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Image processing apparatus

  • US 5,546,515 A
  • Filed: 10/13/1995
  • Issued: 08/13/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1992
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
Patent Images

1. An image producing apparatus for generating images using the distribution of illumination intensity values on a surface of an object consisting of quadrangle polygons, triangle polygons, or parallelogram polygons in a three dimensional space, said apparatus comprising:

  • a patch producing apparatus for producing two pairs of the same size parallelogram patches and the same size quadrangle patches from a quadrangle polygon, the same size triangle patches from a triangle polygon, or the same size parallelogram patches from a parallelogram polygon;

    an element producing apparatus for producing two pairs of the same size parallelogram elements and the same size quadrangle elements from a quadrangle patch, the same size triangle elements and the same size parallelogram elements from a triangle patch, or the same size parallelogram elements from a parallelogram patch;

    an illumination intensity interpolation domain deciding apparatus which selects sample elements in a patch and decides whether an element in the patch belongs to the interpolation domain which can be gotten the illumination intensity or the domain of shadows which can not be gotten the illumination intensity in accordance with the results of intersection decisions for said sample elements;

    an illumination intensity interpolation calculating apparatus which calculates two radiosity values, B1 and B3 obtained from a light source for two elements in said interpolation domain with calculation representative points R1 and R3, decides whether a condition of ##EQU93## is satisfied or not, where "||·

    ||" represents the length of a vector, and calculates a radiosity value B2 obtained from the light source for a element with a calculation representative point R2 which has the relation of
    
    
    space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R.sub.2 L=tR.sub.1 L+(1-t)R.sub.3 Lwith using the roughly approximate interpolation equation if said condition is satisfied, or with using the accurately approximate interpolation equation if said condition is not satisfied;

    a radiation method deciding apparatus which selects the patch with the maximum unshot energy, calculates the distance between the calculation representative point of the patch with the maximum unshot energy and the calculation representative point of a patch receiving the unshot energy from the patch with the maximum unshot energy and area values of the patch with the maximum unshot energy and the patch receiving the unshot energy, decides whether the condition that the ratio of said distance to the larger area value of said two area values is smaller than the threshold value is satisfied or not, and decides whether the radiation from the patch with the maximum unshot energy to the patch receiving the unshot energy is carried out with dividing the patch with the maximum unshot energy into elements or not dividing according to the consequence of the decision for said condition;

    a form-factor interpolation domain deciding apparatus which selects sample elements in a patch receiving the unshot energy and decides whether an element in the patch belongs to the interpolation domain for form-factor calculation which can be gotten the unshot energy or the shadow domain for form-factor calculation which can not be gotten the unshot energy in accordance with the results of the intersection decisions for said sample elements;

    a form-factor interpolation calculating apparatus which calculates two form-factor values, Fij1 and Fij3 for two elements in said interpolation domain for form-factor calculation, j1 and j3, with calculation representative points R1 and R3 that are obtained from the relation with patch (element) i with the calculation representative point S and the normal vector Ni, decides whether two conditions of ##EQU94## are satisfied or not, where "·

    " represents inner product, calculates a form-factor value Fij2 for a element j2 with a calculation representative point R2 which has the relation of
    
    
    space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R.sub.2 S=tR.sub.1 S÷

    (1-t)R.sub.3 Swith using one of 4 interpolation equations classified by approximation levels according to the consequence of the satisfactions for said conditions, and calculates the radiosity value for an element obtained from the patch with the maximum unshot energy with using the form-factor value for the element;

    an illumination intensity mapping apparatus which calculates a coordinates value at a point on the illumination intensity distribution space that is the direct product space consisting of a position on a surface and a illumination intensity at the position obtained from the calculation on said illumination intensity interpolation calculating apparatus and said radiosity calculating apparatus from coordinates values of the point and vertices of the polygon including the point on the 3 dimensional space, and outputs the illumination intensity value of the coordinates value at the point on the illumination intensity distribution space to the displaying apparatus.

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