Namco Limited

Komei Kato

Masaki Takeda

Takeharu Kobayashi

An image synthesizing apparatus, an image synthesizing method and an information storage medium which can realize the representation of the front and back sides of a primitive surface while decreasing processing load. Whether the front or back side of a polygon (primitive surface) is to be displayed on a screen is judged. When the front side of the polygon is to be displayed, a first texture is mapped (on the polygon). On the other hand, if the back side of the polygon is to be displayed, a second texture is mapped (on the polygon). Thus, a realistic representation can be accomplished without increasing processing load. Depending on whether the front or back side of the polygon is to be displayed, various image information such as color palette, vertex brightness information, normal vector information lighting model parameter information and transparency information may be varied.

Image synthesizing apparatus, image synthesizing method and information

Polygon data conversion device, three-dimensional simulator apparatus,

A sorting processing system most suitable for use in an image synthesizing system processing images in real time is provided. A Z-representative value computing unit computes a Z-representative value from the Z-coordinate values of the respective vertices in a polygon which are inputted from a 3-D computing unit. The Z-representative value is inputted into a polygon shift value adder unit or polygon fixed Z-value setting unit to perform the addition of shift value or the setting of fixed Z-value for every polygon. An object shift value adder unit and object fixed Z-value setting unit perform the addition of shift value and the setting of fixed Z-value for every 3-D object. On the other hand, an absolute priority setting unit sets an absolute priority bit to which a shift value is added by polygon and object absolute priority shifting units for every polygon and 3-D object. A sorting Z-value is formed from the above computation results and then inputted into a sorting unit. According the priority determined by this sorting Z-value, the polygon image data is outputted toward an image supply unit.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Komei Kato