Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graphic manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-24
2004-08-24
Zimmerman, Mark (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graphic manipulation
C345S420000, C345S423000, C345S427000, C345S473000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06781598
ABSTRACT:
This application claims a priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 11-335148 filed on Nov. 25, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purpose.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a background of an animation of a video game or the like is generated by mapping a rendering image of a three-dimensional background scene over a virtual plane
501
. A virtual viewing camera
500
is defined for the virtual plane
501
. A visible region
503
or
502
that is clipped by the visual field of the viewing camera
500
is regularly subjected to rendering on the display screen of a display device. If the direction of the viewing camera
500
is changed in accordance with an input from a user, a resulting front view is displayed on the display screen of the display device in real time.
However, since a rendering image of a three-dimensional background scene is mapped over the virtual plane
501
, an image on the display screen may be distorted depending on the direction of the viewing camera
500
. That is, if the front side of the viewing camera
500
is directed squarely to the model plane
501
(direction (a) in FIG.
1
), a proper image
503
without distortion is displayed on the display screen. However, if the viewing camera
500
is panned rightward, leftward, upward, or downward (direction (b) in FIG.
1
), an image
502
whose peripheral region is distorted is displayed on the display screen.
Further, if a close-range view is included in a three-dimensional scene for generation of a rendering image to be mapped over the virtual plane
501
, when, for example, the viewing camera
500
is panned, there may occur a case that a close-range-view image on the display screen is out of perspective and hence the image on the display screen seems unnatural. For this reason, usually, the above-described background image generation technique is applied to only a distant view.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a computer graphics technique that is used for generation of an animation of a video game or the like. An object of the present invention is to make it possible to display a high-quality background image that is free of distortion due to a pan of a viewing camera in a 3D-CG animation.
To attain the above object, the invention provides an entertainment apparatus which operates, in accordance with an input from a controller, a subject model of operation displayed on a display screen, comprising moving image control means for moving the subject model of operation disposed inside a virtual first sphere within a predetermined moving range in accordance with an input from the controller, and for rotating a virtual viewing camera located at the center of the sphere model in accordance with the movement of the subject model of operation; and rendering means for rendering, from the virtual viewing camera, on the display screen, a model included in a region that is clipped by a visual field of the virtual viewing camera as the viewing camera is rotated, wherein a rendering image produced by rendering of a three-dimensional background scene is mapped over an inside surface of the first sphere.
It is desirable that the “rendering image produced by rendering of a three-dimensional background scene” be an image produced by (1) projecting a three-dimensional background scene onto the inside surface of a virtual sphere from a viewing point that is located at the center of a virtual sphere having the same shape as the first sphere over which the image is to be mapped, or (2) finally connecting a plurality of rendering images obtained by rotating a viewing camera defined at a prescribed position so that they are located around a virtual sphere.
In the above entertainment apparatus, a rendering image of a three-dimensional background scene is mapped to the inside surface of a virtual sphere and a viewing camera is defined at the center of the first sphere. Therefore, even if the viewing camera is panned leftward or rightward, no distortion occurs in a peripheral region of a background image on the display screen.
Even if a rendering image includes both of a close-range view and a distant view, a pan of the viewing camera in any direction does not impair the perspective of a display image on the display screen because the distance between the front side of the viewing camera and the rendering image is kept constant. Since the moving range of a subject model of operation is restricted, even if a rendering image includes a close-range view, there does not occur a case that an unnatural image such as an image in which an object as a subject of operation passes through the close-range view is displayed on the display screen.
Each means of the above entertainment apparatus may be realized by either hardware or software.
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English translation of Japanese Office Action, Date of mail Jul. 10, 2001.
Gavin Bell, “Creating Backgrounds for 3D Games”, Gamasutra, Oct. 23, 1998, pp. 1-8, XP-002264643, http://www.gamasutra.com/features/19981023/bell-01.htm.
Schenchang Eric Chen, “Quick-Time VR—An Image-Based Approach to Virtual Environment Navigation”, Computer Graphics Proceedings, Los Angeles, Aug. 6, 1995, pp. 29-38, XP002250814.
Alan Watt, Chapter 16, “Image-Based Rendering and Photo-Modelling”, 3D Computer Graphics, 1999, pp. 443 and 554-552, Addison Wesley XP-002264037.
European Patent Office, “European Search Report”, dated Feb. 18, 2004, for Application No. 00125677.5-2216, 4 pages.
Hamada Isamu
Tada Koji
Yamamoto Tetsuji
Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery
Nguyen Kimbinh T.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Zimmerman Mark
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