Computer graphic image storage, conversion and generating apparatus

• US 5,566,283 A
• Filed: 03/01/1995
• Issued: 10/15/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Kurata, Michio, Murota, Hideki, Modegi, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUCHEL JR, RUDOLPH JOHN
• Application Number:
  US08/396,895
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 395/118-20, 395/130, 395/126-9, 395/162, 395/164, 395/425, 395/600
• US Class Current: 345/426
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures

Abstract

A computer graphic image generating apparatus for generating an image based on a computer graphic model including shape information, camera information, camera position information, object position information, texture information, light source information and mapping information which includes texture image information. The apparatus includes a storage device, or memory, and means for calculating the amount of space in the storage device required to store all the information used to generate an image. The apparatus also includes means for storing the information for an image in the storage device without wasting any storage space. The apparatus also includes means for converting image information created for a first image generating system having a first shading calculation system into image information usable on a second image generating system having a different shading calculation system. The apparatus may also include means for converting image information usable by the first system into an interface format so that the image information can then be converted into a format usable by the second system.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional graphic image generating apparatus for generating a three-dimensional graphic image from at least one of a plurality of information parameters of a computer graphic surface model, said plurality of information parameters comprising object shape information parameters, camera information parameters, camera position information parameters, object shape position information parameters, texture information parameters, light source information parameters, and mapping information parameters including texture image information parameters, said information parameters generated by a first system, said three-dimensional graphic image produced by a second system having a different shading calculation model than the first system, said three-dimensional graphic image generating apparatus comprising:

(a) an interface including;

texturing means for receiving the texture information parameter of said first system and for converting the texture information parameter of the first system into a texture information parameter for said second system and for absorbing a difference of shading calculation model between said first system and said second system, wherein the texture information of the first system includes at least one of an ambient reflectivity parameter of an object surface, a specular reflectivity parameter of the object surface, a diffuse reflectivity parameter of the object surface, a specular reflection parameter and a transparency parameter;

light source means for receiving the light source information parameter of said first system, for converting the light source information parameter of the first system into a light source information parameter for said second system and for absorbing a difference of a light source information format or a lighting model between said first system and said second system; and

mapping means for receiving the mapping information parameter of said first system, for converting said mapping information parameter of said first system into a mapping information parameter for said second system, wherein the mapping information parameter of the first system includes the correction of the two-dimensional vertex coordinates of the texture image; and

(b) receiving means for receiving selected ones of the information parameters of said first system in a first format, and for converting said selected ones of the information parameters in said first format into information parameters of said interface in a second format, wherein the receiving means applies an addition correction factor to the selected ones of the information parameters in said first format to convert the selected ones of the information parameters in said first format into the second format, the addition correction factor being based on the diffuse reflectivity parameters of first, second and third colors of a color model of the first system, and the specular reflectivity parameter of the third color of the color model of the first system.

2. The computer graphic image generating apparatus of claim 1, wherein said texturing means converts the texture information parameter of the first system into the texture information parameter of the second system using a correction coefficient to match a high light occurring in both the first and the second systems.

3. The computer graphic image generating apparatus of claim 1, wherein said texturing means converts the specular reflectivity parameter of the first system into the specular reflectivity parameter of the second system using the specular reflectivity parameter and the diffuse reflectivity parameter of the first system.

4. A three-dimensional graphic image generating apparatus for converting a first computer graphic surface model of a first system, including at least one of a plurality of parameters, into a second computer graphic surface model of a second system having a different shading calculation model than the first system, said plurality of parameters comprising a texture information parameter, a light source parameter, and a mapping parameter including a texture image parameter, said three-dimensional graphic generating apparatus comprising:

texturing means for receiving the texture information parameter from said first system and for converting the texture information parameter of the first system, wherein the texture information parameter includes an ambient reflectivity parameter of an object surface, a diffuse reflectivity parameter of the object surface, a specular reflectivity parameter of the object surface, a specular reflectivity parameter, and a transparency parameter, the texturing means converting the texture information parameter of the first system into the texture information parameter of the second system by applying an addition correction factor to the texture information parameter of the first system, the addition correction factor being based on the diffuse reflectivity parameters of first, second and third colors of a color model of the first system and a specular reflectivity parameter of the third color of the color model of the first system;

light source means for receiving the light source information parameter from said first system, for converting the light source information parameter of the first system into a light source information parameter for said second system and for absorbing a difference of a light source information format or a lighting model between said first system and a second system; and

mapping means for receiving the mapping information parameter of said first system and for converting the mapping parameter of the first system into a mapping information parameter for said second system, wherein the mapping information parameter of the first system includes the correction of the two-dimensional vertex coordinates of the texture image.

5. The computer graphic image generating apparatus of claim 4, wherein said texturing means converts the texture information parameter of the first system into the texture information parameter of the second system using a correction coefficient to match a high light occurring in both the first and the second systems.

6. The computer graphic image generating apparatus of claim 4, wherein said texturing means converts the specular reflectivity parameter of the first system into the specular reflectivity parameter for the second system using the specular reflectivity parameter and the diffuse reflectivity parameter of the first system.