Image processing program and image processing apparatus

• US 20060258445A1
• Filed: 02/14/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Umemiya, Hiroshi, Nishimori, Keisuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,297,622 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/30
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/577 using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/577 for watching a game played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/643 by determining the impact between objects, e.g. collision detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

A game apparatus 3 moves an arrow object 72 in a virtual space, and then determines whether or not a hitting determination area 74 set for the arrow object 72 is in contact with a hitting determination area 73 set for a player character 71. When the two hitting determination areas 74, 73 are determined to be in contact with each other, the game apparatus 3 calculates a moving direction of the arrow object 72. The game apparatus 3 further causes the player character 71 to perform a motion such that at least a part of the player character 71 turns to a designated direction, which is an opposite direction to the moving direction of the arrow object 72. A display apparatus displays how the player character 71 performs the motion.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having an image processing program stored therein to be executed by a computer of an image processing apparatus for causing a display apparatus to display a three-dimensional virtual space in which a plurality of objects appear, wherein the image processing program causes the computer to execute:

a first moving control step of moving a first object in the virtual space;

a determination step of determining whether or not the first object has collided against a second object;

a direction calculation step of, when it is determined in the determination step that the first object has collided against the second object, calculating a moving direction of the first object;

a first motion control step of causing the second object to perform a motion such that at least a part of the second object turns to a designated direction, which is an opposite direction to the moving direction of the first object; and

a display step of causing the display apparatus to display how the second object is caused to perform the motion by the first motion control step.

2. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein:

the second object is capable of performing a predetermined motion which is different from a moving motion when a predetermined first condition is fulfilled;

in the first motion control step, the part of the second object is controlled to turn to the designated direction; and

the image processing program causes the computer to further execute a second motion control step of causing the second object to perform the predetermined motion to the designated direction in accordance with the first condition being fulfilled.

3. A storage medium according to claim 2, wherein:

the second object is an operation target object operable by a user;

the first condition is that the user has performed an operation on the second object; and

in the first motion control step, the motion of the second object is performed regardless of an operation performed by the user.

4. A storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the image processing program causes the computer to further execute a second moving control step of, when the part of the second object turns to the designated direction, moving the second object in a direction to which the remaining part of the second object is directed.

5. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein:

in the first motion control step, the part of the second object is controlled to turn to the designated direction; and

the image processing program causes the computer to further execute a third motion control step of, after the part of the second object turns to the designated direction, causing the second object to return the part of the second object to an original direction in accordance with a predetermined second condition being fulfilled.

6. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein in the determination step, it is determined whether or not the first object has collided against the second object based on whether or not a hitting determination area set for the first object is in contact with a hitting determination area set for the second object.

7. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein:

in the direction calculation step, a two-dimensional vector representing a component parallel to a predetermined plane in the virtual space is calculated for a vector representing the moving direction of the first object; and

in the first motion control step, the second object performs a rotation motion around an axis perpendicular to the predetermined plane, with the designated direction being an opposite direction to the two-dimensional vector calculated in the direction calculation step.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having an image processing program stored therein to be executed by a computer of an image processing apparatus for causing a display apparatus to display a three-dimensional virtual space in which a plurality of objects appear, wherein the image processing program causes the computer to execute:

a velocity vector storage step of storing a velocity vector representing a moving direction and a moving distance per time unit of a first object in the virtual space;

a first moving control step of updating a position of the first object in the virtual space based on the velocity vector and thus moving the first object;

a determination step of determining whether or not the first object has collided against a second object;

a velocity vector referring step of, when it is determined in the determination step that the first object has collided against the second object, referring to the velocity vector of the first object;

a first motion control step of causing the second object to perform a motion such that at least a part of the second object turns to a designated direction, which is an opposite direction to the velocity vector; and

a display step of causing the display apparatus to display how the second object is caused to perform the motion by the first motion control step.

9. A storage medium according to claim 8, wherein:

the second object is capable of performing a predetermined motion which is different from a moving motion when a predetermined first condition is fulfilled;

in the first motion control step, the part of the second object is controlled to turn to the designated direction; and

the image processing program causes the computer to further execute a second motion control step of causing the second object to perform the predetermined motion to the designated direction in accordance with the first condition being fulfilled.

10. A storage medium according to claim 9, wherein:

the second object is an operation target object operable by a user;

the first condition is that the user has performed an operation on the second object; and

in the first motion control step, the motion of the second object is performed regardless of an operation performed by the user.

11. A storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the image processing program causes the computer to further execute a second moving control step of, when the part of the second object turns to the designated direction, moving the second object in a direction to which the remaining part of the second object is directed.

12. A storage medium according to claim 8, wherein:

in the first motion control step, the part of the second object is controlled to turn to the designated direction; and

the image processing program causes the computer to further execute a third motion control step of, after the part of the second object turns to the designated direction, causing the second object to return the part of the second object to an original direction in accordance with a predetermined second condition being fulfilled.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having an image processing program stored therein to be executed by a computer of an image processing apparatus for causing a display apparatus to display a three-dimensional virtual space in which a plurality of objects appear, wherein the image processing program causes the computer to execute:

a deformation step of deforming a hitting determination area set for a first object;

a determination step of determining whether or not the hitting determination area set for the first object is in contact with a hitting determination area set for a second object;

a position calculation step of, when it is determined in the determination step that the hitting determination area set for the first object is in contact with the hitting determination area set for the second object, calculating a contact position of the hitting determination areas;

a first motion control step of causing the second object to perform a motion such that at least a part of the second object turns to a designated direction, which is a direction from a position of the second object to the contact position; and

a display step of causing the display apparatus to display how the second object is caused to perform the motion by the first motion control step.

14. A storage medium according to claim 13, wherein:

the second object is capable of performing a predetermined motion which is different from a moving motion when a predetermined first condition is fulfilled;

in the first motion control step, the part of the second object is controlled to turn to the designated direction; and

the image processing program causes the computer to further execute a second motion control step of causing the second object to perform the predetermined motion to the designated direction in accordance with the first condition being fulfilled.

15. A storage medium according to claim 14, wherein:

the second object is an operation target object operable by a user;

the first condition is that the user has performed an operation on the second object; and

in the first motion control step, the motion of the second object is performed regardless of an operation performed by the user.

16. A storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the image processing program causes the computer to further execute a second moving control step of, when the part of the second object turns to the designated direction, moving the second object in a direction to which the remaining part of the second object is directed.

17. A storage medium according to claim 13, wherein:

in the first motion control step, the part of the second object is controlled to turn to the designated direction; and

the image processing program causes the computer to further execute a third motion control step of, after the part of the second object turns to the designated direction, causing the second object to return the part of the second object to an original direction in accordance with a predetermined second condition being fulfilled.

18. A storage medium according to claim 13, wherein:

in the first motion control step, a two-dimensional vector representing a component parallel to a predetermined plane in the virtual space is calculated for a vector representing a direction from the contact position to a position of the second object; and

the second object performs a rotation motion around an axis perpendicular to the predetermined plane, with the designated direction being an opposite direction to the two-dimensional vector.

19. An image processing apparatus for causing a display apparatus to display a three-dimensional virtual space in which a plurality of objects appear, the image processing apparatus comprising:

first moving control means for moving a first object in the virtual space;

determination means for determining whether or not the first object has collided against a second object;

direction calculation means for, when it is determined by the determination means that the first object has collided against the second object, calculating a moving direction of the first object;

first motion control means for causing the second object to perform a motion such that at least a part of the second object turns to a designated direction, which is an opposite direction to the moving direction of the first object; and

display control means for causing the display apparatus to display how the second object is caused to perform the motion by the first motion control means.

20. An image processing apparatus for causing a display apparatus to display a three-dimensional virtual space in which a plurality of objects appear, the image processing apparatus comprising:

velocity vector storage means for storing a velocity vector representing a moving direction and a moving distance per time unit of a first object in the virtual space;

first moving control means for updating a position of the first object in the virtual space based on the velocity vector and thus moving the first object;

determination means for determining whether or not the first object has collided against a second object;

velocity vector referring means for, when it is determined by the determination means that the first object has collided against the second object, referring to the velocity vector of the first object;

first motion control means for causing the second object to perform a motion such that at least a part of the second object turns to a designated direction, which is an opposite direction to the velocity vector; and

display control means for causing the display apparatus to display how the second object is caused to perform the motion by the first motion control means.

21. An image processing apparatus for causing a display apparatus to display a three-dimensional virtual space in which a plurality of objects appear, the image processing apparatus comprising:

deformation means for deforming a hitting determination area set for a first object;

determination means for determining whether or not the hitting determination area set for the first object is in contact with a hitting determination area set for a second object;

position calculation means for, when it is determined by the determination means that the hitting determination area set for the first object is in contact with the hitting determination area set for the second object, calculating a contact position of the hitting determination areas;

first motion control means for causing the second object to perform a motion such that at least a part of the second object turns to a designated direction, which is a direction from a position of the second object to the contact position; and

display control means for causing the display apparatus to display how the second object is caused to perform the motion by the first motion control means.