Game apparatus, game program and game system

• US 8,460,100 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2010
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Matsumiya, Nobuo, Watanabe, Emi, Matsuda, Yuhei, Kuraoka, Hironori
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre Eddy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kamal, Shahid
• Application Number:
  US12/858,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20110300936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 463/31, 463/32, 463/33, 463/42, 345/418, 345/462, 345/473, 345/640
• US Class Current: 463/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/503 Blending, e.g. for anti-aliasing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/62 Semi-transparency

Abstract

A game apparatus generates control point data for forming a contour of each part of a character, generates a line model of a body being a line polygon model along the body on the basis of the control point data, then generates a line model of a foot being a line polygon model along a contour of one foot, and arranged at the back of the line model of the body Bd in a Z direction, and generates a mask model of the body being a transparent polygon model arranged at the back of the line model of the body in the Z direction and in front of the line model of the foot in the Z direction, and having the contour along the line of the body. Then, when the respective models are depicted with a Z comparison performed after depicting a background, the mask model of the body, the line model of the foot, the line model of the body are depicted in this order.

Claims

1. A game apparatus displaying a character object within a three-dimensional virtual space, comprising:

a contour information generator which generates contour information for forming a contour of each part of said character object;

a first line model generator which generates a first line model being a line polygon model along a contour of a first part of said character object on the basis of said contour information;

a second line model generator which generates a second line model being a line polygon model along a contour of a second part of said character object, and arranged at a back of said first line model in a Z direction on the basis of said contour information;

a first mask model generator which generates a first mask model being a transparent polygon model that is arranged at the back of said first line model in the Z direction and in front of said second line model in the Z direction, and having the contour along said first part on the basis of said contour information;

a background depicter which depicts a background;

a Z-array information generator which generates Z-array information indicating an alignment of said respective line models;

a Z-sorting information generator which generates Z-sorting information indicating a depicting order of said respective line models; and

a model depicting processor which depicts the respective models with a Z comparison performed after depicting by said background depicter, wherein

said model depicting processor

first depicts said first mask model,

depicts said second line model after said first mask model,

depicts said first line model after said second line model, and

depicts each line segment in an order according to said Z-sorting information with a Z comparison based on said Z-array information performed.

2. A game apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third line model generator which generates a third line model being a line polygon model along a contour of a third part of said character object, and being arranged in front of said first line model in the Z direction on the basis of said contour information, and

a second mask model generator which generates a second mask model being a transparent polygon model that is arranged in front of said first line model in the Z direction and at a back of said third line model in the Z direction, and having the contour along said third part on the basis of said contour information, wherein

said model depicting processor further

depicts said second mask model after said first mask model and before said second line model, and

depicts said third line model after said first line model.

3. A game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said contour information includes coordinate information of respective points along said contour.

4. A game apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

an acceptor which accepts an input from an operating device; and

a game processor which repetitively executes game processing including an animation control with respect to said character object in response to the input accepted by said acceptor and/or on the basis of a predetermined algorithm, wherein

said contour information generator generates said coordinate information every time that said game processing is executed.

5. A game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said contour information generator offsets said coordinate information in correspondence with a moving state of said character object by said animation control.

6. A game apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said contour information further includes parameter information indicating a degree of offset in correspondence with said moving state of each point along said contour, and

said contour information generator changes an amount of offset of each point on the basis of said parameter information.

7. A game apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

each line model generator generates a line polygon model with a predetermined width along the contour of each part on the basis of said coordinate information.

8. A game apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

each line model generator

evaluates a normal vector with respect to the contour in each point,

assign to each point a line segment in parallel with the normal vector in said point and having said predetermined width, and

generates a series of polygons each having a pair of endpoints of each line segment as shared vertexes.

9. A game apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said model depicting processor repetitively maps a unit texture by dividing said series of polygons on a predetermined number basis when each of said line models is depicted.

10. A game apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said unit texture is repetitively mapped to form a knitting pattern.

11. A non-transitory storage medium storing a game program, said game program causes a computer of a game apparatus displaying a character object within a three-dimensional virtual space to execute functionality comprising:

a contour information generator which generates contour information for forming a contour of each part of said character object;

a first line model generator which generates a first line model being a line polygon model along a contour of a first part of said character object on the basis of said contour information;

a second line model generator which generates a second line model being a line polygon model along a contour of a second part of said character object and arranged at a back of said first line model in a Z direction on the basis of said contour information;

a first mask model generator which generates a first mask model being a transparent polygon model that is arranged at the back of said first line model in the Z direction and in front of said second line model in the Z direction, and having the contour along said first part on the basis of said contour information;

a background depicter which depicts a background;

a Z-array information generator which generates Z-array information indicating an alignment of said respective line models;

a Z-sorting information generator which generates Z-sorting information indicating a depicting order of said respective line models; and

a model depicting processor which depicts said respective models with a Z comparison performed after depicting by said background depicter, wherein said model depicting processor

first depicts said first mask model,

depicts said second line model after said first mask model,

depicts said first line model after said second line model, and

depicts each line segment in an order according to said Z-sorting information with a Z comparison based on said Z-array information performed.

12. A game system displaying a character object within a three-dimensional virtual space, comprising:

a contour information generator which generates contour information for forming a contour of each part of said character object;

a first line model generator which generates a first line model being a line polygon model along a contour of a first part of said character object on the basis of said contour information;

a second line model generator which generates a second line model being a line polygon model along a contour of a second part of said character object, and arranged at a back of said first line model in a Z direction on the basis of said contour information;

a first mask model generator which generates a first mask model being a transparent polygon model that is arranged at the back of said first line model in the Z direction and in front of said second line model in the Z direction, and having the contour along said first part on the basis of said contour information;

a background depicter which depicts a background;

a Z-array information generator which generates Z-array information indicating an alignment of said respective line models;

a Z-sorting information generator which generates Z-sorting information indicating a depicting order of said respective line models; and

a model depicting processor which depicts said respective models with a Z comparison performed after depicting by said background depicter, wherein said model depicting processor

first depicts said first mask model,

depicts said second line model after said first mask model,

depicts said first line model after said second line model, and

depicts each line segment in an order according to said Z-sorting information with a Z comparison based on said Z-array information performed.

13. A game apparatus displaying a character object within a three-dimensional virtual space, comprising:

a contour information generator which generates contour information for forming a contour of each part of said character object;

a line model generator which generates each line model being a line polygon model along a contour of each part of said character object on the basis of said contour information;

a mask model generator which generates a mask model being a transparent polygon model having, with respect to at least one part of said character object, a contour along the part on the basis of said contour information;

a Z-array information generator which generates Z-array information indicating an alignment in a Z direction of said respective line models;

a Z-sorting information generator which generates Z-sorting information indicating a depicting order of said respective line models;

a background depicter which depicts a background; and

a model depicting processor which depicts said respective models in the order according to said Z-sorting information with a Z comparison based on said Z-sorting information performed after depicting by said background depicter, wherein

said Z-sorting information generator generates such Z-sorting information as to cause said model depicting processor to;

depict each of said mask models before a line model to be masked in the order according to said Z-array information out of said respective line models; and

generate Z-sorting information for depicting each of said line models in the order according to said Z-array information after each of said mask models.

14. A method implemented in an information processing apparatus having one or more processors and for displaying a character object within a three-dimensional virtual space, the method comprising:

generating contour information for forming a contour of each part of said character object;

generating a first line model being a line polygon model along a contour of a first part of said character object on the basis of said contour information;

generating a second line model being a line polygon model along a contour of a second part of said character object and arranged at a back of said first line model in a Z direction on the basis of said contour information;

generating a first mask model being a transparent polygon model that is arranged at the back of said first line model in the Z direction and in front of said second line model in the Z direction, and having the contour along said first part on the basis of said contour information;

depicting a background;

generating Z-array information indicating an alignment of said respective line models;

generating Z-sorting information indicating a depicting order of said respective line models; and

depicting, via the one or more processors, said respective models with a Z comparison performed after depicting the background, wherein

said first mask model is first depicted,

said second line model is depicted after said first mask model,

said first line model is depicted after said second line model, and

each line segment is depicted in an order according to said Z-sorting information with a Z comparison based on said Z-array information performed.