System for and method for producing and displaying images which are viewed from various viewpoints in local spaces

• US 6,072,478 A
• Filed: 02/16/1996
• Issued: 06/06/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nishiyama, Jyoji, Kurihara, Tsuneya, Takeda, Haruo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Application Number:
  US08/602,316
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 345/302, 345/473-475, 345/419, 345/427
• US Class Current: 715/203
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/04 for aiming at specific areas on the displays, e.g. with photodetecting means
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/47 involving branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible scenarios at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/30 characterized by output arrangements for receiving control signals generated by the game device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/632 by branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible story developments at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6669 using a plurality of virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character change rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/04 involving 3D image data

Abstract

An image producing/displaying system which is capable of imaging the drama, which is generally developed, from different views independently includes a storage device and an information processing unit for progressing the drama on the basis of the data stored in the storage device to image the drama. The storage device stores previously therein both individual data with respect to a plurality of characters which are treated as the human beings, a plurality of set and properties which are treated as the objects, and a plurality of local spaces, which are virtually specified as elements constructing the virtual world, and scenario information which is used to progress the drama in the whole virtual world. The information processing unit reads out the scenario information from the storage device to progress the drama in the whole space of the virtual world in accordance with the description in the scenario, and images the contents of the drama shown by the scenario information describing the drama in the specified local space out of the plurality of local spaces to display the contents of the drama on a display device by referring to the individual data stored in the storage device.

Claims

1. An image producing and displaying system for producing a virtual world having a plurality of local spaces, developing a drama which occurs therein, in accordance with a previously prepared scenario, and imaging the drama to display the drama, said producing and displaying system comprising:

a storage device for storing therein information which is necessary to construct said virtual world and also to cause said drama to progress;

an information processing unit for causing said drama to progress in said plurality of local spaces constituting said virtual world on a common time base to all of the local spaces and imaging said drama based on said information stored in said storage device;

a display device for displaying an image which has been produced in said information processing unit; and

an input unit for specifying a local space to said information processing unit,

said storage device storing individual data with respect to a plurality of characters which display human characteristics and are treated as virtual human beings, a plurality of set and properties which are treated as virtual objects and a plurality of local spaces, where said plurality of characters and said plurality of set and properties constituting said virtual world may be present, and storing scenario information for forming a story along which said drama is caused to progress in the entire virtual world, said plurality of characters, said plurality of set and properties and said plurality of local spaces being elements of said virtual world,

said information processing unit including;

progression managing means for reading out said scenario information to cause said drama to progress in the entire space of the virtual world in accordance with the scenario, and

image producing means for producing, by specifying at least one of said local spaces constituting said virtual world among the scenario information the progression of which is managed by said progression managing means, an image of said specified local space, and displaying the image of said specified local space on said display device.

2. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 1, wherein the individual data includes:

character feature describing information in which features and an attribute are provided for describing every character; and

set and properties feature describing information in which features and an attribute are provided for describing every set and properties,

wherein the scenario information includes;

event information in which an event, which is allowed to occur in a drama produced in the virtual world drama, is described;

performance describing information in which performances of a plurality of characters are described;

data of properties in which a presence state of said set and properties is described; and

local space state describing information in which a structure, a background and an attribute, and a state of the local space are described, whereby specification of one of said plurality of characters by said input unit causes an image of a local space based on a view of said specified character to be produced and displayed.

3. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 2, wherein:

the event information includes data in which occurrence conditions, occurrence contents and an extended effect following the occurrence are described together with time data corresponding to the scenario;

the performance describing information includes data in which a position, behavior and attributes of each character are described together with the time data corresponding to the scenario;

the data of properties includes data in which a position, behavior and attributes of the set and properties are described together with the time data corresponding to the scenario; and

the local space state describing information includes data in which the structure, the background and attributes of the local space are described together with the time data corresponding to the scenario.

4. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 2, wherein specification of one of said plurality of characters by said input unit causes an image of a local space based on a view of said specified character to be produced and displayed, said system further comprising:

a sound reproducing unit for carrying out sound reproduction;

wherein the character feature describing information includes information which represents a tone of voice of each character as an attribute;

the performance describing information further includes information in which speech of each character is described; and

said sound reproducing unit produces a voice following an utterance of the speech of each character with the tone of voice, which is specified by information representing the tone of voice of each character, based on information in which the speech is described to output the voice.

5. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 2, wherein specification of one of said plurality of characters by said input unit causes an image of a local space based on a view of said specified character to be produced and displayed, said system further comprising:

a sound reproducing unit for carrying out sound reproduction;

wherein said storage device further stores a speech sound source in which the speeches of the plurality of characters are previously recorded, and identifies which of the characters are assigned to the respective speeches contained in the speech sound source for said characters;

said sound reproducing unit reproduces, when the speech of the character contained in the specified local space is specified, a recorded speech having the identifier added thereto; and

the performance describing information further includes information in which the identifier for specifying the speech of the character is described.

6. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 1, wherein said information processing unit further includes individual data updating means for receiving change information from said progression managing means, when change of the individual data along with the progression of the drama is necessary, to rewrite a corresponding part of the individual data stored in said storage means whereby specification of one of said plurality of characters by said input unit causes an image of a local space based on a view of said specified character to be produced and displayed, the displayed image of the local space being changed with movement of said specified character.

7. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 1, wherein said information processing unit further includes imaged space appointing means for appointing the local space in which the imaging in the virtual world is to be carried out.

8. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 7, wherein said imaged space appointing means appoints any one of the elements included in the virtual world, to thereby specify a local space including said appointed element, and specification of one of said plurality of characters by said input unit causes an image of said specified local space based on a view of said specified character to be produced and displayed, the displayed image of the local space being changed with movement of said specified character.

9. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 8, wherein said imaged space appointing means accepts an appointment from said input unit with respect to an element, which is previously allowed, out of the elements, and determines the local space in which the appointed element is held, as the specified local space.

10. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 1, wherein said information processing unit further includes virtual camera specifying means for specifying through said input unit both a position and a direction of a virtual camera which is virtually specified when imaging in the virtual world is effected;

and

said image producing means carries out imaging with respect to the local space in which the specified position of the virtual camera is present, wherein said local space is observed in accordance with both the specified position and direction of said virtual camera.

11. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 10 wherein said virtual camera specifying means accepts data relating to the selection of any one of a plurality of characters which are previously allowed, through said input unit, and specifies, through said input unit, both the position and the direction of the virtual camera in correspondence to the view of the selected character.

12. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 10, wherein said virtual camera specifying means accepts data relating to the selection of the characters out of the plurality of characters which are previously allowed, through said input unit, and specifies, through said input unit, for every selected character both the position and the direction of the virtual camera in correspondence to the associated virtual vision.

13. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 9, wherein said image producing means produces, in accordance with the specified positions and directions of a plurality of virtual cameras, the respective images and displays the resultant images on said display device with a screen thereof being divided into a plurality of display areas.

14. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 13, wherein said display device has a plurality of display screens;

and

said image producing means displays the images, which have been produced, on said display device with the display areas being distributed to the plurality of display screens of said display device.

15. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 13, wherein said information processing unit further includes multiwindow control means for displaying a plurality of windows on the display screen of said display device to carry out the display on the windows, and controlling the priority of the display of the windows;

said multiwindow control means sets the windows in correspondence to a number of positions of said virtual cameras, the positions of said virtual cameras being specified by said virtual camera specifying means; and

said image producing means displays a plurality of images, which have been produced in correspondence to the virtual camera positions, on the corresponding windows with the windows thus set as the display areas.

16. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 15, wherein said virtual camera specifying means includes default setting data which is previously set with respect to both the position and the direction of said virtual camera, and enables the default setting data to be selected through said input unit;

and

said image producing means displays the image, which has been produced in correspondence to the default setting data, on said display device with any one of the windows thus set as the display area.

17. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 10, wherein said virtual camera specifying means includes the default setting data which is previously set with respect to both the position and the direction of the virtual camera, and when there is no specification from the outside, sets both the position and the direction of said virtual camera based on the default setting data.

18. An image producing and displaying system according to claim 10, 11 or 12, wherein said input unit includes a remote control unit for specifying the position and a direction of said virtual camera in said local space, whereby an image of said local space as viewed from said specified virtual camera position in said specified virtual camera direction is displayed.

19. An image producing and displaying method of virtually producing a virtual world having a plurality of local spaces, developing a drama which occurs therein in accordance with a previously prepared scenario, and imaging the drama to display the drama, said method comprising the steps of:

previously storing, in a storage devices individual data with respect to a plurality of characters which display human characteristics and are treated as virtual human beings, a plurality of set and properties which are treated as virtual objects and a plurality of local spaces where the plurality of characters and the plurality of set and properties constituting said virtual world may be present, and previously storing scenario information for forming a story along which the drama is caused to progress in the entire virtual world in a storage device, said plurality of characters, said plurality of set and properties and said plurality of local spaces being elements of said virtual world;

reading out the scenario information from the storage device and causing the drama to progress in the entire space of the virtual world in accordance with the scenario information; and

specifying one of said local spaces to image contents of the drama shown by the scenario information describing the drama in the specified local space by referring to the individual data stored in the storage device and to display the contents of the drama on a display device.

20. An image producing and displaying method according to claim 19, wherein the local space is specified by virtually setting a virtual camera when performing said imaging step in the virtual world and by specifying, by an input unit, both a position and a direction of said virtual camera;

and

said imaging step is carried out with respect to the local space where the specified position of said virtual camera is present with said local space being observed in accordance with the specified direction of said virtual camera.

21. An image producing and displaying system for virtually producing a virtual world having a plurality of local spaces, developing a drama which occurs therein along a previously prepared scenario, and imaging the drama to display the drama, said system comprising:

means for storing individual data which is used to describe both special features of a plurality of local spaces constituting said virtual world and individual special features of characters and objects of the virtual world, and for storing scenario information which is used to form a story along which the dramas with respect to a plurality of predetermined characters are caused to progress;

progression managing means for reading out the scenario information to produce the drama for every character in accordance with the description of the scenario and causing those dramas to progress synchronously with one another;

imagine character specifying means for specifying a character to be imaged in the virtual world; and

image producing means for producing, by referring to the individual data with respect to a local space where the character specified by said imaging character specifying means appears out of the scenario information, progression of which is managed by the progression managing means, an image of an element of the virtual world included in the individual data as viewed from said specified character and displaying the image on a display device.

22. An image producing and displaying system for producing virtually a virtual world having a plurality of local spaces, developing a drama which occurs therein along a previously prepared scenario, and imaging the drama to display the drama, said system comprising:

storage means for storing therein information which is necessary to construct the virtual world and to the drama to progress;

information processing means for causing the drama to progress in said plurality of local spaces constituting the virtual world on a time base common to all of said local spaces and imaging the drama based on the information stored in said storage means;

output means for displaying the image which has been produced in said information processing means; and

input means for specifying a local space to said information processing means,

said storage means storing individual data with respect to a plurality of characters which display human characteristics and are treated as virtual human beings, a plurality of set and properties which are treated as virtual objects and a plurality of local spaces where the plurality of characters and the plurality of sets of properties constituting said virtual world may be present, and storing scenario information for forming a story along which the drama is caused to progress in the entire virtual world, said plurality of characters, said plurality of set and properties and said plurality of local spaces being elements of said virtual world,

said information processing unit including;

progression managing means for reading out the scenario information to cause the drama to progress in the entire space of the virtual world in accordance with the scenario, and

image producing means for producing, by specifying at least one of said local spaces constituting said virtual world among the scenario information the progression of which is managed by the progression managing means, an image of said specified local space, and displaying the image of said specified local space at said output means.