The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 21, 2000
Filed:
Jul. 23, 1999
Takashi Iwade, Tokyo, JP;
Ryuta Ueda, Tokyo, JP;
Sega Enterprises, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image processing apparatus and an image processing method are proposed for the high speed generation of a model, such as a plane picture in animation, for which an outline is drawn. In the image processing apparatus, for using computer graphics to generate a polygon model in three-dimensional coordinate space, a first model, for which the normal vectors of polygons are directed outward, and a second model, in which the first model is included and for which the normal vectors of polygons are directed inward, are synthesized as a single model. The direction of the normal vector of a polygon is employed in the hidden surface removal process to determine whether the polygon should be displayed. That is, when the normal vector of a polygon includes an element extended in the direction of the viewpoint, the pertinent polygon is displayed; but when the normal vector of a polygon does not include an element extended in the direction opposite to that of the viewpoint, the pertinent polygon is not displayed. As a result, the second model is expressed as an outline of the first model.