium 190.

The processing section 100 includes a game calculation section 110 and an image generation section 150.

Here, the game calculation unit 110 includes a game mode setting process, a game progress process, a process of determining the position and direction of a moving object (a bicycle or a character riding a bicycle), a process of determining a viewpoint position and a line-of-sight direction, Processing such as arranging objects in space is performed.

Further, the image generation unit 150 includes the game operation unit 1
A process for generating an image at a given viewpoint in the object space set by 10 is performed. The image generated by the image generation unit 150 is displayed on the display unit 12.

The game operation unit 110 is a moving object operation unit 112
And a virtual camera control unit 114.

Here, the moving body operation unit 112 is
Based on operation data input from a user or a given program, an operation for moving a moving body operated by a player or a moving body whose movement is controlled by a given control program (computer) on a course in an object space is performed. Do.
More specifically, a calculation is performed to determine the position and direction of the moving object, for example, every frame (1/60 second).

For example, the position of the moving body in the (k-1) frame is PMk-1, the speed is VMk-1, the acceleration is AMk-1, and the time of one frame is Δt. Then, the position PMk and the speed VMk of the moving body in the k frame are, for example, the following expressions (1) and (2).
Is required. PMk = PMk−1 + VMk−1 × Δt (1) VMk = VMk−1 + AMk−1 × Δt (2) The virtual camera control unit 114 obtains data on the position and direction of the moving object obtained by the moving object calculation unit 112 Is performed to control the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera based on. More specifically, the viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera are controlled so as to follow the moving body operated by the player while having, for example, inertia. The image generation unit 150 generates an image viewed from the virtual camera controlled by the virtual camera control unit 114.

The first feature of the present embodiment is as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the virtual camera 22 is moved so as to follow the moving body 20, and the virtual camera 22 is vibrated at a given cycle, a given amplitude, and a given waveform. Then, an image that is viewed in the viewpoint position 24 and the line-of-sight direction 26 of the virtual camera 22 and that is in the third-person viewpoint including the image of the moving body 20 and the course 40 is generated and displayed to the player. In this case, the process of vibrating the virtual camera 22 is performed by the virtual camera control unit 114 in FIG.

FIG. 4 shows an example of an image generated by the present embodiment. According to the present embodiment, by vibrating the virtual camera 22, as shown in FIG. 4, not only the moving body 20 but also the background such as the course 40 can be vibrated. Thus, even in the third person viewpoint, an image reflecting the road surface condition of the course 40 more realistically can be generated, and the virtual reality given to the player can be remarkably improved.

When an image is generated from a first-person viewpoint where the moving object 20 is not displayed on the screen, the position of the moving object 20 and the position of the virtual camera 22 substantially match. Therefore, when the moving body 20 vibrates, the screen also vibrates, and the road surface condition can be transmitted to the player without much devising.

However, when generating an image from a third-person viewpoint in which the moving object 20 is displayed on the screen, the moving object 2
The position of 0 and the position of the virtual camera 22 (viewpoint position) do not match. Therefore, one technical problem is how to control the virtual camera 22 when the moving body 20 vibrates.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 5 (A), if a method of completely fixing the positional relationship between the virtual camera 22 and the moving body 20 is adopted, the background such as the course 40 appears to be vibrating. However, the moving body 20 does not appear to be vibrating. Therefore, according to this method, it is not possible to accurately convey the feeling that the moving body 20 is traveling on an uneven road surface to the player.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, the positional relationship between the virtual camera 22 and the moving body 20 is not completely fixed, and for example, the height (from the ground) of the virtual camera 22 is fixed. When the method of (1) is adopted, the moving body 20 appears to vibrate, but the background such as the course 40 does not appear to vibrate. Since the area occupied by the moving body 20 with respect to the entire screen area is small, the moving body 2
Even if only 0 is vibrating, the player cannot sense the feeling of traveling on an uneven road surface.

As described above, according to the methods shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, it is not possible to sufficiently inform the player of the changing road surface condition.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the virtual camera 22 is made to follow the moving body 20 and the virtual camera 22 is moved at a given cycle regardless of the vibration of the moving body 20. Vibrating with amplitude. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, not only the moving body 20 but also the background such as the course 40 appears to vibrate. Therefore, the state in which the road surface condition is changing can be sufficiently and accurately transmitted to the player, and the virtual reality feeling felt by the player can be remarkably improved.

The second feature of the present embodiment is that the moving object 2
The point is that a part or all of 0 is vibrated so as to have a different cycle, amplitude, or waveform from the vibration of the virtual camera 22. That is,
For example, as shown in FIG.
While oscillating at the amplitude AP1, the moving body 20
2. Vibration at amplitude AP2. By doing this,
The moving body 20 can appear to vibrate with respect to the screen, and the moving body 20 can appear to vibrate with respect to the virtual camera 22.
As a result, it is possible to more sufficiently and accurately inform the player that the road surface condition is changing.

It is to be noted that instead of vibrating the entire movable body 20, a part of the movable body 20, for example, only a tire or the like may be vibrated. Also, instead of making the cycle and amplitude of the vibration different, the type of waveform may be made different.

A third feature of the present embodiment is that the vibration of the virtual camera is stopped when a given condition is satisfied. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the moving body 20 flies from the jump table 42 (when the moving body 20 is separated from the ground), the vibration of the virtual camera 22 is stopped. Alternatively, the vibration of the virtual camera 22 is stopped even when the moving body 20 falls down.

That is, in this embodiment, the virtual camera 22 is vibrated independently of the vibration of the moving body 20. Therefore, if the mobile unit 20 flies or falls and the vibration of the mobile unit 20 itself should be stopped, if no action is taken, only the virtual camera 22 will vibrate, resulting in an unnatural image. Is displayed on the player. In this embodiment,
In such a case, since the vibration of the virtual camera 22 is stopped, it is possible to effectively prevent the player from feeling unnatural.

The given condition for stopping the vibration of the virtual camera 22 is not limited to the jump or fall of the moving body 20, but various conditions can be considered.

A third feature of the present embodiment is that the period of the vibration of the virtual camera is shortened and the amplitude is increased as the speed of the moving body increases.

That is, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, as the speed of the moving body 20 increases, the period of the vibration of the virtual camera 22 decreases. By doing this,
It is possible to give the player a feeling that the time interval of the vertical swing of the road surface becomes shorter as the speed of the moving body 20 becomes higher. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8B, the amplitude of the virtual camera 22 increases as the speed of the moving body 20 increases. By doing so, it is possible to give the player a feeling that the magnitude of the vertical sway of the road surface increases as the speed of the moving body 20 increases. According to the third feature of the present embodiment described above, it is possible to more realistically simulate a change in the road surface condition, and it is possible to further enhance the virtual reality of the player.

A fourth feature of the present embodiment is that the period, amplitude, and waveform of the vibration of the virtual camera are changed according to the area in which the moving object moves.

That is, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of areas with different road conditions are provided. When the moving body 20 is traveling, for example, in the asphalt area 50, the amplitude of the vibration of the virtual camera becomes almost zero. When the moving body 20 is traveling in the rock area 51, the vibration has a large amplitude. When the vehicle is traveling in the grass area 52, the vibration has a long cycle and small amplitude. When the vehicle is traveling in the gravel area 53, the vibration has a small amplitude in a short cycle. When the vehicle is traveling in the soil area 54, the vibration has a smaller frequency in a shorter cycle.

As described above, by making the period, amplitude, and waveform of the vibration of the virtual camera different for each area, a more realistic simulation of the change in the road surface condition can be performed, and the virtual reality of the player can be further improved. become.

FIG. 4 shows an example of an image when the moving body 20 is traveling in a rock area. On the other hand, FIG.
4 shows an example of an image when the moving body 20 is traveling in a soil area. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the mobile unit 20 is traveling in the rock area or the soil area, first, the image representing the road surface condition of each area is displayed, so that the mobile unit 20 travels in the rock area or the soil area. This gives the player the virtual reality of being. Further, by vibrating the moving body 20 and the background with a waveform corresponding to the unevenness of the road surface in each area, the virtual reality feeling felt by the player is further improved.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The course 40 is constituted by a combination of primitive surfaces such as a plurality of polygons. The moving body 20 runs on a course 40 constituted by these polygons.

The fifth feature of the present embodiment is as follows. That is, each polygon constituting a map such as a course is provided with attribute data for specifying the cycle, amplitude, and waveform of the vibration of the virtual camera. Then, the virtual camera is vibrated based on the attribute data of the polygon in which the moving object is located.

For example, in FIG. 12, the course 40 is constituted by polygons 56-1 to 56-9. And polygon 56
-1 to 56-3 are set with attribute data for specifying the vibration of the asphalt road surface. Similarly, polygon 56-4
The attribute data for specifying the vibration of the rocky road surface is set in .about.56-6, and the attribute data for specifying the vibration of the grass road surface is set in the polygons 56-7.about.56-9. And FIG.
In the figure, the moving body 20 is located at the position of the polygon 56-5. Therefore, in this case, the attribute data for specifying the vibration of the rocky road surface is read, and the virtual camera vibrates based on the attribute data.

As described above, by vibrating the virtual camera based on the attribute data set for each polygon, it is possible to more precisely control the change in the road surface condition. That is, FIG.
Course 40, like gravel area 53 and soil area 54
The road condition can be changed on the left and right sides of the road. It is also possible to change the road conditions on the left, center and right.

In the above description, the case where the course is constituted by a polygon which is one of the primitive surfaces has been described as an example. However, the course may be constituted by another form of primitive surface such as a curved surface.

Next, a detailed processing example of this embodiment will be described.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the moving body computing section 112 in FIG. 2 calculates the position and direction of the moving body (step S1). This calculation is performed for each frame.

Next, the virtual camera control unit 114 in FIG. 2 calculates the viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction of the virtual camera based on the position and direction of the moving body (step S2). The viewpoint position of the virtual camera is, for example, the world (X, Y,
Z) The coordinate system is set at a position separated by a fixed coordinate value (△ X, △ Y, △ Z) in the coordinate system. Further, even when the speed of the moving object changes rapidly, the virtual camera follows the moving object with inertia so as to smoothly follow the moving object.

Next, it is determined whether the moving object is flying (away from the ground) (step S3). And FIG.
When the moving body is flying as shown in step S
The process of vibrating five or less virtual cameras is omitted.

Next, it is determined whether or not the moving object has fallen (step S4). If the moving object has fallen, the process of vibrating the virtual camera from step S5 is omitted.

Next, a polygon on which the moving object is located (contacting) is searched, and attribute data (data for specifying the vibration of the virtual camera) of the polygon is read (step S5).

Here, in this embodiment, the polygon in which the moving object is located is searched as follows. That is, FIG.
As shown in (A), in the present embodiment, the course 40 is divided into a plurality of course blocks C0 to C1000. The course 40 is divided into course blocks at a distance of, for example, 1 m. Then, in FIG. 14B, it is determined whether or not the moving body 20 is located within the course block Cj based on the arrangement data of the lines 60 and 62. By specifying the course block in which the moving body 20 is located in this way, it is possible to determine the order of the moving bodies 20 and whether or not time extension is possible. Further, as shown in FIG. 14C, each course block is divided into a plurality of polygons, for example, triangular polygons. In the present embodiment, the position of the moving body 20 is converted into the r, s coordinate system set in the course block. Then, based on the position of the moving body 20 in the r, s coordinate system, it is determined which triangular polygon the moving body 20 is located. As described above, the polygon in which the moving body 20 is located is searched.

Returning to the description of FIG. After reading the attribute data, the read address RA of the waveform memory data is determined according to the following equation (3). RA = MOD (RA + K1 × VM, WDL) (3) Here, MOD (A / B) represents a remainder when A is divided by B. K1 is a constant, VM is the speed of the moving object, and WDL is the waveform data length. The read address RA is set to zero in the initial state.

FIGS. 15A, 15B and 15C show examples of various waveform data stored in the waveform data memory.
15A is waveform data representing vibration on an asphalt road, FIG. 15B is waveform data representing vibration on a rocky road, and FIG. 15C is waveform data representing vibration on a grassy road. The WDL of all the waveform data is the same at 256.

As is apparent from the above equation (3), the higher the speed VM of the moving object, the higher the reproduction speed of the waveform data.
The period of the oscillation of the waveform is substantially shortened. That is, FIG.
As shown in (1), the vibration of the virtual camera can be controlled such that the higher the speed of the moving object, the shorter the period becomes. Further, in the above equation (3), RA + K1 × VM is divided by WDL, and the remainder is RA, as shown in FIG.
This is because, as shown in (B) and (C), the waveform data memory stores only waveform data having a finite waveform data length.

Next, the attribute data read in step S5 and the read address RA obtained in step S6
, The amplitude AP is read from the waveform data memory (step S7). That is, which waveform data is referred to is selected based on the attribute data obtained in step S5, as described with reference to FIG. For example, if the attribute data specifies asphalt road surface, FIG.
If the waveform data of (A) specifies a rocky road surface, the waveform data of FIG. 15B is referred to, and if the waveform data specifies a grassy road surface, the waveform data of FIG. 15C is referred to. The amplitude AP can be obtained by specifying the read address RA obtained in step S6. For example, FIG.
If RA = 200 is specified in (B), AP = 2000
Is obtained.

Next, as shown in the following equation (4), the amplitude A
P is corrected (step S8). AP = K2 × AP × VM (4) where K2 is a constant. By performing the correction as in the above equation (4), as shown in FIG.
Becomes larger, the vibration of the virtual camera can be controlled so that the amplitude AP becomes larger.

Next, as shown in the following equation (5), the height HC of the virtual camera (height of the viewpoint position) obtained in step S2 is corrected (step S9). HC = HC + AP (5) By performing the above, it becomes possible to vibrate the virtual camera with an amplitude, a cycle, and a waveform corresponding to various waveform data.

Next, an example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the device shown in FIG.
AM1004, information storage medium 1006, sound generation IC10
08, image generation IC 1010, I / O port 1012,
1014 are connected via a system bus 1016 so that data can be transmitted and received between them. And the image generation IC
A display 1018 is connected to 1010, a speaker 1020 is connected to the sound generation IC 1008, and an I / O
The control device 1022 is connected to the port 1012, and the communication device 1024 is connected to the I / O port 1014.

The information storage medium 1006 mainly stores programs, image data for expressing objects to be displayed, sound data, and the like. For example, in a home game device, a CD-R is used as an information storage medium for storing a game program and the like.
OMs, game cassettes, DVDs and the like are used. 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, or 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 the device body.

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 for realizing the present embodiment (for example, FIG. 15A,
The waveform data (B) and (C) are 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 kinds of information used inside the game device with the outside. The communication device 1024 is connected to another game device to send 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.

FIGS. 1 to 12 and FIGS. 14 (A) to 1
5C includes an information storage medium 1006 storing a program for performing the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 13 and a CP operating according to the program.
U1000, image generation IC 1010, sound generation IC 100
8 and the like. Note that the image generation IC 1010,
The processing performed by the sound generation IC 1008 and the like
It may be performed by software using a 0 or a general-purpose DSP.

FIG. 1 described above shows an example in which the present embodiment is applied to an arcade game device. In this case, the system board 1106 built in the apparatus includes C
A PU, an image generation IC, a sound generation IC, and the like are mounted.
Then, information for performing an operation of moving the moving body in the object space, the virtual camera is moved so as to follow the moving body, and the virtual camera is moved at a given cycle, a given amplitude, and a given waveform. The information for vibrating, the image visible from the virtual camera, and the information for generating an image from the third person viewpoint including the image of the moving object, and a part or all of the moving object are the period of the vibration of the virtual camera. , The information for vibrating so that at least one of the amplitude and the waveform is different,
Memory 1 as information storage medium on system board 1106
108. 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. 17A shows an example in which the present embodiment is applied to a home game machine. The player looks at the game image displayed on the display 1200,
The game controller 1202 and 1204 are operated to enjoy the game. In this case, the stored information is stored in the CD-ROM 1206, which is an information storage medium detachable from the main unit.
It is stored in C cards 1208, 1209 and the like.

FIG. 17B shows the host device 1300 and
An example in which the present embodiment is applied to a game device including this 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 ~
If the CPU 1304-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. Are 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 the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made.

For example, as a method of vibrating the virtual camera, the method described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15C and the like is particularly desirable, but various modifications can be made.

The method described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12 is particularly preferable as a method for changing the period, amplitude, and waveform of the vibration of the virtual camera according to the area in which the moving body moves. Modifications are possible. For example, FIG.
Attribute data for specifying the vibration cycle and the like may be set in each of the course blocks described in (A), and the vibration cycle and the like may be switched based on the attribute data.

For example, in the present embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a bicycle competition game has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to various games (other competition games, sports games, competition games, etc.). .

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

[0080]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an example of an external view of an image generating apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an example of a functional block diagram of the image generation device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image generated by the embodiment.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining various methods relating to control of a virtual camera.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of making the period of vibration of the virtual camera and the like different from the period of vibration of the moving object;

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method of stopping the vibration of the virtual camera when the moving body has jumped.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining a method of changing the period and amplitude of vibration of a virtual camera according to the speed of a moving object.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a method of making the period of vibration of the virtual camera different for each area.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image generated by the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a course constituted by a plurality of polygons.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for describing setting of attribute data for each polygon.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed processing example according to the embodiment;

FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C are diagrams for explaining a course block; FIG.

FIGS. 15A, 15B, and 15C are diagrams for explaining examples of various types of waveform data.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration capable of realizing the present embodiment.

17A and 17B are diagrams illustrating examples of various types of apparatuses to which the present embodiment is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Operation part 12 Display part 16 Riding case 17 Saddle 18 Display 20 Moving body (bicycle) 22 Virtual camera 24 Viewing position 26 Viewing direction 30 Pedal 32 Handle 40 Course 100 Processing part 110 Game calculation part 112 Moving body calculation part 114 Virtual camera Control unit 150 Image generation unit 190 Information storage medium

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An image generating apparatus for generating an image at a given viewpoint in an object space, comprising: means for performing an operation for moving a moving object in an object space; and a virtual camera following the moving object. Means for causing the virtual camera to vibrate at a given period, a given amplitude, and a given waveform, and an image seen from the virtual camera, the third person viewpoint including an image of the moving object. Means for generating an image in the image. 2. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a part or all of the moving body is vibrated so that at least one of a cycle, an amplitude, and a waveform is different from the vibration of the virtual camera. 3. The image generation device according to claim 1, wherein the vibration of the virtual camera is stopped when a given condition is satisfied. 4. The image generation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the vibration of the virtual camera is stopped when at least one of the case where the moving body is flying and the case where the moving body is overturned. 5. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a period of the vibration of the virtual camera is shortened as a speed of the moving body increases. 6. The image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the amplitude of the vibration of the virtual camera increases as the speed of the moving body increases. 7. The image according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a period, an amplitude, and a waveform of a vibration of the virtual camera is changed according to an area in which the moving body moves. Generator. 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein each of the primitive surfaces constituting the map on which the moving object moves has attribute data for specifying at least one of a period, an amplitude, and a waveform of the vibration of the virtual camera, An image generation apparatus characterized in that the virtual camera is vibrated based on attribute data of a primitive surface on which a moving body is located. 9. An information storage medium for generating an image at a given viewpoint in an object space, comprising: information for performing an operation of moving a moving object in the object space; Information for causing the virtual camera to oscillate with a given period, a given amplitude, and a given waveform while moving so as to follow the body, and an image seen from the virtual camera, Information for generating an image from a third person viewpoint including the image.