Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Three-dimension
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-15
2001-11-13
Vo, Cliff N. (Department: 2772)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Three-dimension
C345S473000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317125
ABSTRACT:
Portions of this patent application contain materials that are subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records. Nevertheless, the copyright owner otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to the field of computerized video graphic figure generation and more specifically to a system which generates figures on a computer screen with a high degree of realism and without overburdening the computer processor. The predominant current usage of the present inventive video object generation engine is computerized video games and other computer graphic displays wherein it is desirable to generate figures and objects which move in a lifelike manner without slowing down the operation of the game or display.
BACKGROUND ART
Drawing pictures on the screen during the playing of a video game is a highly math intensive procedure which can potentially overburden even the best and fastest processors on the market today. Generally, the more animated objects that are on a game screen, the more the game action tends to slow down as processors strive to perform the necessary calculations. Indeed, many manufacturers have given up on the idea of solving this problem by software methods and are providing games which require advanced video chipsets and/or advanced processors in order to perform the necessary calculations.
Conventionally, characters are stored as a plurality of connected polygons. This places certain restrictions on their use. For example, since the resolution of the character is set by the relative size and quantity of such polygons, the resolution can be optimized only for a particular view. For example, a character that looks fine at a distance can be quite unacceptable close up in that the polygon structure will be too course with the individual polygons being distractingly noticeable. This problem can be partially alleviated by storing several versions of a character, each to be used at an appropriate distance, but this is not an ideal solution. Firstly, storing several versions of a character takes up much needed memory, and secondly there may be a noticeable jump while the character is moving in and out of the screen as the version is switched.
Another of the problems associated with the prior art methods is that realistic movement of characters is not possible, since the form of the individual polygons is fixed.
It would be advantageous to have a method for solving these and other related problems, and for reducing the number of calculations required in real time and/or for adapting the quantity of calculations required as the need arises. To the inventor's knowledge, no such method has existed in the prior art. The fact that game producers have voluntarily limited their markets by making their games playable only on machines equipped in a particular manner strongly indicates that it has, heretofore, been thought that games and other graphic displays having a great quantity of real time generated animation inevitably require an onerous quantity of real time calculations.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a video engine which will generate animated figures, such as representations of human figures, which are realistic in appearance and movement.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a video engine which will generate animated figures using a minimum of real time calculations.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a video engine which is adaptable for use with different types and speeds of processors while obtaining the maximum performance from each.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a video engine which will produce a detailed and realistic display without slowing down the action in the game.
Briefly, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is a method and apparatus embodied in software which will analyze the characteristics of a conventional figure model and store the information necessary to reproduce the model in real time as a game is played. Analysis is accomplished by slicing the model into a large number of slices, and determining a plurality of points on the perimeter of each slice. Certain of these points will be designated as anchor points and stored with information relating to the characteristics of related surface areas and associations to other such points on adjacent slices. Also, information is stored relating to the influence of character bone structure to the surface areas. Thereby, realistic movement can be accomplished and resolution can be idealized as the character is effectively rendered in real time.
An advantage of the present invention is that characters can have a resolution commensurate with their importance and position in the game space.
A further advantage of the present invention is that more moving characters can be produced in a screen without slowing down the operation of a game.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that characters move in a realistic manner.
Still another advantage of the present invention is that games run faster and with a more visually pleasing appearance.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the mode of carrying out the invention described herein and the industrial applicability of the preferred embodiment as described herein and as illustrated in the several figures of the drawing.
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http://www.gds.harvard.edu/∝malcolm/DDM/DDM10.html,Digital Design Media, Chapter 10: Surfaces and Renderings, pp. 1-19.
Interplay Entertainment Corp.
Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP
Vo Cliff N.
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