Three-dimensional image generating apparatus, storage medium storing a three-dimensional image generating program, and three-dimensional image generating method

• US 20050237323A1
• Filed: 04/15/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Shimamura, Takayuki, Dohta, Takuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,327,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5258 by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6653 for altering the visibility of an object, e.g. preventing the occlusion of an object, partially hiding an object
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6684 by dynamically adapting its position to keep a game object in its viewing frustrum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/10 Geometric effects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics

Abstract

A video game apparatus as a three-dimensional image generating apparatus includes a CPU. The CPU works together with a GPU to generate and display a game image. More specifically, some objects are arranged in a virtual three-dimensional space. The virtual three-dimensional space is converted into a viewpoint coordinate and then projected and converted. After the projection conversion, determination points are set corresponding to a specific object, and the degree of hiding of the specific object is calculated on basis of a Z value of the specific object and Z values of the determination points. According to the degree of hiding, the movement of a viewpoint is controlled or the brightness of the light source is changed.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional image generating apparatus for generating a three-dimensional image according to an operator'"'"'s operation input, comprising:

an operation input detecting means for detecting the operator'"'"'s operation input;

an object data storing means for storing object data for rendering objects forming a three-dimensional image;

a displaying means for displaying an image projected onto a projection screen within a virtual three-dimensional space;

a virtual three-dimensional space generating means for generating said virtual three-dimensional space based on the operation input detected by said operation input detecting means and the object data stored in said object data storing means;

a viewpoint controlling means for controlling a viewpoint within the virtual three-dimensional space generated by said virtual three-dimensional space generating means;

a display image generating means for generating said image of said virtual three-dimensional space seen from the viewpoint controlled by said viewpoint controlling means, which is projected onto said projection screen;

a depth value storing means for storing a depth value of each pixel of the image generated by said display image generating means;

an object arrangement position storing means for storing at least an arrangement position of a specific object in said virtual three-dimensional space;

a determination point setting means for setting a predetermined number of determination points in a predetermined area containing the arrangement position of said specific object in said image;

a determining means for determining whether or not a first depth value of the predetermined number of determination points set by said determination point setting means is smaller than a second depth value of said specific object; and

a degree-of-hiding calculating means for calculating a degree of hiding of said specific object according to the number of said determination points where it is determined by said determining means that said first depth value is smaller than said second depth value.

2. A three-dimensional image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said determination point setting means sets said determination points in an area adjacent to and embracing said specific object projected onto said projection screen.

3. A three-dimensional image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in case where said specific object in said virtual three-dimensional space is projected onto said projection screen, said determination point setting means sets said determination points on the circumference of a circle adjacent to and embracing the specific object projected onto the projection screen.

4. A three-dimensional image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said degree-of-hiding calculating means calculates a proportion of the number of said determination points where it is determined by said determining means that said first depth value is smaller than said second depth value, with respect to the total number of said determination points;

and

said viewpoint controlling means moves said viewpoint to another location according to the proportion calculated by said degree-of-hiding calculating means.

5. A three-dimensional image generating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said viewpoint controlling means repeats the movement of said viewpoint until the proportion calculated by said degree-of-hiding calculating means becomes smaller than a predetermined value.

6. A three-dimensional image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said degree-of-hiding calculating means calculates a proportion of the number of said determination points where it is determined by said determining means that said first depth value is smaller than said second depth value, with respect to the total number of said determination points, further comprising:

a parameter changing means for changing a parameter related to display of said specific object according to the proportion calculated by said degree-of-hiding calculating means.

7. A three-dimensional image generating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

said specific object includes a light source;

and

said parameter changing means changes at least the brightness of said light source.

8. A storage medium storing a three-dimensional image generating program for a three-dimensional image generating apparatus, comprising:

an operation input detecting means for detecting an operator'"'"'s operation input;

an object data storing means for storing object data for rendering objects forming a three-dimensional image;

a displaying means for displaying an image projected onto a projection screen within a virtual three-dimensional space; and

a depth value storing means for storing a depth value of each pixel of said image generated by said display image generating means, wherein

said three-dimensional image generating program causes a processor of said three-dimensional image generating apparatus to execute;

a virtual three-dimensional space generating step of generating said virtual three-dimensional space based on the operation input detected by said operation input detecting means and the object data stored in said object data storing means;

a viewpoint controlling step of controlling a viewpoint within the virtual three-dimensional space generated in said virtual three-dimensional space generating step;

a display image generating step of generating said image of said virtual three-dimensional space seen from the viewpoint controlled in said viewpoint controlling step, which is projected onto said projection screen;

an object arrangement position storing step of storing at least an arrangement position of a specific object in said virtual three-dimensional space;

a determination point setting step of setting a predetermined number of determination points in a predetermined area containing the arrangement position of said specific object of said image;

a determining step of determining whether or not a first depth value of the predetermined number of determination points set in said determination point setting step is smaller than a second depth value of said specific object; and

a degree-of-hiding calculating step of calculating a degree of hiding of said specific object according to the number of said determination points where it is determined by said determining step that said first depth value is smaller than said second depth value.

9. A storage medium storing a three-dimensional image generating program according to claim 8, wherein

in said determination point setting step, said determination points are set in an area adjacent to and embracing said specific object projected onto said projection screen.

10. A storage medium storing a three-dimensional image generating program according to claim 8, wherein

in said determination point setting step, in case where said specific object in said virtual three-dimensional space is projected onto said projection screen, said determination points are set on the circumference of a circle adjacent to and embracing said specific object projected onto the projection screen.

11. A storage medium storing a three-dimensional image generating program according to claim 8, wherein

in said degree-of-hiding calculating step, a proportion of the number of said determination points where it is determined in said determining step that said first depth value is smaller than said second depth value, is calculated with respect to the total number of said determination points;

and

in said viewpoint controlling step, said viewpoint is moved to another location according to the proportion calculated in said degree-of-hiding calculating step.

12. A storage medium storing a three-dimensional image generating program according to claim 11, wherein

in said viewpoint controlling step, the movement of said viewpoint is repeated until the proportion calculated in said degree-of-hiding calculating step becomes smaller than a predetermined value.

13. A storage medium storing a three-dimensional image generating program according to claim 8, wherein

in said degree-of-hiding calculating step, a proportion of the number of said determination points where it is determined in said determining step that said first depth value is smaller than said second depth value, is calculated with respect to the total number of said determination points, and further causing the processor to execute:

a parameter changing step of changing a parameter related to display of said specific object according to the proportion calculated in said degree-of-hiding calculating step.

14. A storage medium storing a three-dimensional image generating program according to claim 13, wherein

said specific object includes a light source;

and

in said parameter changing step, at least the brightness of said light source is changed.

15. A three-dimensional image generating method for a three-dimensional image generating apparatus comprising an operation input detecting means for detecting an operator'"'"'s operation input;

an object data storing means for storing object data for rendering objects forming a three-dimensional image;

a displaying means for displaying an image projected onto a projection screen within a virtual three-dimensional space; and

a depth value storing means for storing a depth value of each pixel of said image, including the following steps of;

(a) generating a virtual three-dimensional space based on the operation input detected by the operation input detecting means and the object data stored in the object data storing means;

(b) controlling a viewpoint within the virtual three-dimensional space generated in said step (a);

(c) generating said image of said virtual three-dimensional space seen from the viewpoint controlled in said step (b), which is projected onto said projection screen;

(d) storing at least an arrangement position of a specific object in said virtual three-dimensional space;

(e) setting a predetermined number of determination points in a predetermined area embracing the arrangement position of said specific object in said image;

(f) determining whether or not a first depth value of the predetermined number of determination points set in said step (e) is smaller than a second depth value of said specific object; and

(g) calculating the degree of hiding of said specific object according to the number of said determination points where it is determined in said step (f) that said first depth value is smaller than said second depth value.

16. A three-dimensional image generating method according to claim 15, wherein in said step (e), (e-1) said determination points are set in an area adjacent to and embracing said specific object projected onto said projection screen.

17. A three-dimensional image generating method according to claim 15, wherein in said step (e), (e-2) in case where said specific object in said virtual three-dimensional space is projected onto said projection screen, said determination points are set on the circumference of a circle adjacent to and embracing the specific object projected onto the projection screen.

18. A three-dimensional image generating method according to claim 15, wherein

in said step (g), (g-1) a proportion of the number of said determination points where it is determined in said step (f) that said first depth value is smaller than said second depth value, is calculated with respect to the total number of said determination points;

and

in said step (b), (b-1) said viewpoint is moved to another location according to the proportion calculated in said step (g-1).

19. A three-dimensional image generating method according to claim 18, wherein

in said step (b), (b-2) the movement of said viewpoint is repeated until the proportion calculated in said step (g-1) becomes smaller than a predetermined value.

20. A three-dimensional image generating method according to claim 15, wherein

in said step (g), (g-2) a proportion of the number of said determination points where it is determined in said step (f) that said first depth value is smaller than said second depth value, is calculated with respect to the total number of said determination points, and further causing the processor to execute:

a step (h) of changing a parameter related to display of said specific object according to the proportion calculated in said step (g-2).

21. A three-dimensional image generating method according to claim 20, wherein

said specific object includes a light source;

and

in said step (h), (h-1) at least the brightness of said light source is changed.