Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Three-dimension
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-16
2003-06-17
Vo, Cliff N. (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Three-dimension
C345S419000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06580429
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of generating data for three-dimensional graphics in which three-dimensional graphics display can be carried out with a comparatively simple circuit structure.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a conventional three-dimensional graphic accelerator, a vertex data value (X, Y, Z, R, G, B, &agr;, U, V) of each polygon on a screen is to be calculated by screen projection coordinate transformation (geometry operation) prior to drawing on a screen. This is intended for implementing interactive properties (for example, an operator can freely move a view point and a character in a virtual three-dimensional space). (X, Y, Z) denotes three-dimensional coordinates, &agr; denotes an &agr; value (data indicative of a transmittance), (R, G, B) denotes color data, and (U, V) denotes texture coordinate data. Texture data defining a pattern corresponding to each vertex data are further added. The texture coordinate data are informations for cutting out (arranging) the pattern defined by the texture data.
The prior art related to three-dimensional graphics has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-212377 (1996), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-262387 (1995), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-7123 (1996) and the like, for example. The prior document teaching the modeling of the three-dimensional graphics includes “Application Graphics, ASCII publishing office, pp. 47-57) and the like.
FIG. 23
is a block diagram showing a structure of a three-dimensional graphics system in a conventional portable game machine and some amusement equipment.
As shown in
FIG. 23
, a CPU
1
, a ROM
2
, a RAM
3
, a sound source IC
4
, an image memory
6
, a display unit
7
and an input device
9
are directly connected to a graphic accelerator
5
P, and a speaker
8
is connected to the sound source IC
4
.
The CPU
1
executes a program stored in the ROM
2
based on an input information obtained from the input device
9
, thereby generating three-dimensional object data in a frame unit and sequentially transferring them to the graphic accelerator
5
P. At this time, the RAM
3
is used as a work area by the CPU
1
. Moreover, the CPU
1
transfers a playing information to the sound source IC
4
if necessary, and the sound source IC
4
converts the playing information into voice data and outputs the voice data to the speaker
8
.
The graphic accelerator
5
P performs a three-dimensional graphics operation for three-dimensional object data transferred from the CPU
1
and writes the resultant screen drawing data to the image memory
6
. The screen drawing data of the image memory
6
are transferred to the display unit
7
in a specified timing.
The graphic accelerator
5
P includes a geometry processing section
5
P
1
, a light source processing section
5
P
2
and a rendering section
5
P
3
. The three-dimensional object data are subjected to a geometry operation by the geometry processing section
5
P
1
, a processing related to a light source by the light source processing section
5
P
2
and a rendering processing by the rendering section
5
P
3
. The screen drawing data thus obtained are written to the image memory
6
.
FIG. 24
shows an operation flow of a conventional method of generating a three-dimensional graphics control program.
With reference to
FIG. 24
, at a step S
11
, an in-frame control information
27
defining the contents of control in one frame is manually created based on object data
10
in which a shape of an object is represented by, body coordinates and scene data
11
in which a positional relationship of the object in a virtual three-dimensional space is represented by world coordinates.
At a step S
12
, a three-dimensional graphics control program
28
for a sound, an event obtained from the input device
9
and the like is manually created based on the in-frame control information
27
.
However, in the case in which the system shown in
FIG. 23
is to be implemented by a portable game machine or the like having limitations on a hardware structure, it is hard to store, in the ROM
2
, an enormous three-dimensional graphics information which has not been subjected to the geometry operation and to provide the geometry processing section
5
P
1
having a comparatively great circuit scale in the graphic accelerator
5
P.
Main three-dimensional graphics informations to be stored in the ROM
2
are as follows:
{circle around (1)} a body coordinate value defining the movement of an object present in a space;
{circle around (2)} various polygon informations in body coordinates (vertex coordinate value/blend color information/texture information);
{circle around (3)} a world coordinate value defining a relative positional relationship of an object;
{circle around (4)} a positional relationship between a view point and world coordinates; and
{circle around (5)} a positional relationship between a light source and world coordinates.
In an apparatus in which a hardware structure is restricted, interactive properties are restricted based on a screen size and matters for restriction on amusing properties, or are abolished. Moreover, there is not a method of generating data for three-dimensional computer graphics which is suitable for a three-dimensional graphics system having a comparatively low throughput. Therefore, there has been a problem in that it is hard to implement three-dimensional graphics display at a practical level by the three-dimensional graphics system having a comparatively low throughput.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a method of generating data for three-dimensional graphics to be used by a predetermined three-dimensional graphics system, comprising the steps of (a) sequentially reading three-dimensional original data including object data defining a three-dimensional object in a predetermined unit, (b) executing an operation processing including a geometric operation and a light source computation for the three-dimensional original data, thereby obtaining operated three-dimensional data, and (c) obtaining the data for three-dimensional graphics based on the operated three-dimensional data, the step (c) executing an optimization processing such that a data amount of the data for three-dimensional graphics is more reduced than that of the operated three-dimensional data based on a hardware constraint including a constraint related to a throughput of the predetermined three-dimensional graphics system.
A second aspect of the present invention is directed to the method of generating data for three-dimensional graphics according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the step (c) includes a step of deciding a major edge to be a reference side for drawing in sides of a polygon constituting the three-dimensional object based on the operated three-dimensional data by an existing deciding method and causing the data for three-dimensional graphics to have an information defining the major edge.
A third aspect of the present invention is directed to the method of generating data for three-dimensional graphics according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the data for three-dimensional graphics have color data, the predetermined three-dimensional graphics system has a color display function based on a color index information, and the color index information has a smaller amount than the color data, the method further comprising a step of (d) replacing the color data in the data for three-dimensional graphics with the index color data.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is directed to the method of generating data for three-dimensional graphics according to any of the first to third aspects of the present invention, wherein the optimization processing at the step (c) includes a processing of generating the data for three-dimensional graphics such that repeated vertex data between a plurality of polygons constituting the object are omitted.
A f
Azekawa Yoshifumi
Chiba Osamu
Moriwaki Shohei
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Vo Cliff N.
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