Computer graphics apparatus having an improved walk-through function

• US 5,790,950 A
• Filed: 03/17/1995
• Issued: 08/04/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LD Technology LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kamada, Hiroshi, Yumoto, Asako, Kobayashi, Kiyoshi, Suzuki, Kaori, Kasai, Satoshi, Tada, Atsuko, Hirota, Katsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): FETTING, ANTON W
• Application Number:
  US08/405,862
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 395/127, 395/121, 395/119, 395/164 AB, 395/326 AB, 395/161 AB, 345/421, 345/427, 345/419
• US Class Current: 435/427
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/10 Geometric effects

Abstract

A computer graphics apparatus includes a walk-through function to simulate with a computer the concept of walking through a structure such as a building. Display processing time and calculation processing time for one frame of a computer graphic image are improved by an input unit which receives a viewline moving instruction to move a viewline of a computer image. A viewline control unit determines positions and directions of the viewline while a storage unit stores computer graphics data including three-dimensional data of objects, walk-through attribute data and viewline data. An image generation unit then generates images including animated images based on the position of the viewline and the computer graphics data. The resultant images are then displayed on an image display unit.

Claims

1. A computer graphics apparatus, comprising:

input means for receiving from a user a viewline moving instruction for moving a viewline on a computer graphics display;

viewline control means connected to said input means for determining a position and direction of the viewline on the computer graphics display;

storage means connected to said viewline control means for storing computer graphics data including three-dimensional data of an object, walk-through attribute data, gravity data and viewline data, wherein said viewline control means searches for the stored three-dimensional data of the object in response to the moving instruction and the gravity data;

image generation means connected to said storage means and said viewline control means for generating an animated image based on the position and direction of the viewline and the computer graphics data; and

image display means connected to said image generation means for displaying the image generated by said image generation means.

2. A computer graphics apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image generation means performs:

a calculation process for calculating display coordinates for the stored three-dimensional data of the object based on the position of the viewline,

a display process for drawing the animated image based on the calculated display coordinates, and

an expectation process for estimating a calculation processing time for said calculation process, a display processing time for said display process, and an expectation processing time for said expectation process, for one frame of an animated image, by summing the expectation processing time, the calculation processing time and the display processing time.

3. A computer graphics apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said image generation means estimates the processing time in accordance with change of data from a previous frame.

4. A computer graphics apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said image generation means estimates the processing time based on two kinds of data, one being data which changes with time, the other being data which does not change with time, and the processing time based on the latter being set to a reference time.

5. A computer graphics apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said image generation means determines the processing time based on the data, which do not change with time, as a just previously measured actual time.

6. A computer graphics apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said image generation means

divides a whole three-dimensional data space into a plurality of partial spaces,

applies data necessary for expectation to each of the partial spaces, and

estimates the processing time.

7. A viewline control means for a graphics apparatus, comprising:

a downward object searching unit to search for objects positioned under a viewline based on gravity data;

a moving vector calculation unit for calculating a moving vector based on the viewline vector; and

a viewline movement processing unit for moving the viewline with the moving vector.

8. The viewline control means according to claim 7, further comprising:

a viewline height adjusting unit for adjusting viewline height.

9. The viewline control means according to claim 7, further comprising:

an interference processing unit to check for a collision possibility between the viewline and an obstacle when moving the viewline on the graphics apparatus.

10. The viewline control means according to claim 9, wherein

said obstacle is a wall, and

the viewline is moved with the wall when the viewline hits the wall.

11. The viewline control means according to claim 9, wherein

said interference processing unit holds data sorted into two objects in accordance with kinds of walk-through attribute data, one performing an interference check, and the other not performing the interference check,

whereby the numbers of objects performing the interference check are reduced in accordance with the sorted data and the walk-through data.

12. The viewline control means according to claim 9, further comprising:

a viewline width adjusting unit for moving the viewline with the obstacle by maintaining a predetermined constant distance from the obstacle.

13. The viewline control means according to claim 7, further comprising:

a walk-through attribute editing unit to edit a sort list of walk-through attributes during movement of the viewline.

14. A computer graphics apparatus, comprising:

input means for receiving from a user a viewline moving instruction for moving a viewline on computer graphics;

viewline control means operatively connected to said input means for determining positions and directions of the viewline on the computer graphics;

storage means operatively connected to said viewline control means for storing computer graphics data including three-dimensional data of an object, walk-through attribute data and viewline data;

image generation means operatively connected to said storage means and said viewline control means for generating an animated image based on the position of the viewline and the computer graphics data, wherein said image generation means

performs a calculation process for calculating display coordinates for the stored three-dimensional data of the object based on the position of the viewline,

performs a display process for drawing the animated image based on the calculated display coordinates, and

performs an expectation process for estimating a calculation processing time for said calculation process, a display processing time for said display process, and an expectation processing time for said expectation process, for one frame of an animated image, by summing the expectation processing time, the calculation processing time and the display processing time,

obtains the numbers of move-changing data and a method for changing data from the three-dimensional data, obtains an amount of data and kinds thereof from the three-dimensional data,

obtains expectation parameters which are previously determined based on above numbers, method, amount and kinds, and

calculates the calculation processing time and display processing time based on expectation parameters; and

image display means operatively connected to said image generation means for displaying the image generated by said image generation means.

15. A computer graphics apparatus, comprising:

input means for receiving from a user a viewline moving instruction for moving a viewline on computer graphics;

viewline control means operatively connected to said input means for determining positions and directions of the viewline on the computer graphics;

storage means operatively connected to said viewline control means for storing computer graphics data including three-dimensional data of an object, walk-through attribute data and viewline data;

image generation means operatively connected to said storage means and said viewline control means for generating an animated image based on the position of the viewline and the computer graphics data, wherein said image generation means

performs a calculation process for calculating display coordinates for the stored three-dimensional data of the object based on the position of the viewline,

performs a display process for drawing the animated image based on the calculated display coordinates, and

performs an expectation process for estimating a calculation processing time for said calculation process, a display processing time for said display process, and an expectation processing time for said expectation process, for one frame of an animated image, by summing the expectation processing time, the calculation processing time and the display processing time,

estimates the processing time in accordance with change of data from a previous frame,

obtains changed data from the previous frame regarding the numbers of move-changing data and a method for changing data from the three-dimensional data,

obtains changed data from the previous frame regarding an amount of data and kinds thereof from the three-dimensional data,

obtains expectation parameters which are previously determined, and

calculates the calculation processing time and display processing time based on expectation parameters; and

image display means operatively connected to said image generation means for displaying the image generated by said image generation means.

16. A computer graphics apparatus, comprising:

input means for receiving from a user a viewline moving instruction for moving a viewline on computer graphics;

viewline control means operatively connected to said input means for determining positions and directions of the viewline on the computer graphics;

storage means operatively connected to said viewline control means for storing computer graphics data including three-dimensional data of an object, walk-through attribute data and viewline data;

image generation means operatively connected to said storage means and said viewline control means for generating an animated image based on the position of the viewline and the computer graphics data, wherein said image generation means

performs a calculation process for calculating display coordinates for the stored three-dimensional data of the object based on the position of the viewline,

performs a display process for drawing the animated image based on the calculated display coordinates, and

performs an expectation process for estimating a calculation processing time for said calculation process, a display processing time for said display process, and an expectation processing time for said expectation process, for one frame of an animated image, by summing the expectation processing time, the calculation processing time and the display processing time,

estimates the processing time based on two kinds of data, one being data which changes with time, the other being data which does n o t change with time, and the processing time based on the latter being set to a reference time, and

determines the processing time for non-moving objects in a view-volume as the same time of the previous processing time, checks change of number of moving objects in the view-volume, and

calculates the processing time in the view-volume; and

image display means operatively connected to said image generation means for displaying the image generated by said image generation means.

17. A computer graphics apparatus, comprising:

input means for receiving from a user a viewline moving instruction for moving a viewline on computer graphics;

viewline control means operatively connected to said input means for determining positions and directions of the viewline on the computer graphics;

storage means operatively connected to said viewline control means for storing computer graphics data including three-dimensional data of an object, walk-through attribute data and viewline data;

image generation means operatively connected to said storage means and said viewline control means for generating an animated image based on the position of the viewline and the computer graphics data, wherein said image generation means

performs a calculation process for calculating display coordinates for the stored three-dimensional data of the object based on the position of the viewline,

performs a display process for drawing the animated image based on the calculated display coordinates, and

performs an expectation process for estimating a calculation processing time for said calculation process, a display processing time for said display process, and an expectation processing time for said expectation process, for one frame of an animated image, by summing the expectation processing time, the calculation processing time and the display processing time,

obtains a volume ratio of a volume of the whole three-dimensional data space and the view-volume,

calculates data necessary for expectation based on the volume ratio within the view-volume, and

estimates the processing time; and

image display means operatively connected to said image generation means for displaying the image generated by said image generation means.

18. A computer graphics apparatus, comprising:

input means for receiving from a user a viewline moving instruction for moving a viewline on computer graphics;

viewline control means operatively connected to said input means for determining positions and directions of the viewline on the computer graphics;

storage means operatively connected to said viewline control means for storing computer graphics data including three-dimensional data of an object, walk-through attribute data and viewline data;

image generation means operatively connected to said storage means and said viewline control means for generating an animated image based on the position of the viewline and the computer graphics data, wherein said image generation means

performs a calculation process for calculating display coordinates for the stored three-dimensional data of the object based on the position of the viewline,

performs a display process for drawing the animated image based on the calculated display coordinates, and

performs an expectation process for estimating a calculation processing time for said calculation process, a display processing time for said display process, and an expectation processing time for said expectation process, for one frame of an animated image, by summing the expectation processing time, the calculation processing time and the display processing time, and

obtains a difference between a previous expected processing time and an actual processing time, and

corrects the expectation processing time; and

image display means operatively connected to said image generation means for displaying the image generated by said image generation means.

19. A computer graphics apparatus, comprising:

input means for receiving from a user a viewline moving instruction for moving a viewline on computer graphics;

viewline control means operatively connected to said input means for determining positions and directions of the viewline on the computer graphics;

storage means operatively connected to said viewline control means for storing computer graphics data including three-dimensional data of an object, walk-through attribute data and viewline data;

image generation means operatively connected to said storage means and said viewline control means for generating an animated image based on the position of the viewline and the computer graphics data, wherein said image generation means

performs a calculation process for calculating display coordinates for the stored three-dimensional data of the object based on the position of the viewline,

performs a display process for drawing the animated image based on the calculated display coordinates, and

performs an expectation process for estimating a calculation processing time for said calculation process, a display processing time for said display process, and an expectation processing time for said expectation process, for one frame of an animated image, by summing the expectation processing time, the calculation processing time and the display processing time,

and said image generation means further comprises

an expectation unit and an expectation parameter measuring unit for

reading data for measuring expectation parameters;

displaying reference data for display;

obtaining the display processing time for the reference data;

displaying parameter decision data;

obtaining the display processing time for the parameter decision data;

obtaining expectation parameters for display process;

executing a problem for expectation parameters for the calculation process;

obtaining a calculation processing time; and

obtaining the expectation parameters for the calculation process; and

image display means operatively connected to said image generation means for displaying the image generated by said image generation means.

20. A computer graphics apparatus, comprising:

viewline request means for requesting movement of a viewline in a forward direction in an animated computer graphics display;

storage means for storing three-dimensional object data indicating a surface slanted at an angle to the viewline and gravity data indicating a magnitude of gravity in a downward direction from the viewline; and

viewline control means for calculating movement of the viewline parallel to the slanted surface in response to the requested forward movement, the angle of the slanted surface and the gravity data.