Animation generating apparatus, animation generating method, and animation generating program

• US 7,612,777 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2005
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagata, Hisanori, Kameda, Kenji, Koda, Natsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chauhan, Ulka
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATHEWS, CRYSTAL
• Application Number:
  US11/114,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20060284879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,652 Days
• Field of Search: 345473-474
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3638 including 3D objects and buildings three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects G06T17/00; geographic models G06T17/05
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images

Abstract

An animation generating apparatus for generating a three-dimensional animation tracking a moving object includes a camera parameter setting section setting a point of regard and a point of view based on a current position of the moving object using route data indicating a route of the moving object so that the point of regard is located on the route and the point of view is located behind the point of regard along the route, and a rendering processor generating an image by retrieving necessary rendering data from three-dimensional map data based on the point of regard and point of view set by the camera parameter setting section.

Claims

1. An animation generating apparatus for generating a three-dimensional animation tracking a moving object, the apparatus comprising:

camera parameter setting means for setting a point of regard and a point of view based on a current position of the moving object using route data indicating a route of the moving object so that the point of regard is a position of the moving object located on the route, and the point of view is located on the route of the moving object in a first direction and at a fixed distance behind the point of regard; and

rendering means for generating an image directed from the point of view to the point of regard when the moving object changes direction by retrieving necessary rendering data from three-dimensional map data based on the point of regard and the point of view set by the camera parameter setting means,

wherein, when the direction of the moving object changes in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the point of view remains located on the route of the moving object traveling in the first direction at the fixed distance behind the point of regard and directed to the point of regard.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising route data converting means for converting the route data that is acquired in advance into a group of coordinates of points indicating positions of the moving object on the route at certain time intervals,

wherein the camera parameter setting means sets the point of view to a point in the group of coordinates of points, the point in the group of coordinates of points indicating the position of the moving object, and the position of the moving object is at a location on the route ahead of the point of view by a predetermined time.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising route data converting means for converting the route data that is acquired in advance into a group of coordinates of points located at certain distance intervals on the route,

wherein the camera parameter setting means sets the point of view to a point in the group of coordinates of points which is converted by the route data converting means, the point being at a position a predetermined number of points behind the point of regard.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional map data and the route data include height information, and the camera parameter setting means sets the point of view at a certain height from a point behind the point of regard on the route.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the height of the point of view from the route is arbitrarily set according to a movement of the moving object.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the three-dimensional map data includes point height data indicating the height of points on a map specified by two-dimensional positional information, and

the camera parameter setting means sets the point of view and the point of regard based on three-dimensional route data having a combination of two-dimensional positional information of a point on the route specified by the route data and height information of the point, the height information being extracted from the point height data.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising route data converting means for converting the route data that is acquired in advance into a group of coordinates of points indicating positions of the moving object on the route at certain time intervals,

wherein the camera parameter setting means sets a point in the group of coordinates of points indicating a position of the moving object at a first time as point-of-view data, and

wherein the camera parameter setting means sets a point in the group of coordinates of points indicating a position of the moving object at a later second time as point-of-regard data at the first time.

8. An animation generating method for generating a three-dimensional animation tracking a moving object, comprising:

setting a point of regard and a point of view based on a current position of the moving object using route data indicating a route of the moving object so that the point of regard is a position of the moving object located on the route, and the point of view is located on the route of the moving object in a first direction and at a fixed distance behind the point of regard;

generating an image directed from the point of view to the point of regard when the moving object changes direction by retrieving necessary rendering data from three-dimensional map data based on the set point of regard and the set point of view; and

keeping the point of view directed to the point of regard and positioned on the route of the moving object traveling in a first direction at the fixed distance behind the point of regard when the direction of the moving object changes in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising converting the route data that is acquired in advance into a group of coordinates of points indicating positions of the moving object on the route at certain time intervals,

wherein the setting sets the point of view to a point in the group of coordinates of points, the point in the group of coordinates of points indicating the position of the moving object, which is at a location on the route ahead of the point of regard by a predetermined time.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising converting the route data that is acquired in advance into a group of coordinates of points located at certain distance intervals on the route,

wherein the setting sets the point of view to a point in the group of coordinates of points which is converted by the route data converting means, the point being at a position a predetermined number of points behind the point of regard.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the three-dimensional map data and the route data include height information, and the setting sets the point of view at a certain height from a point behind the point of regard on the route.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the height of the point of view from the route is arbitrarily set according to a movement of the moving object.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the three-dimensional map data includes point height data indicating the height of points on a map specified by two-dimensional positional information, and

the setting sets the point of view and the point of regard based on three-dimensional route data having a combination of two-dimensional positional information of a point on the route specified by the route data and height information of the point, the height information being extracted from the point height data.

14. A computer readable medium storing an animation generating program causing a computer to execute a process for generating a three-dimensional animation tracking a moving object, the program causing the computer to function as:

camera parameter setting means for setting a point of regard and a point of view based on a current position of the moving object using route data indicating a route of the moving object so that the point of regard is a position of the moving object located on the route, and the point of view is located on the route of the moving object in a first direction and at a fixed distance behind the point of regard; and

rendering control means for issuing a rendering command to generate an image directed from the point of view to the point of regard when the moving object changes direction by retrieving necessary rendering data from three-dimensional map data based on the point of regard and the point of view determined by the camera parameter setting means,

wherein, when the direction of the moving object changes in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the point of view remains located along on the route of the moving object traveling in a first direction at the fixed distance behind the point of regard and directed to the point of regard.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 14,

wherein the program further causes the computer to function as route data converting means for converting the route data that is acquired in advance into a group of coordinates of points indicating positions of the moving object on the route at certain time intervals, and

wherein the camera parameter setting means sets the point of view to a point in the group of coordinates of points, the point in the group of coordinates of points indicating the position of the moving object, which is at a location on the route ahead of the point of regard by a predetermined time.

16. The computer readable medium according to claim 14,

wherein the program further causes the computer to function as route data converting means for converting the route data that is acquired in advance into a group of coordinates of points located at certain distance intervals on the route, and

wherein the camera parameter setting means sets the point of view to a point in the group of coordinates of points which is converted by the route data converting means, the point being at a position a predetermined number of points behind the point of regard.

17. The computer readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the three-dimensional map data and the route data include height information, and the camera parameter setting means sets the point of view at a certain height from a point behind the point of regard on the route.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the height of the point of view from the route is arbitrarily set according to a movement of the moving object.

19. The computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the three-dimensional map data includes point height data indicating the height of points on a map specified by two-dimensional positional information, and

the camera parameter setting means sets the point of view and the point of regard based on three-dimensional route data having a combination of two-dimensional positional information of a point on the route specified by the route data and height information of the point, the height information being extracted from the point height data.

20. An animation generating apparatus for generating a three-dimensional animation tracking a moving object, the apparatus comprising:

a camera parameter setting section configured to set a point of regard and a point of view based on a current position of the moving object using route data indicating a route of the moving object so that the point of regard is a position of the moving object located on the route, and the point of view is located on the route of the moving object in a first direction and at a fixed distance behind the point of regard; and

a rendering processor configured to generate an image directed from the point of view to the point of regard when the moving object changes direction by retrieving necessary rendering data from three-dimensional map data based on the point of regard and the point of view set by the camera parameter setting section,

wherein, when the direction of the moving object changes in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the point of view remains located on the route of the moving object traveling in a first direction at the fixed distance behind the point of regard and directed to the point of regard.