3D virtual reality multi-user interaction with superimposed positional information display for each user

• US 6,057,856 A
• Filed: 09/16/1997
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nashida, Tatsushi, Miyashita, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Albert K.
• Application Number:
  US08/931,863
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/433, 345/435, 345/329-332
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

Positions of users other than a particular user in a virtual reality space shared by many users can be recognized with ease and in a minimum display space. The center (or intersection) of a cross of radar map corresponds to the particular user and the positions of other users (to be specific, the avatars of the other users) around the particular user are indicated by dots or squares colored red for example in the radar map. This radar map is displayed on virtual reality space image in a superimposed manner.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus in a three-dimensional virtual reality space sharing system in which a plurality of information processing units for displaying a three-dimensional virtual reality space image by acquiring three-dimensional graphic data associated with a basic object to be commonly used by a plurality of users and an update object to be updated according to an operation performed by each of said plurality of users are interconnected with a shared server terminal for transferring update data associated with updating of a state of said update object transmitted from each of said plurality of information processing units to another of thereof, said information processing apparatus comprising:

a positional information acquisition processing means for acquiring updated positional information associated with a position of said update object relative to said three-dimensional virtual reality space based on the update data transferred from said shared server terminal;

evaluating means for evaluating the updated positional information and determining therefrom whether the position of the update object is within a particular portion of the three-dimensional virtual reality space; and

a superimposed display processing means for displaying the updated positional information acquired by said positional information acquisition processing means onto said three-dimensional virtual reality space image in a superimposed manner but only if the evaluating means determines that the position of the update object is within the particular portion of the three-dimensional virtual reality space.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said positional information acquisition processing means acquires information associated with the position of said update object representing an avatar of another user existing in a predetermined range around the position of said update object representing an avatar of a user concerned in said three-dimensional virtual reality space.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said positional information acquisition processing means acquires information associated with the position of said update object representing an avatar of another user existing in a sphere having a predetermined radius around the position of said update object representing an avatar of a user concerned in said three-dimensional virtual reality space.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said superimposed display processing means displays the position of said update object representing an avatar of another user onto said three-dimensional virtual reality space image in a superimposed manner in a display form based on a predetermined coordinate display system with the position of said update object representing an avatar of a user concerned in said three-dimensional virtual reality space being as an origin of said predetermined coordinate display system.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said superimposed display processing means displays the position of said update object onto said three-dimensional virtual reality space image in a superimposed manner in a display form involving a coordinate axis based on a predetermined coordinate display system.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said superimposed display processing means displays the position of said update object onto said three-dimensional virtual reality space image in a superimposed manner in a display form involving a coordinate axis based on a predetermined coordinate system and said predetermined range.

7. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus in a three-dimensional virtual reality space sharing system in which a plurality of information processing units for displaying a three-dimensional virtual reality space image by acquiring three-dimensional graphic data associated with a basic object to be commonly used by a plurality of users and an update object to be updated according to an operation performed by each of said plurality of users are interconnected with a shared server terminal for transferring update data associated with updating of a state of said update object transmitted from each of said plurality of information processing units to another of thereof, said information processing method comprising the steps of:

acquiring updated positional information associated with a position of said update object relative to said three-dimensional virtual reality space based on the update data transferred from said shared server terminal;

evaluating the updated positional information and determining therefrom whether the position of the update object is within a particular portion of the three-dimensional virtual reality space; and

displaying the updated positional information acquired by said positional information acquisition processing means onto said three-dimensional virtual reality space image in a superimposed manner but only if the evaluating means determines that the position of the update object is within the particular portion of the three-dimensional virtual reality space.

8. In information providing medium for providing a computer program to be executed by an information processing apparatus in a three-dimensional virtual reality space sharing system in which a plurality of information processing units for displaying a three-dimensional virtual reality space image by acquiring three-dimensional graphic data associated with a basic object to be commonly used by a plurality of users and an update object to be updated according to an operation performed by each of said plurality of users are interconnected with a shared server terminal for transferring update data associated with updating of a state of said update object transmitted from each of said plurality of information processing units to another of thereof, said computer program comprising the steps of:

acquiring updated positional information associated with a position of said update object relative to said three-dimensional virtual reality space based on the update data transferred from said shared server terminal;

evaluating the updated positional information and determining therefrom whether the position of the update object is within a particular portion of the three-dimensional virtual reality space; and

displaying the updated positional information acquired by said positional information acquisition processing means onto said three-dimensional virtual reality space image in a superimposed manner but only if the evaluating means determines that the position of the update object is within the particular portion of the three-dimensional virtual reality space.