Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graphic manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-21
2004-12-14
Luu, Matthew (Department: 2672)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graphic manipulation
C345S581000, C345S582000, C345S629000, C345S649000, C463S031000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06831659
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to image processing technology suitable for game machines which present images in three-dimensional virtual space. More particularly, the present invention provides image processing which can pull a player deeply into a roll-playing game by realistically displaying the images displayed therein and imparting natural image changes.
BACKGROUND ART
In television game machines, roll-playing games that employ three-dimensional image processing technology are very popular because of the beauty of the imagery and the depth of the story provided. Most roll-playing games employ computer graphics technology in configurations wherein it is possible to display many displayed entities (hereinafter called “objects”) in three-dimensional virtual space. These objects include, in addition to those which simulate such real-world forms as terrain, plants, animals, and buildings, those (hereinafter called “characters”) which model the hero of the roll-playing game and other persons who appear in the game. In this game machine, the character corresponding to the hero is configured so that it can move in virtual space in response to manipulations of an input device by a player. This game machine, moreover, develops the game story while concomitantly moving the point of view for displaying images in virtual space so as to follow the movement of the hero character, moving the virtual space together with the characters and image-displaying objects one after another as they appear.
In a conventional roll-playing game, due to the necessity of clearly presenting the way the virtual space looks to the player, innovative measures have been implemented in the object display methods. In cases where characters enter and leave an object simulating a building, for example, either the building is made partially transparent or the object is displayed without a roof, to facilitate viewing the movements of the characters that have entered the building.
If the object simulates a tree, the texture of the entire tree is represented on flat polygons, compositions are made wherein polygons mapped with texture to represent leaves are inserted in a cruciform in the middle of the trunk, or the tree is represented by ball-shaped objects, thus mapping texture data to make [the object] look like a tree on the polygons.
In some cases realism is further enhanced by displaying shadows that follow the movement of the characters.
It is desirable, however, to design a roll-playing game so that the player becomes totally immersed in the image world presented by the game machine and becomes emotionally identified with the hero as the game progresses. When conventional roll-playing games are evaluated from this perspective, a number of difficulties become evident.
For example, in game machines where a portion of a building is removed when a character enters therein, the player engaged in the game is made to feel a sense of discord because of the unnaturalness which ensues when suddenly a portion of the building disappears or the screen changes to a display of a house interior or the like. If the building is displayed from the beginning with no roof, on the other hand, this presents anything but a realistic image, so the sense of realism cannot be enhanced.
In a roll-playing game, moreover, where a character goes is determined by player manipulations, so there are cases where an extreme approach is made to an object. If the object approached by the character is one that simulates a tree with a conventional method, however, the shapes of microscopic objects are far removed from the shape of a real tree, resulting in an image that is altogether unnatural.
Having said that, however, to try therefore to represent every individual leaf with a polygon is something that can hardly be handled by a game machine that is severely restricted in terms of machine performance and processing time.
With the conventional method for displaying shadows, moreover, a black disk-shaped object is deployed at the feet of the character and both objects are moved together to display the shadow. In cases where the terrain is uneven, however, a method involving a great computation load has been employed wherein the shadow object is floated in conjunction with the terrain in order to prevent the shadow object from sinking into the ground. The only way to lighten that computation load has been to ignore the fact when a shadow sinks into the ground. Hence it has been very difficult to display natural shadows.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In view of the difficulties described in the foregoing, a first object of the present invention is to provide image display that makes natural display transitions possible when a character enters or leaves an object, without losing the sense of realism.
A second object of the present invention is to provide image display wherewith, when displaying objects like trees, the shapes of the trees and the like can be displayed with a natural sense of texture even when those objects are displayed large.
A third object of the present invention is to provide image display that can display natural shadows that do not impair the sense of realism, without increasing the computation load.
A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a game machine wherewith the image processing of the present invention is possible.
A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium capable of providing a program wherewith the image processing of the present invention is possible.
An invention for realizing the first object stated above is an image processing unit or method thereof configured so that it is possible to display one or more objects deployed in virtual space and a character established that can move relative to the object or objects, configured so that, when the character meets a certain condition relative to the object, of the display elements configuring the object deployed in an area related to the movement of the character, the display density of at least some specific display elements can be gradually altered.
By “object” is meant a displayed entity, which here refers to the relationship between an object representing a character, for example, and an object representing a building that the character enters or leaves. However, this can be applied to all cases where one object enters into another object. The “certain condition” is, for example, that the character mentioned above enters or leaves the interior of the object mentioned above. This may be determined when the distance between two objects reaches a certain value, or indirectly by condition established by the progress of the game such as that “a door opened” or “a window opened.”By “related area” is meant something like an area that should be established so that an object which has entered an interior is made visible by altering the display density, or an area wherein it is necessary to display an interior during the progress of the game. In the case of a building, for example, this would correspond to a self-contained area such as the first floor or the second floor, etc. The “at least some specific display elements” can be set discretionarily. For example, these could be display elements, of the display elements configuring the object mentioned earlier, positioned on the side of the point of view established in the virtual space for the purpose of generating display images. Because this is “at least some,” the transparency of the entire building may be adjusted or the transparency of a specific portion thereof may be adjusted. As to the specific method of alteration, the display density for the specific display elements mentioned above would be gradually diminished when the character mentioned above enters the object mentioned above, and increased when the character leaves.
It is here desirable that a thickness be established beforehand for the partitioning members configuring the object. Thereupon, prescribed texture data are mapped to the cross-section of the partitioning members displayed by display
Hirose Tetsuichiro
Miyashita Masaki
Mukoyama Toshiyuki
Nimura Tomohiro
Okuda Masako
Chung Daniel J
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
Luu Matthew
LandOfFree
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