Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Three-dimension
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-15
2002-08-20
Jankus, Almis R. (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Three-dimension
Reexamination Certificate
active
06437778
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a virtual space communication system allowing computer users to communicate with each other, in a virtual space constructed in a system configured of plural computers connected through a network. More particularly, it relates to a virtual space communication system using graphical objects (for example, called as abutters) behaving according to manipulation by a user in a virtual space shared by plural computers for realizing communication between computer users through the objects.
The invention also relates to a three-dimensional image display method and a three-dimensional image display apparatus of such virtual space, and to so-called computer graphics, and more particularly to computer graphics handling a three-dimensional space.
2. Description of the Related Art
The so-called virtual space communication system has been proposed for allowing computer users to communicate with each other in a virtual space configured in a system configured by plural computers connected through a network. A configuration of a conventional system is, for example, as shown in FIG.
1
.
In
FIG. 1
, a host computer
100
and plural client computers
10
are connected through a newtork NW. Secondary storages (magnetic disk device, CD-ROM device, etc.)
101
and
20
are connected to the host computer
100
and each client computer
10
respectively, and computer graphics (hereinafter, to b called as CG) data expressing a virtual space (configured by plural objects) is stored in each secondary storage
101
and
20
. The host computer
100
is responsible for the following processings necessary for communication between the client computers
10
as well as the management processing of CG data.
In each client computer
10
sharing the virtual space area, the image of the same virtual space is displayed on the basis of the CG data being read out from the secondary storage
20
connected to each. Corresponding to each client computer
10
, for example, graphical objects called abutters exist in the virtual space. The abutters behave (act, chat, etc.) in the virtual space according to the manipulation by the user in the client computer
10
. The manipulation information (corresponding to the behavior of abutters) having been inputted into one client computer
10
is sent to the host computer
100
through the network NW. The host computer
100
transfers this manipulation information to the other client computers
10
sharing the same virtual space together with the client computer
10
that has transmitted the manipulation information through the network NW. In the other client computers
10
receiving the manipulation information through the network NW, the corresponding abutters behave similarly in the virtual space according to the manipulation information. As a result, among users of the client computers
10
sharing the virtual space, communications can be realized through the behavior (action, chat, etc.) of abutters in the virtual space.
In such virtual space communication system, the host computer and individual client computers share common CG data, and therefore transmission of CG data among computers through the network is not necessary, and the transmission quantity among computers is reduced.
In such conventional virtual space communication system, however, since the host computer is responsible for processings about communications among client computers as well as management processing of CG data, when the number of client computers sharing the virtual space increases or the quantity of CG data to be managed increases, the load is concentrated on the host computer, and processings in the host computer may be difficult.
Or, every time the shared virtual space is extended or switched in each client computer, the recording medium storing the CG data of the extended or switched virtual space such as floppy disk, CD-ROM or the like must be distributed to the users of each client computer by off-line means (mail, hand to hand, etc.). It is hence not flexible enough to extension and switching of virtual space, and the CG data of the virtual space in client computers of each user may differ.
Recently, the CG is used in all fields, and in particular along with the progress of so-called multimedia, it has been stepwisely attempted to apply the CG in communication with remote places through such communication network. For example, data of a three-dimensional solid model is stored in a server installed in a certain place, and the data of the solid model is loaded in a client terminal at a remote place through, for example, the Internet, and is displayed, so that the communication can be realized.
In the system on which the invention is based, first, plural three-dimensional spaces to be drawn are prepared, and in one space of them, the viewpoint can be moved freely, that is, so-called “walk-through” is enabled.
For example, as shown in a schematic diagram in
FIG. 2
, a certain indoor space (first space SP
1
) is composed of a set of several solid models OB, and an another indoor space (second space SP
2
) adjacent to this room is composed of a set of other several solid models OB, and the both spaces SP
1
, SP
2
are mutually connected through an entrance E as a connection point.
Suppose the viewpoint VP moves from the first space SP
1
to the second space SP
2
through the entrance E by “walk-through,” it gives rise to necessity of reading the data of the second space SP
2
at the moving destination out of the database, and displaying on the screen. In a case where, however, the data of the solid model of the second space SP
2
to be read out is huge in quantity and the communication capacity between the database and the display terminal is small, it causes a long waiting time for switching the screen due to the move from the first space SP
1
to the second space SP
2
. In other words, the waiting time is long from the display of the first space SP
1
to the display of the second space SP
2
.
A block diagram in
FIG. 3
shows a structural example of a conventional system for such three-dimensional space display. Hereinafter, the prior art is described in detail below by referring to FIG.
3
.
In
FIG. 3
, reference numeral
51
denotes a three-dimensional database (hereinafter called 3D database), in which data of solid matter (hereinafter called objects) for constructing the three-dimensional space is stored. However, as shown in the schematic diagram in
FIG. 2
, when the three-dimensional space is divided into plural sections (divided into two sections, first space SP
1
and second space SP
2
, in the example in FIG.
2
), the data of objects in each space SP
1
, SP
2
is managed as one data group.
Reference numeral
52
is a reader for reading out the data relating to the space in which the viewpoint is located at the present, from the 3D database
51
. The data being read out from the 3D database
51
by this reader
52
is given to a 3D drawing unit
53
.
In the 3D drawing unit
53
, on the basis of the data being read out by the reader
52
, and according to the viewpoint information given from a viewpoint information set unit
54
, that is, the information showing which orientation is seen from which position, geometrical calculation, color calculation and others are executed on each object, and the results are written in a 3D frame buffer
55
.
By repeating such operation to draw individual objects, three-dimensional images of objects are sequentially drawn on the 3D frame buffer
55
, and soon use one three-dimensional image is completed and displayed on a monitor
56
.
Using such conventional system, the case of moving between plural three-dimensional spaces (hereinafter called 3D spaces) as shown in
FIG. 2
is disclosed. Suppose several solid models, that is, objects OB are arranged in each 3D space (first space SP
1
and second space SP
2
in the example in FIG.
2
). For example, the current viewpoint VP is located in the first space SP
1
, and it is supposed that walk-through is attempted in a
Harada Hiroaki
Iwakawa Akinori
Kawaguchi Naohisa
Matsui Kazuki
Ohno Takashi
Fujitsu Limited
Jankus Almis R.
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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