Video simulation system for calculating distance between characters and applying polygon to polygon plane

• US 6,657,627 B1
• Filed: 02/09/1998
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Wada, Tetsuya, Sugano, Kei
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cao, Huedung X.
• Application Number:
  US09/020,870
• Time in Patent Office: 2,122 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/473, 345/420, 345/427, 345/474, 345/649, 434/38, 463/37
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6646 for the computation and display of the shadow of an object or character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes

Abstract

The distance between a moving character and a fixed character which are displayed in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen is calculated by identifying one of polygons which make up the fixed character and which contains a point of planar coordinates representing the position of the moving character, and calculating the distance between the moving character and the polygon which has been identified. A polygon representing a mark associated with the moving character is applied to a plane of a polygon of the fixed character by determining a normal vector which is normal to the plane of the polygon at a predetermined position thereon, determining a first vector contained in the plane of the polygon perpendicularly to the normal vector, determining a second vector contained in the plane of the polygon perpendicularly to both the normal vector and the first vector, and determining the rotation matrix from the normal matrix, the first matrix, and the second matrix.

Claims

1. A method of calculating a distance between a moving character displayed in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen and a fixed character comprising blocks, each of said blocks being comprised of triangular polygons displayed in the pseudo-three-dimensional space on the display monitor screen, comprising the steps of:

identifying a one of said blocks which confronts said moving character;

identifying a one of said triangular polygons containing a point of planar coordinates representing the position of the moving character from among ones of said triangular polygons forming said one of said blocks, including the sub-steps of;

identifying a triangular polygon which satisfies the conditions of;

s≧

0

t≧

0 and

s+t≦

1 in a mathematical expression

p=(s×

a)+(t×

b)

where;

p represents a vector directed from a reference vertex of the triangular polygon toward said point of planar coordinates contained in said polygon,

a and b represent respective vectors directed from a reference vertex of the triangular polygon toward respective other vertexes of the triangular polygon, and

s and t represent respective coefficients of the vectors a and b; and

calculating a distance between said moving character and the triangular polygon which has been identified.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of calculating a distance comprises the step of calculating a distance y between said moving character and the polygon which has been identified, according to the equation:

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined point O comprises a reference vertex of said triangular polygon.

4. An apparatus for calculating a distance between a moving character displayed in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen and a fixed character comprising blocks, each of said blocks being comprised of polygons displayed in the pseudo-three-dimensional space on the display monitor screen, comprising:

first means for identifying a one of said blocks which confronts said moving character;

second means for identifying a polygon containing a point of planar coordinates representing the position of the moving character from among ones of said polygons forming said one of said blocks, said polygon being of a triangular shape, and said second means comprising means for identifying a polygon which satisfies the conditions of s≧

0, t≧

0, and s+t≦

1 in the equation;

5. An apparatus for calculating a distance between a moving character displayed in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen and a fixed character comprising blocks, each of said blocks being comprised of polygons displayed in the pseudo-three-dimensional space on the display monitor screen, comprising:

first means for identifying a one of said blocks which confronts said moving character;

second means for identifying a polygon containing a point of planar coordinates representing the position of the moving character from among ones of said polygons forming said one of said blocks; and

third means for calculating a distance between said moving character and the polygon which has been identified by said second means, said third means comprising means for calculating a distance y between said moving character and the polygon which has been identified, according to the equation;

6. A simulator comprising:

a display monitor for displaying a moving character and a fixed character comprising blocks, each of said blocks being comprised of polygons in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen;

a control device manipulatable by a player;

detecting means for detecting a control action produced by said control device;

calculating means for calculating a position on the display monitor screen of the moving character based on a detected signal from said detecting means; and

an apparatus for calculating a distance between the moving character and the fixed character, said apparatus comprising;

first means for identifying a one of said blocks which confronts said moving character;

second means for identifying a polygon containing a point of planar coordinates representing the position of the moving character calculated by said calculating means from among ones of said polygons forming said one of said blocks, said polygon being of a triangular shape, and said second means comprising means for identifying a polygon which satisfies the conditions of s≧

0, t≧

0, and s+t≦

1 in the equation;

7. A simulator according to claim 6, wherein said moving character comprises a flight object, and said control unit comprises means for varying a height of said flight object in the pseudo-three-dimensional space of the display monitor screen.

8. A method of calculating a distance between a character movably displayed in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen and a polygon model composed of a plurality of polygons displayed in the pseudo-three-dimensional space on the display monitor screen, comprising the steps of:

establishing a hypothetical plane in the pseudo-three-dimensional space and identifying one of the polygons which is positioned on the periphery of or within a polygonal shape onto which said character is projected when said character and the polygons of the polygon model are projected onto said hypothetical plane, said one of the polygons being of a triangular shape, and said step of identifying including identifying a polygon which satisfies the conditions of s≧

0, t≧

0, and s+t≦

1 in the equation;

9. An apparatus for calculating a distance between a character movable displayed in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen and a polygon model composed of a plurality of polygons displayed in the pseudo-three-dimensional space on the display monitor screen, comprising:

polygon identifying means for establishing a hypothetical plane in the pseudo-three-dimensional space and identifying one of the polygons which is positioned on the periphery of or within a polygonal shape onto which said character is projected when said character and the polygons of the polygon model are projected onto said hypothetical plane; and

distance calculating means for calculating a distance between said one of the polygons which has been identified by said polygon identifying means and said character, said one of the polygons being of a triangular shape, and said polygon identifying means comprising means for identifying a polygon which satisfies the conditions of s≧

0, t≧

0, and s+t≦

1 in the equation;

10. A simulator comprising:

a display monitor visually observable by a player;

display control means for displaying on said display monitor a character movably in a pseudo-three-dimensional space and a polygon model composed of a plurality of polygons in the pseudo-three-dimensional space, as viewed from a predetermined viewpoint;

a control device manipulatable by the player;

detecting means for detecting a control action produced by said control device;

calculating means for calculating a position on the display monitor screen of the moving character based on a detected signal from said detecting means; and

an apparatus for calculating a distance between the character and the polygon model;

said apparatus comprising;

polygon identifying means for establishing a hypothetical plane in the pseudo-three-dimensional space and identifying one of the polygons which is positioned on the periphery of or within a polygonal shape onto which said character is projected when said character and the polygons of the polygon model are projected onto said hypothetical plane, said one of the polygons being of a triangular shape, and said polygon identifying means comprising means for identifying a polygon which satisfies the conditions of s≧

0, t≧

0, and s+t≦

1 in the equation;

11. A simulator according to claim 10, wherein said display control means comprises means for displaying a contact-indicating image on said display monitor when said character and said polygon model has contacted each other as decided by said contact decision means.

12. A method of calculating a distance between a moving character displayed in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen and a fixed character comprising blocks, each of said blocks being comprised of triangular polygons displayed in the pseudo-three-dimensional space on the display monitor screen, comprising the steps of:

identifying a one of said blocks which confronts said moving character;

identifying a one of said triangular polygons containing a point of planar coordinates representing the position of the moving character in X-Z coordinate character from among ones of said triangular polygons forming said one of said blocks, including the sub-steps of;

identifying a triangular polygon which satisfies the conditions of;

SIGN(1)×

SIGN(2)≧

0

SIGN(3)×

SIGN(4)≧

0

ABS(1+3)≦

ABS(2) $\begin{array}{cc}s=\frac{b_x\times <br><br>P_z-P_x\times <br><br>b_z}{b_x\times <br><br>a_z-a_x\times <br><br>b_z}& \left(1\right)\\ t=\frac{a_z\times <br><br>P_x-P_z\times <br><br>a_x}{b_x\times <br><br>a_z-a_x\times <br><br>b_z}& \left(2\right)\end{array}$

where;

SIGN (1) represents the sign (positive or negative) of the numerator of equation (1),

SIGN (2) represents the sign (positive or negative) of the denominator of the equation (1),

SIGN (3) represents the sign (positive or negative) of the numerator of equation (2),

SIGN (4) represents the sign (positive or negative) of the denominator of the equation (2),

ABS (1+3) represents the absolute value of the sum of the numerator of the equation (1) and the numerator of the equation (2),

ABS (2) represents the absolute value of the denominator of the equation (1),

P_x represents an X-coordinate of a point P at a certain point of the moving character,

P_z represents a Z-coordinate of the point P of the moving character,

a and b represent respective vectors directed from a reference vertex of the triangular polygon toward respective other vertexes of the triangular polygon,

a_x is a component of a vector a along the X-axis,

a_z is a component of the vector a along the Z-axis,

b_x is a component of a vector b along the X-axis, and

b_z is a component of the vector b along the Z-axis; and

calculating a distance between said moving character and the triangular polygon which has been identified.