Patent
1995-05-25
1996-09-24
Nguyen, Phu K.
G06F 1500
Patent
active
055599370
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a clipping processing device, a three-dimensional (3D) simulator device that uses such a clipping processing device, and a clipping processing method.
BACKGROUND OF ART
Various applications are known in the prior art as 3D simulator devices used in, for example, 3D games or piloting simulators for aircraft or various vehicle. In a 3D simulator device shown in FIG. 9, image information relating to a 3D object 300 is previously stored in the device. This 3D object 300 represents a display object that a player (observer) 302 can see via a screen 306. Image Information of the 3D object 300 is subjected to perspective projection conversion on the screen 306 so that a pseudo-3D image (projected image) 308 is displayed on the screen 306. With this device, if the player 302 performs an operation such as a rotation or translation using a control panel 304, given 3D calculation processing is performed on the basis of a control signal thereof. A calculation is first performed to determine whether there is a change in a factor such as the viewpoint position or line-of-sight direction of the player 302 or the position or direction of the moving vehicle in which the player 302 is seated. Next, a calculation is performed to determine how the image of the 3D object 300 will appear on the screen 306 in response to this change in the viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction, or other change. The above calculation processing is performed in real time to follow the actions of the player 302. This enables the player 302 to experience a virtual 3D space in which a change in scenery concomitant with a change in the player's own viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction or a change in the position and direction of the moving vehicle can be seen in real time as a pseudo-3D image.
An example of the 3D simulator device of this invention is shown in FIG. 18. Note that the description below proceeds on the assumption that the 3D simulator device is applied to a 3D game.
As shown in FIG. 18, the 3D simulator device of this invention is configured of a control section 510, a virtual 3D space calculation section 500, an image synthesis section 512, and a CRT 518.
The virtual 3D space calculation section 500 sets a virtual 3D space in accordance with control signals from the control section 510 and a games program stored in a central processing section 506. In other words, it performs calculations to determine what the position of the 3D object 300 is and in what direction is it arranged.
The image synthesis section 512 comprises an image supply section 514 and an image forming section 516. The image synthesis section 512 performs image synthesis of a pseudo-3D image in accordance with setting information on a virtual 3D space from a virtual 3D space calculation section 500.
3D objects that configure a virtual 3D space are represented by this 3D simulator device as polyhedrons divided into 3D polygons. For example, the 3D object 300 shown in FIG. 17 is represented as a polyhedron divided into 3D polygons (1) to (6) (polygons (4) to (6) are not shown in the figure). Coordinates and accompanying data (hereinafter called vertex image information) for each vertex of these 3D polygons are stored in a 3D image information memory section 552.
Various types of calculation such as rotation or translation with respect to this vertex image information and various types of coordinate conversion such as perspective projection conversion are performed by the image supply section 514 in accordance with setting information of the virtual 3D space calculation section 500. After the vertex image information that has been subjected to this calculation processing has been converted in line with a given sequence, it is output to the image forming section 516.
The image forming section 516 comprises a polygon generation circuit 570 and a palette circuit 580, and the polygon generation circuit 570 comprises an outline point calculation section 324 and a line processor 326. Calculation processing to paint
REFERENCES:
patent: 4991117 (1991-02-01), Iwamura et al.
patent: 5448690 (1995-09-01), Shiraishi et al.
patent: 5455897 (1995-10-01), Nicholl et al.
Namco Ltd.
Nguyen Phu K.
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