Virtual Space Generator

Abstract

The present invention provides a virtual space generation device that reduces the computer load associated with object display processing without causing any sense of incongruity when viewing the virtual space from a virtual viewpoint. [Solution] In the virtual space generation system 1, the virtual space generation device 10 includes a character data storage unit 113 that stores first polygon configuration data which consists of polygons of a first density and second polygon configuration data which consists of polygons of a second density which is lower than first polygon configuration data; a virtual viewpoint setting unit 24 that sets a virtual viewpoint which captures the virtual space; a region setting unit 25 that sets a first region facing the viewpoint and a second region which consists of the rest of the region where objects are placed; an object placement processing unit 26 which configures the part of the object located in the first region with first polygon configuration data and the part located in the second region with second polygon configuration data; and an image output unit 27 that outputs an image of the virtual space captured by the viewpoint.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a virtual space generating apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Technologies for generating virtual spaces are used in various fields such as computer games, animations, and movies. In a virtual space, various characters and objects are displayed as three-dimensional objects whose surfaces are formed by a plurality of polygons.

[0003] If the surface of an object is formed with high-density polygons, high-definition objects that do not look unnatural can be displayed. On the other hand, forming an object surface with high-density polygons requires arranging a large number of polygons, which increases the processing load for displaying the object. Accordingly, processing called polygon reduction or LOD (Level of Detail), which changes the polygon density according to the distance from a viewpoint for capturing the virtual space (virtual viewpoint), is performed (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] In polygon reduction, the surface of an object close to the virtual viewpoint is formed with high-density polygons, and the surface of an object far from the virtual viewpoint is formed with lower-density polygons. A user closely checks objects located near the virtual viewpoint, but rarely closely checks objects far from the virtual viewpoint. Therefore, by performing such polygon reduction, it is possible to reduce the load associated with processing for displaying objects in a virtual space without causing discomfort to the user. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-339061 Summary of the Invention [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] When displaying a very large number of objects in a virtual space, or when displaying videos with a high frequency of data updates (high frame rate), the processing load for displaying objects remains high even after polygon reduction. Therefore, new technologies are needed to reduce the processing load for displaying objects.

[0007] The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a new technology that can reduce the computer load involved in the process of displaying objects without causing any sense of incongruity when viewing a virtual space from a virtual viewpoint. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The virtual space generation device according to the present invention, which was developed to solve the above problems, A storage unit that stores first polygon configuration data, which consists of polygons of a first density, for objects placed in a virtual space, and second polygon configuration data, which consists of polygons of a second density lower than the first density. A virtual viewpoint setting unit sets a virtual viewpoint for capturing the aforementioned virtual space, A region setting unit sets a first region facing the viewpoint and a second region other than the region in the virtual space where the object is placed. An object placement processing unit that configures the portion of the object located in the first region with the first polygon configuration data and the portion located in the second region with the second polygon configuration data, An image output unit that outputs an image capturing the virtual space from the aforementioned viewpoint. It is characterized by having the following features. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] In the virtual space generation device according to the present invention, a virtual viewpoint for capturing the virtual space is set. For example, when a user plays a game in which they control a player character in a virtual space, the viewpoint of that player character (or a viewpoint that captures that player character at a predetermined angle of view) is set as the virtual viewpoint. The virtual viewpoint is not limited to this, and may be a predetermined position, etc.

[0010] In the virtual space generation device according to the present invention, the region setting unit sets a first region facing a virtual viewpoint and a second region other than the region where objects are placed in the virtual space. The object placement processing unit then constructs the first region with polygons of a first density and the second region with polygons of a lower second density. The image output unit outputs an image of the virtual space captured from a viewpoint (virtual viewpoint) that is virtually set in the virtual space by the virtual viewpoint setting unit. The user views the image output by the image output unit. Of the objects placed in the virtual space, the parts that appear in the image output by the image output unit are displayed with polygons of the first density, and the parts that are displayed with polygons of the second density are not displayed in the image. Therefore, the user does not experience any sense of incongruity when viewing this image. In addition, since a part of the object is composed of polygons of the second density, the processing load related to displaying the object can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] A diagram showing the main components of a virtual space generation system, including one embodiment of the virtual space generation device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure illustrates the first and second regions set in this embodiment. [Figure 3] A diagram illustrating the configuration of the object in this embodiment. [Figure 4] A diagram illustrating the object configuration in conventional technology. [Figure 5] This figure illustrates the first and second regions set for a moving virtual viewpoint in this embodiment. [Figure 6] A diagram for explaining a first region and a second region set when a plurality of virtual viewpoints exist in the present embodiment. Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] One embodiment of a virtual space generation device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of essential parts of a virtual space generation system including the virtual space generation device according to the present embodiment. The virtual space generation system includes the virtual space generation device and a user terminal. Although only one user terminal is shown in Figure 1, a plurality of user terminals may be provided. Further, the virtual space generation device and the user terminal are mutually connected via a wireless communication network such as the Internet, or a wired communication network.

[0014] The virtual space generation device includes a storage unit. The storage unit has a user information storage section, a virtual space display data storage section, a character data storage section, and an object data storage section.

[0015] The user information storage section stores information such as a user ID and a password for identifying a user who uses the user terminal, the type of a player character operated by the user, and a terminal ID for identifying the user terminal.

[0016] The virtual space display data storage section stores display data of a virtual space. The display data of the virtual space changes the display of the virtual space in time series, and is created in accordance with a predetermined scenario.

[0017] The character data storage unit 113 stores display data of a player character that operates in a virtual space according to a user's operation, the data including a predetermined number of polygons constituting the player character and an image (texture) attached to each polygon.

[0018] The object data storage unit 114 stores configuration data of non-player characters and objects arranged in the virtual space. Non-player characters and objects (hereinafter collectively referred to as "objects") are arranged at predetermined positions in the virtual space at predetermined timings in accordance with a predetermined scenario. The object data is associated with display data of the virtual space.

[0019] In the virtual space, various characters and objects are displayed as three-dimensional objects whose surfaces are constituted by a plurality of polygons. The object data storage unit 114 stores a plurality of types of configuration data for each object. These plural types of configuration data include data in which the surface of the object is constituted by different numbers (densities) of polygons. That is, for each object, first polygon configuration data representing the object with high precision and second polygon configuration data representing the object with lower precision than the first polygon configuration data are stored. The first polygon configuration data includes texture data corresponding to each of the polygons constituting the object, the texture being an image attached to the polygon surface. On the other hand, the second polygon configuration data does not include texture data.

[0020] The virtual space generation device 10 includes, as functional blocks, a user authentication unit 21, a virtual space generation unit 22, a player character motion processing unit 23, a virtual viewpoint setting unit 24, a region setting unit 25, an object arrangement processing unit 26, and an image output unit 27. Details of these functional blocks will be described later.

[0021] The virtual space generation device 10 is composed of, for example, a cloud server or a general personal computer, and each of the above-mentioned functional blocks is realized by executing pre-installed dedicated software (virtual space generation program) on the processor.

[0022] The user terminal 40 is equipped with a storage unit 41. The storage unit 41 stores terminal ID information for identifying the user terminal 40, as well as information about the user using the user terminal 40 (such as user ID information).

[0023] The user terminal 40 includes, as hardware, a posture acquisition unit 42, an audio input unit 43, an audio output unit 44, an input unit 45, and a display unit 46. In this embodiment, the user terminal 40 is a head-mounted display (HMD), and the posture acquisition unit 42 has various sensors and a calculation processing unit that determines the user's position and posture based on the output signals of the sensors.

[0024] The user terminal 40 sends and receives signals to and from the virtual space generation device 10 at a predetermined frequency (for example, 60 times / second). As a result, the user's position and posture information acquired by the posture acquisition unit 42, and the audio information input to the audio input unit 43 are transmitted to the virtual space generation device 10 and reflected in the player character's position, posture, and voice in the virtual space. In addition, audio information generated in the virtual space is output from the audio output unit 44.

[0025] The display unit 46 is positioned in front of the user's eyes when the user wears the user terminal 40 on their head. In addition, the user terminal 40 includes a data processing unit 48 as a functional block. The data processing unit 48 performs data processing such as processing various data (audio data, display data, etc.) received from the virtual space generation device 10 and outputting it to the audio output unit 44 and the display unit 46, or processing information acquired by the posture acquisition unit 42 and transmitting it to the virtual space generation device 10.

[0026] Next, the operation of the virtual space generation system 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0027] When a user accesses the virtual space generation device 10 by performing a predetermined operation on the user terminal 40, the user authentication unit 21 generates a screen for entering a user ID and password and sends this data to the user terminal 40. On the user terminal 40, the data processing unit 48 processes the received data and displays the screen on the display unit 46. When the user enters a user ID and password, the user authentication unit 21 identifies the user based on the entered user ID and password. Here, the user ID and password are entered, but the user ID and password stored in the storage unit 41 of the user terminal 40, or the terminal ID, may be automatically transmitted. In the following description, the display data of the screen generated by each part of the virtual space generation device 10 is sent to the user terminal 40, and the display data is processed by the data processing unit 48 and displayed on the display unit 46. However, these series of processes will not be described repeatedly, and will simply be described as "display the screen on the display unit 46," etc.

[0028] When the user is identified by the user authentication unit 21, the virtual space generation unit 22 reads the virtual space display data predetermined as the initial state from the virtual space display data storage unit 112 and generates the virtual space. The player character operation processing unit 23 identifies the type of player character that the user will operate based on the data stored in the user information storage unit 111. If multiple types of player characters are associated with the user, the user is prompted to select one of them. The player character is then made to appear in the virtual space based on the data stored in the character data storage unit 113. Objects and other elements that are set to appear in the initial state are also made to appear. The virtual space generation unit 22 changes the display data according to a predetermined scenario.

[0029] Here, the user logs in by entering a user ID and password, but the login process may be omitted. Also, although the user information storage unit 111 has been pre-stored with information on the type of player character the user will control, the user may be presented with information on multiple types of player characters stored in the character data storage unit 113 without associating them with user information, and the user may be allowed to select the player character to control each time. Alternatively, the information on the type of player character may be stored in the storage unit 41 of the user terminal 40, and the player character operation processing unit 23 may read that information.

[0030] Next, the virtual viewpoint setting unit 24 sets a virtual viewpoint (virtual viewpoint) in the virtual space that captures the virtual space. In this embodiment, the viewpoint of the player character is set as the virtual viewpoint.

[0031] Once a virtual viewpoint is set, the area setting unit 25 sets a first area facing the virtual viewpoint and a second viewpoint for each object to appear in the virtual space, within the area where the object will be placed. As shown in Figure 2, the area where the object will be placed is set as the first area, with the portion facing the virtual viewpoint within the player character's field of view being the first area, and the remaining portion as the second area.

[0032] Once the first and second regions are defined, the object placement processing unit 26 reads the first polygon configuration data and the second polygon configuration data from the object data storage unit 114. Then, it places the object, with the first region of the object configured using the first polygon configuration data and the second region using the second polygon configuration data, into the virtual space. As described above, texture data is associated with the first polygon configuration data, while texture data is not associated with the second polygon configuration data. Therefore, in the object, the first region is composed of high-density polygons (high polygons) with textures applied to each, and the second region is composed of low-density polygons (low polygons) without textures. For example, in the case of the object shown in Figure 2, the first polygon configuration data is high-polygon data with the entire object composed of 30,000 polygons, and the second polygon configuration data is low-polygon data with the entire object composed of 100 polygons. Here, the first and second polygon configuration data are defined by the number of polygons per object, but these data can also be defined by polygon density (number of polygons per unit surface area).

[0033] Figure 3 shows an example of an object placed by the object placement processing unit 26. As shown in Figure 3, the part of the object that can be seen from the virtual viewpoint (the player character's viewpoint) is composed of high polygons, while the rest of the object, i.e., the part that is not visible from the virtual viewpoint, is composed of low polygons. Here, we have described the process of placing one object in the virtual space, but the above process is performed in parallel for all objects to be placed in the virtual space.

[0034] The image output unit 27 outputs image data of the virtual space as seen from a virtual viewpoint. In this embodiment, image data of the virtual space as seen from the player character's viewpoint is output. The output image data is transmitted to the user terminal 40 and displayed on the display unit 46.

[0035] As described above, since the parts of the object that can be viewed from a virtual perspective are composed of high polygons, the user can enjoy an image of a virtual space through the display unit 46 of the user terminal 40 that makes it appear as if all the objects are composed of high polygons.

[0036] In conventional technology, as shown in Figure 4, the entire range of an object is composed of homogeneous polygons. If the entire object is composed of high polygons, then, as in this embodiment, it is possible to enjoy an image of a virtual space where all objects composed of high polygons are placed. However, if the entire object is composed of high polygons, the processing load for displaying those numerous polygons increases. In particular, when the frame rate (frequency of capturing the virtual space) is high, the load increases even further when the objects placed in the virtual space are updated to match that frame rate.

[0037] In contrast, in this embodiment, only the area of ​​the object that can be viewed from a virtual viewpoint (first area) is composed of first polygon configuration data (high polygons), and the remaining area (second area) is composed of second polygon configuration data (low polygons). Therefore, the burden of configuring the second area of ​​the object is reduced compared to conventional technology.

[0038] When the player character moves within the virtual space through user operation, the position of the virtual viewpoint also changes accordingly. Furthermore, the first and second regions of an object also change in accordance with the change in the virtual viewpoint's position. In this embodiment, the virtual viewpoint setting unit 24, region setting unit 25, object placement processing unit 26, and image output unit 27 repeatedly execute processing at a predetermined frequency (preferably the same frequency as the frame rate). As a result, even when the region of an object captured by the virtual viewpoint changes due to the player character's movement within the virtual space, the portion captured by that virtual viewpoint is always composed of high-polygons, allowing the user to always enjoy an image of the virtual space as if all objects were composed of high-polygons.

[0039] The above is the most basic processing in this embodiment, and the configurations described below can be appropriately combined depending on the configuration of the virtual space to be displayed and the characteristics of the virtual viewpoint set in the virtual space.

[0040] In the above process, the object data storage unit 114 used first polygon configuration data and second polygon configuration data, which include textures. However, third polygon configuration data may also be used in addition to these. The third polygon configuration data is an object composed of fewer polygons (middle polygons) than the first polygon configuration data, but more than the second polygon configuration data. Furthermore, the third polygon configuration data includes texture data to be applied to each polygon, similar to the first polygon configuration data.

[0041] When a player character moves through a virtual space containing numerous objects, and the image captured from the player character's perspective is displayed on the display unit 46 of the user terminal 40, the above process involves setting a first region and a second region for each of these numerous objects, and then constructing each region with first polygon configuration data and second polygon configuration data, all of which are executed at the frame rate. For example, as shown in Figure 5, when the virtual viewpoint moves to the right from time t0 to time t1, a portion of the object's region R12 changes from the first region (t0) to the second region (t1), and another region R21 changes from the second region (t0) to the first region (t1). If the process of setting the object's regions and displaying the polygons that make up each region is not completed in time, a portion of the area that should be the first region (R21 in Figure 5) remains composed of second polygon configuration data. As a result, a portion of the object shown in the image of the virtual space captured by the virtual viewpoint is composed of low polygons without textures.

[0042] Therefore, it is preferable that the region setting unit 25 sets a predetermined range including the boundary portion between the first region and the second region in the above embodiment (preferably a predetermined range from the boundary towards the second region) as the third region, and the object placement processing unit 26 configures this third region with third polygon configuration data. This ensures that even if the processing related to setting the region and displaying the polygons of some objects cannot be completed in time, that portion will be displayed as a middle polygon with a texture, thus avoiding the sudden appearance of a low polygon without a texture in an area that should be high polygon data, which would cause a sense of incongruity in the image viewed by the user.

[0043] Alternatively, the object placement processing unit 26 may configure the third region of an object using the first polygon configuration data without using the third polygon configuration data. In this case as well, even if the processing related to setting the regions of some objects and displaying the polygons is not completed in time, it is possible to avoid any inconsistencies in the image viewed by the user.

[0044] In the virtual space generation system 1 of this embodiment, users may access the virtual space generation device 10 from multiple user terminals 40, and multiple users may operate their respective player characters in the same virtual space. In this case, the virtual viewpoint setting unit 24 sets multiple virtual viewpoints corresponding to each user at different locations in a single virtual space.

[0045] As shown in Figure 6, when multiple virtual viewpoints (two virtual viewpoints, A and B, in Figure 6) are set, a single object is viewed from different directions by each of these virtual viewpoints A and B. Consequently, a portion of the object's area (first area A) set as the first area for one virtual viewpoint A may be set as the second area (second area B) for a different virtual viewpoint B.

[0046] In this way, when multiple different regions are set for the same area of ​​an object, the object placement processing unit 26 considers that the region to which the highest density polygons are assigned is set among those multiple different regions. In other words, as described above, when a first region and a second region are set for the same area of ​​an object for different virtual viewpoints, the region setting unit 25 considers that the first region is set for the region that will be the first region for virtual viewpoint A or B, and the second region is set for the region that will be the second region for virtual viewpoints A and B, and configures each region with first polygon configuration data and second polygon configuration data. As a result, even when multiple virtual viewpoints are provided in one virtual space and one object is viewed from different directions by these multiple virtual viewpoints, an image containing the object composed of high polygons is output for all virtual viewpoints, allowing all users to view the high-quality image.

[0047] The above embodiments are examples and can be modified as appropriate in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the viewpoint of the player character operated by the user in the virtual space was set as the virtual viewpoint. However, the virtual viewpoint may also be set as a position that captures the player character at a predetermined angle (for example, a position that captures the player character from diagonally above and behind the player character) or a position that provides an overhead view of the virtual space. Furthermore, the virtual viewpoint may move over time or it may be fixed.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the same polygon configuration data was used regardless of the distance between the virtual viewpoint and the object, but different polygon configuration data may be used depending on the distance between the virtual viewpoint and the object.

[0050] For example, the distance between the virtual viewpoint and the object can be classified into three ranges, and the character data storage unit 113 can pre-store the first polygon configuration data for short distances (highest density), the first polygon configuration data for medium distances (second highest density), and the first polygon configuration data for long distances (lower density than the previous two), corresponding to each of the three ranges. The object placement processing unit 26 can then be configured to use one of the three first polygon configuration data sets according to the distance between the virtual viewpoint and the object. The density (number) of polygons constituting the first polygon configuration data for long distances is set to be higher (more) than the density (number) of polygons constituting the second polygon configuration data. In this way, the first region of an object close to the virtual viewpoint is composed of high-density polygons, and the first region of an object that is far from the virtual viewpoint is composed of lower-density polygons, thereby reducing the load on the object display processing without causing discomfort to the user. Of course, the number of first polygon configuration data sets is not limited to three; it may be two, four or more, or any number of them.

[0051] In the above embodiment, a head-mounted display was used as the user terminal 40, but other configurations such as a combination of motion capture, a controller, and a display may be used as long as they have the functions described in the above embodiment.

[0052] [Aspect] It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are specific examples of the following embodiments.

[0053] (Section 1) A virtual space generation device according to one aspect of the present invention is: A storage unit that stores first polygon configuration data, which consists of polygons of a first density, for objects placed in a virtual space, and second polygon configuration data, which consists of polygons of a second density lower than the first density. A virtual viewpoint setting unit sets a virtual viewpoint for capturing the aforementioned virtual space, A region setting unit sets a first region facing the viewpoint and a second region other than the region in the virtual space where the object is placed. An object placement processing unit that configures the portion of the object located in the first region with the first polygon configuration data and the portion located in the second region with the second polygon configuration data, An image output unit that outputs an image capturing the virtual space from the aforementioned viewpoint. It is characterized by having the following features.

[0054] In the virtual space generation device described in paragraph 1, a virtual viewpoint for capturing the virtual space is set. For example, when a user plays a game in which they control a player character in a virtual space, the viewpoint of that player character (or the viewpoint that captures that player character at a predetermined angle of view) is set as the virtual viewpoint. The virtual viewpoint is not limited to this, and may be a predetermined position, etc. In the virtual space generation device described in paragraph 1, a first region facing the virtual viewpoint and a second region other than the virtual region are set in the area where objects are placed in the virtual space. The first region is composed of polygons of a first density, and the second region is composed of polygons of a second density which is lower than that. The image output unit outputs an image of the virtual space captured from the viewpoint (virtual viewpoint) that is virtually set in the virtual space by the virtual viewpoint setting unit. The user views the image output by the image output unit. Of the objects placed in the virtual space, the parts that appear in the image output by the image output unit are displayed with polygons of the first density, and the parts that are displayed with polygons of the second density are not displayed in the image. Therefore, the user will not feel any sense of incongruity when viewing this image. Furthermore, since a portion of the object is composed of second-density polygons, the processing load required to display the object can be reduced.

[0055] (Section 2) The virtual space generation device relating to paragraph 2 is, in the virtual space generation device relating to paragraph 1, The virtual viewpoint setting unit updates the position of the virtual viewpoint at predetermined time intervals.

[0056] The virtual space generation device described in paragraph 2 can be suitably used in cases such as when the viewpoint of a player character operated by a user is set to a virtual viewpoint.

[0057] (Section 3) The virtual space generation device relating to paragraph 3 is, in the virtual space generation device relating to paragraph 2, The area setting unit sets the first area and the second area at the predetermined time intervals.

[0058] In the virtual space generation device described in paragraph 3, even when the virtual viewpoint moves, the first and second regions are updated in accordance with the movement, so an image of an object composed of high polygons can always be obtained.

[0059] (Section 4) The virtual space generation device relating to paragraph 4 is a virtual space generation device relating to any of paragraphs 1 to 3, The storage unit further stores third polygon configuration data, which comprises polygons of a third density having a density less than or equal to the first density but higher than the second density, The region setting unit sets the region including the boundary between the first region and the second region as the third region. The object placement processing unit constructs the portion located in the third region using the third polygon configuration data.

[0060] In the virtual space generation device described in paragraph 4, for example, if the virtual viewpoint moves, or if there are many objects to be displayed, or if the performance of the processing unit that performs the display processing is not very high, it is possible to provide images that do not feel unnatural even when there is a delay in the display processing of objects.

[0061] (Section 5) The virtual space generation device relating to paragraph 5 is a virtual space generation device relating to any of paragraphs 1 to 4, The virtual viewpoint setting unit sets multiple virtual viewpoints at different locations. The area setting unit sets the first area and the second area in the area where the object is placed for each of the plurality of virtual viewpoints. The object placement processing unit configures the region of the object in which the first region is set for any of the plurality of virtual viewpoints using the first polygon configuration data, and configures the region in which the second region is set for all of the virtual viewpoints using the second polygon configuration data.

[0062] In the virtual space generation device described in paragraph 5, even when multiple virtual viewpoints are set, images of objects composed of high polygons can be output for all of those multiple virtual viewpoints.

[0063] (Section 6) The virtual space generation device relating to paragraph 6 is a virtual space generation device relating to any of paragraphs 1 to 5, The storage unit stores, as the first polygon configuration data, a plurality of first polygon configuration data with different densities, each corresponding to a plurality of divisions according to the distance between the virtual viewpoint and the object. The object placement processing unit uses one of the plurality of first polygon configuration data to configure the portion located in the first region as the first polygon configuration data, according to the distance between the virtual viewpoint and the object.

[0064] In the virtual space generation device described in paragraph 6, the first region of an object close to the virtual viewpoint is composed of high-density polygons, and the first region of an object seen from the virtual viewpoint is composed of polygons with a lower density (but higher density than the second polygon composition data), thereby reducing the load on the object display processing without causing discomfort to the user. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0065] 1…Virtual space generation system 10…Virtual Space Generator 11...Storage section 111...User information storage unit 112... Virtual space display data storage unit 113... Character data storage unit 114...Object data storage unit 21...User Authentication Section 22…Virtual Space Generation Unit 23...Player character motion processing unit 24…Virtual viewpoint setting section 25... Area setting section 26...Object Placement Processing Unit 27…Image output section 40...User terminal 41...Storage section 42…Attitude acquisition part 43…Voice input section 44…Audio output section 45...Input section 46…Display section 48...Data Processing Unit

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores first polygon configuration data, which consists of polygons of a first density, for objects placed in a virtual space, and second polygon configuration data, which consists of polygons of a second density lower than the first density. A virtual viewpoint setting unit sets a virtual viewpoint for capturing the aforementioned virtual space, A region setting unit sets a first region facing the viewpoint and a second region other than the region in the virtual space where the object is placed. An object placement processing unit that configures the portion of the object located in the first region with the first polygon configuration data and the portion located in the second region with the second polygon configuration data, An image output unit that outputs an image capturing the virtual space from the aforementioned viewpoint. A virtual space generation device characterized by comprising the following features.

2. The virtual viewpoint setting unit updates the position of the virtual viewpoint at predetermined time intervals. The virtual space generation device according to claim 1.

3. The area setting unit sets the first area and the second area at predetermined time intervals. The virtual space generation device according to claim 2.

4. The storage unit further stores third polygon configuration data, which comprises polygons of a third density having a density less than or equal to the first density but higher than the second density, The region setting unit sets the region including the boundary between the first region and the second region as the third region. The object placement processing unit configures the portion located in the third region using the third polygon configuration data. The virtual space generation device according to claim 1.

5. The virtual viewpoint setting unit sets multiple virtual viewpoints at different locations. The area setting unit sets the first area and the second area in the area where the object is placed for each of the plurality of virtual viewpoints. The object placement processing unit configures the region of the object in which the first region is set for any of the plurality of virtual viewpoints using the first polygon configuration data, and configures the region in which the second region is set for all of the virtual viewpoints using the second polygon configuration data. The virtual space generation device according to claim 1.

6. The storage unit stores, as the first polygon configuration data, a plurality of first polygon configuration data with different densities, each corresponding to a plurality of divisions according to the distance between the virtual viewpoint and the object. The object placement processing unit uses one of the plurality of first polygon configuration data to configure the portion located in the first region, according to the distance between the virtual viewpoint and the object, as the first polygon configuration data. The virtual space generation device according to claim 1.

Images