Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Three-dimension
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-20
2004-05-18
Zimmerman, Mark (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Three-dimension
Reexamination Certificate
active
06738059
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method and a recording medium preferable for a game apparatus or the like usable in amusement centers and houses.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent advancement of computer technology, video game apparatus using computer graphic technology has been widely used. This video game apparatus is widely accepted by users so that diversified kinds of the game apparatuses have been developed and diversified kinds of software have been supplied to the market.
The game apparatus having such an image processing function, generally, comprises a game control unit containing a control unit, an sound generating means such as a speaker and a display for supplying video images. In the game apparatus, a background scene displayed on a display is changed with a progress of a game and a character can be moved within that background scene in response to an instruction of a player. Seeing changes of the background scene displayed on the display with progress of the game, the player operates a control unit such as a joy pad to move the character within the background scene, enjoying that game.
There are various methods for creating the game screen for such a game apparatus. As one of the methods, if all the screen displayed on the display is created with polygon data, three-dimensional or perspective representation is enabled. Because image data of the game space is composed of three-dimensional data at this time, by changing an angle of a virtual camera (viewpoint of the camera) in the game space, images seen from all angles can be obtained, so that freedom of representation on the screen is increased tremendously.
Additionally, as a creation method for the game screen, a method using movie screen based on computer graphics has been well known. The movie screen based on the computer graphic mentioned here refers to a sequence of two-dimensional picture image data determined to move from some position to other position so that an angle for seeing the screen is determined. If this movie screen is used, a fine and beautiful screen can be ensured and further a load on the game apparatus for image processing is less than the other methods.
Under such an environment, a new game apparatus loaded with further another image processing function has appeared in actual entertainment business. This is a music game apparatus in which an object (character) displayed on the screen can be made to dance with a music. In the game apparatus, it is strongly desired that music tempo coincides with object motion. To move the character synchronously with music, a conventional computer system controls reproduction of music and an object motion on the basis of actual time.
In such a conventional game apparatus, in case where all images including the background and character are represented with polygon data, unless a large amount of polygon data are prepared, the screen is represented roughly and further, a joint portion between the polygon data and the other polygon data is represented, so that its entire representation becomes angular. If the background and character are composed of a large amount of polygon data, it takes a tremendous load on image processing although the screen is displayed finely, so that some extent of diversified representation can be achieved.
Further, in case of the movie screen creation method using the movie screen based on the computer graphics, because a displayed screen is two-dimensional data, its entire representation is flat, and therefore the three-dimensional representation is impossible. Further, because a camera angle is fixed in the aforementioned movie screen, the freedom of screen representation is very low.
On the other hand, in case of image processing for the aforementioned music game, a computation amount is large and control for the computation is complicated because reproduction of the music and motion of the object are controlled on the basis of the actual time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object invention is to solve the problems which the conventional game apparatuses have and then provide an image processing apparatus having such an image processing function, an image processing method thereby and a recording medium therefor.
More specifically, a first object of the present invention is to achieve an image processing capable of diversifying representation of a game screen, representing a motion of a display object moving on the game screen more smoothly, and reducing a drawing load remarkably.
Further, a second object of the present invention is to achieve an image processing capable of representing an image in which the motion of the object coincides (is linked) with reproduction of music easily and flexibly with less computation amount without depending on complicated control.
To achieve the above described first object, according to an aspect of the image processing apparatus of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus wherein a first display object including a movie image and a second display object composed of solid image of polygon data are displayed on a display means, the image processing apparatus having an image processing means for carrying out image processing by setting up a simple model composed of three dimensional data for determining the precedence in erasing a negative face between the first display object and the second display object.
Preferably, the first display object composes a background of a game screen while the second display object composes a character displayed on the background. Further, of the first display object, only a portion in which the precedence of the polygon data needs to be determined is composed of the simple model.
For example, preferably, the simple model is three dimensional data composed of polygon data set up roughly.
According to another aspect of the image processing apparatus of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus wherein a first display object including a movie image and a second display object composed of solid image of polygon data are displayed on a display means, the image processing apparatus having an image processing means in which a virtual camera for the second display object is set up and when the second display object moves over the first display object, motion of the virtual camera is controlled so that a position of the virtual camera substantially coincides with a camera angle with respect to the first display object and when the second display object moves over the first display object in an inverse direction, the first display object is reproduced with the inverse motion while the position of the virtual camera substantially coincides with the camera angle with respect to the first display object moving in the inverse motion.
Preferably, when the second display object moves from one section to other section of multiple sections produced by dividing a region in which the second display object should move of the first display object, a position of the virtual camera substantially coincides with a camera angle in each of the sections.
On the other hand, to achieve the first object, according to an aspect of the image processing method of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method for displaying a first display object composed of a movie image and a second display object composed of solid image of polygon data on a display means, the image processing method comprising setting up of a simple model composed of three dimensional data in part of the first display object while determining the precedence in erasing the negative face of the second display object using the simple model.
Further, according to another aspect of the image processing method of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method for displaying a first display object composed of a movie image and a second display object composed of solid image of polygon data on a display means
Kitamura Misaqa
Nakanishi Hitoshi
Yoshinaga Takumi
Yuda Takashi
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garret & Dunner, L.L.P.
Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
Santiago Enrique L
Zimmerman Mark
LandOfFree
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