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:
Dec. 25, 2001
Filed:
Dec. 30, 1998
Seisuke Morioka, Tokyo, JP;
Keisuke Yasui, Tokyo, JP;
Sega Enterprises, Ltd., , JP;
Abstract
A table is used in forming spotlight characteristics that impart illumination effects to polygon images displayed by an image processing system, and the number of light sources that can be used in an image scene is increased above the number of light sources that can be used simultaneously. In order to realize this, a method of forming spotlight effect characteristics attached to pixels configuring polygons is proposed wherein a plurality of characteristic values corresponding to a prescribed spotlight characteristic curve is held in a table, and said spotlight characteristic curve is formed from characteristic values read out from the table and from interpolated values found by interpolating between adjacent characteristic values. Inner products are found between spot light axis vectors and light vectors extending toward pixels, these values of inner products so found are used as addresses, and characteristic values are read out from appropriate addresses of the table. Also comprised are a buffer for preserving data on light sources exceeding the number of light sources that can be used simultaneously by the image processing system, means for attaching light source identifier symbols in a number equal to the number of light sources affecting each polygon, means for reading out light source information from the buffer according to the light source identifier symbol, and means for performing shading according to the light source information.