PROGRAM, VIRTUAL SPACE PROVIDING METHOD, AND VIRTUAL SPACE PROVIDING DEVICE

Abstract

To provide a program for improving a screen display technology in drawing shades caused by objects arranged in a virtual space, a virtual space provision method and a virtual space provision device.SOLUTION: A program causes a computer 3 for providing a virtual space to function as: an acquisition part 113 for acquiring depth information corresponding to depth in every one or more pixels in a virtual space image constituting a virtual space and shade information showing whether a pixel is included in a shade region in the virtual space image; a determination part 114 for determining whether the pixel is included in the shade region on the basis of the shade information; and a display control part 115 for controlling pixels included in the shade region so as to be displayed in a display mode corresponding to the depth of the pixels based on the depth information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program for providing a virtual space, a method for providing a virtual space, and a device for providing a virtual space. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an image processing device that performs rendering processing on a plurality of objects to generate image data. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-66340 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In an image processing device such as that described in Patent Document 1, a screen display technology is required for appropriately depicting the shadows caused by objects placed in a virtual space. However, conventional image processing technology has not been able to fully meet such a demand.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a program, a virtual space providing method, and a virtual space providing device that improve screen display technology when depicting shadows caused by objects placed in a virtual space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A program according to one embodiment of the present invention causes a computer providing a virtual space to function as an acquisition unit that acquires depth information corresponding to the depth of one or more pixels in a virtual space image that constitutes the virtual space and shading information indicating whether or not the pixel is included in a shaded area in the virtual space image, a determination unit that determines whether or not the pixel is included in the shaded area based on the shading information, and a display control unit that controls the pixels included in the shaded area to be displayed in a display form corresponding to the depth of the pixel based on the depth information.

[0007] A virtual space providing method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a virtual space providing method executed by a computer that provides a virtual space, and includes the steps of acquiring depth information corresponding to the depth of one or more pixels in a virtual space image that constitutes the virtual space and shading information indicating whether the pixel is included in a shaded area in the virtual space image, determining whether the pixel is included in the shaded area based on the shading information, and controlling the display of the pixels included in the shaded area in a display form corresponding to the depth of the pixel based on the depth information.

[0008] A virtual space providing device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a virtual space providing device that provides a virtual space, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires depth information corresponding to the depth of one or more pixels in a virtual space image that constitutes the virtual space and shading information indicating whether or not the pixel is included in a shading region in the virtual space image, a determination unit that determines whether or not the pixel is included in the shading region based on the shading information, and a display control unit that controls the pixels included in the shading region to be displayed in a display form corresponding to the depth of the pixel based on the depth information.

[0009] In this invention, a "unit" or "device" does not simply mean a physical means, but also includes cases where the functions of the "unit" or "device" are realized by software. Furthermore, the functions of one "unit" or "device" may be realized by two or more physical means or devices, and the functions of two or more "units" or "devices" may be realized by one physical means or device. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the above-described aspects of the present invention, it is possible to improve the screen display technology when depicting the shadows caused by objects placed in a virtual space. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a virtual space providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a virtual space providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a virtual space providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a depth information acquisition method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1A to 1C are diagrams conceptually illustrating an example of a depth map, a shadow map, and a normal map according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of scene parameters according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 5A to 5C are diagrams conceptually illustrating an example of a display control process according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the playback device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a block set in a virtual space according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a virtual space providing process according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example, and there is no intention to exclude various modifications and application of techniques not specified below. In other words, the present invention can be implemented by various modifications (such as combining each embodiment) within the scope of the gist of the present invention. In addition, in the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are represented by the same or similar symbols. The drawings are schematic and do not necessarily match the actual dimensions, ratios, etc. The drawings may also include parts with different dimensional relationships and ratios.

[0013] Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a virtual space providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the virtual space providing system 1 is illustratively configured to include a virtual space providing device 3 that defines and provides a virtual space, a playback device 5 that plays image data and audio data including the virtual space provided by the virtual space providing device 3, and an input device 9 that is operated by a user.

[0014] The playback device 5 is a device that outputs images and sounds, and plays back music content. For example, the playback device 5 may be a television or a computer display having a display and a speaker. The playback device 5 may be connected to the virtual space providing device 3 via a wired cable or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network).

[0015] The input device 9 is a device that transmits a control signal corresponding to operation information input by a user to the virtual space providing device 3. In this embodiment, the input device 9 is configured to be capable of wireless communication with the virtual space providing device 3. The input device 9 and the virtual space providing device 3 establish a wireless connection using, for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) protocol. Note that the input device 9 and the virtual space providing device 3 may be configured to transmit the control signal via a wired cable.

[0016] The virtual space providing device 3 exerts a virtual space providing function by loading an application program for providing a virtual space. The virtual space providing device 3 is, for example, a game machine, or may be a personal computer, a tablet terminal, or a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

[0017] The virtual space providing device 3 has a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal, and can be connected to an external device such as a personal computer via a cable 7 to obtain various information from the external device. Furthermore, the virtual space providing device 3 has a media drive, and is configured to obtain various information from a ROM medium. Furthermore, the virtual space providing device 3 may be configured to obtain various information from an external server or the like via a network. In this embodiment, the input device 9, the playback device 5, and the virtual space providing device 3 are separate entities, but they may be configured as an integrated unit. For example, the input device 9, the playback device 5, and the virtual space providing device 3 may be configured as a mobile terminal device that executes a virtual space providing process.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of a virtual space providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 2, the virtual space providing device 3 is illustratively configured to include a wired / wireless interface 10, an antenna 11, a data processing unit 12, a memory 14, a hard disk drive 15, a disk drive 16, a recording medium attachment / detachment unit 18, and a control unit 100. Each of the above components is configured to input and output various information and data via a bus 19.

[0019] The wired / wireless interface 10 is a means for connecting to an external device by wire or wirelessly and transmitting / receiving data. The wired / wireless interface 10 connects to the external device via the above-mentioned predetermined cable 7 and acquires various information from the external device. The wired / wireless interface 10 also connects to the input device 9 using a predetermined wireless communication protocol. A control signal from the input device 9 is supplied to the control unit 100 via the antenna 11, the wired / wireless interface 10, and the bus 19. Note that the wired / wireless interface 10 may be configured such that the wired interface unit and the wireless interface unit are integrated or separately configured.

[0020] The data processing unit 12 includes a frame memory for buffering video and audio data constituting the content to be reproduced by the reproduction device 5, and the like.

[0021] The memory 14 is configured as a RAM (random access memory) and includes, for example, a main memory and a buffer memory.

[0022] The hard disk drive 15 is an auxiliary storage device that stores various information and data. For example, the hard disk drive 15 stores various information and data received via the wired / wireless interface 10, and stores various information and data read from a removable recording medium by the recording medium attachment / detachment unit 18, as described below.

[0023] The disk drive 16 is a device that drives a read-only ROM disk and reads data. When a ROM disk is inserted, the disk drive 16 reads data stored in the ROM disk. The ROM disk may be, for example, an optical disk or a magneto-optical disk.

[0024] The recording medium attachment / detachment unit 18 is a device that reads data from a removable recording medium when the removable recording medium is attached. Here, in this embodiment, a program related to a virtual space providing process described later may be recorded on a removable recording medium or a ROM disk, and may be configured to be installed from the recording medium attachment / detachment unit 18 or the disk drive 16 to the hard disk drive 15. The program may also be acquired from an external server or the like via a network.

[0025] The control unit 100 is configured to include a CPU, and controls the processes executed by the above-mentioned components included in the virtual space providing device 3. The control unit 100 is also configured to include a plurality of processor cores in the CPU. Furthermore, the control unit 100 is configured to include a memory controller connected to the memory 14.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a virtual space providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the virtual space providing device 3 is illustratively configured to include an information processing unit 111 that executes a process for providing a virtual space, and a recording unit 112 that records various information required to execute the process and information related to the result of the process. The information processing unit 111 can be realized, for example, by the control unit 100 executing a program stored in the memory 14 or the like shown in FIG. 2. The recording unit 112 corresponds to, for example, the hard disk drive 15 shown in FIG. 2. Here, the recording unit 112 includes a geometry buffer in which geometry information of an object is written. The geometry information includes information such as the shape of the drawing target, the coordinates of vertices that define the shape, and coefficients of equations that represent figures such as lines and faces.

[0027] The recording unit 112 records, for example, the spatial information SPI, the object information OI, the scene parameters SP, and the block information BI. In addition to the above information, the recording unit 112 may further record information regarding the user who plays the game.

[0028] The space information SPI includes, for example, one or more virtual space data templates for defining the virtual space 50 shown in FIG.

[0029] The object information OI is information about an object placed in the virtual space 50. The object information OI includes character information, which is information about a character placed in the virtual space 50. The character information includes image information corresponding to a character or avatar previously associated with a user. The character information may be one or more types of characters or avatars (for example, a deformed image of a person or an image imitating an animal, etc.).

[0030] The object information OI includes, for example, image information imitating plants such as grass, trees, and flowers, as well as woods and forests, which are arranged on a predetermined surface in the virtual space 50. The object information OI is not limited to the above, and may include image information imitating a streetscape or the like. Note that the object information OI includes information (for example, position information, etc.) for arranging the object in the virtual space.

[0031] The block information BI includes, for example, one or more block data templates for setting a plurality of blocks B1 to B4, etc., shown in Fig. 9, which will be described later. In addition, the recording unit 112 may record the spatial information SPI, the object information OI, and the scene parameters SP in association with each other for each of the plurality of blocks.

[0032] The scene parameters SP will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0033] The information processing unit 111 functionally includes an acquisition unit 113 that acquires depth information corresponding to the depth of one or more pixels in a virtual space image that constitutes the virtual space and shading information indicating whether or not one or more pixels are included in a shading region in the virtual space image, a determination unit 114 that determines whether or not a pixel is included in a shading region based on the shading information, a display control unit 115 that controls the display of pixels included in the shading region in a display form according to the depth of the pixel based on the depth information, and a block setting unit 116 (area setting unit) that sets one or more blocks (areas) in the virtual space. Note that the acquisition of the depth information and the shading information may be executed for each game scene, for example.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a method for acquiring depth information according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, a virtual camera 60 (virtual viewpoint) (e.g., corresponding to the viewpoint of a user who operates the input device 9 shown in FIG. 1 to execute a game) includes a sensor that measures depth information of an object so that depth information corresponding to one or more pixels in a virtual space image that constitutes a virtual space can be acquired. The type of sensor and the measurement method may be appropriately selected according to the embodiment. In this embodiment, the virtual camera 60 is used to acquire a captured image that captures a predetermined range including an object. The captured image includes depth information corresponding to the depth obtained for each pixel. The depth information may be information indicating the depth of an object within the captured range, and includes, for example, a depth map in which the depth of an object within the captured range is distributed two-dimensionally. The captured image may be a moving image or a still image. In addition, acquisition of depth information may be performed at any timing, for example, for each game scene.

[0035] As exemplified in FIG. 4, depth information of an object (for each pixel) is represented, for example, by distance B of a straight line between virtual camera 60 and the object. That is, the depth information according to this embodiment is distance B. Depth information may also be represented by distance A of a perpendicular line dropped from a horizontal axis of virtual camera 60 to the object. That is, the depth information according to this embodiment may be distance A. Note that distance A and distance B can be converted into each other by using, for example, Pythagoras' theorem.

[0036] 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a depth map, a shadow map, and a normal map according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image shown in FIG. 5(A) is an example of a depth map in which the gray value of each pixel is determined according to the depth of the pixel. Black pixels indicate that the pixel is close to the virtual camera 60. On the other hand, white pixels indicate that the pixel is far from the virtual camera 60. The depth in the depth map allows the position of an object in the virtual space within the shooting range, that is, the distance between the virtual camera 60 and the object, to be identified.

[0037] The depth information thus obtained is written to the geometry buffer. The value of the depth information falls within the range of, for example, 0.0 to 1.0. The point closest to the virtual camera 60 is set to 0.0, and the point farthest from the virtual camera 60 is set to 1.0.

[0038] The shading information includes information about the shading area, and includes shading information indicating whether one or more pixels are included in the shading area in the virtual space image, and shading information indicating whether one or more pixels are included in the shading area in the virtual space image. Here, the "shading" area includes the "shadow" area and the "shadow" area. The "shadow" area includes a dark area on the opposite side of the light source because an object blocks the light. The "shadow" area includes, for example, a dark area on the opposite side of the light source for a tree placed in the virtual space. The "shadow" area includes a dark or hidden area behind an object. The "shadow" area includes a back or rear area blocked or covered by an object. The "shadow" area includes, for example, a dark area on the surface of clothes worn by a character placed in the virtual space. As described above, the "shadow" area and the "shadow" area have in common the fact that they are dark areas, so when drawing, display control is required so that both are dark. However, as mentioned above, the "shadow" region and the "shadow" region are, strictly speaking, different regions, so it is necessary to accurately identify and draw each region by obtaining respective maps as described below.

[0039] The image illustrated in FIG. 5(B) is an example of a shadow map. The shadow map is a map that indicates whether or not a shadow occurs at each pixel of an image, that is, whether or not the pixel is included in a shadow area in a virtual space image. For example, in the shadow mapping method, whether or not a shadow occurs at each pixel of an image is determined based on whether or not the distance between the object of the pixel and the virtual light source exceeds the pixel value (depth) of the shadow map that is recorded in advance for the corresponding light path. That is, in the shadow mapping method, each pixel of the shadow map indicates the distance to the object surface where the light ray emitted from the virtual light source first arrives. Then, it may be determined that a shadow is drawn on the object surface that exists at a position beyond the distance in the light path. Note that the generation and acquisition of the shadow map may be performed, for example, at any timing, or may be performed for each game scene. Note that the "depth" is stored in both the depth map shown in FIG. 5(A) and the shadow map shown in FIG. 5(B). However, what the "depth" refers to is different. For example, the depth in the depth map includes the distance between the virtual camera and the object. Additionally, the depth in the shadow map includes the distance to the object surface that the light ray emitted from the virtual light source first reaches.

[0040] The shadow information includes normal information (eg, normal Y axis value) for one or more pixels.

[0041] The image illustrated in FIG. 5(C) is an example of a normal map. As shown in FIG. 5(C), the normal map is an RGB image corresponding to the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the normal vector of an object included in a virtual space image. Here, the normal map is generally a blue hue and does not include actual light and dark shading. This is because the normal map is not intended to display color information as is. Instead, the RGB values ​​of each pixel are replaced with the XYZ values ​​of a direction vector. Note that the generation and acquisition of the normal map may be performed at any timing, for example, for each game scene.

[0042] Returning to Fig. 3, the determination unit 114 determines whether or not one or more pixels are included in a shadow region (shaded region) by, for example, referring to the shadow map shown in Fig. 5(B). The determination unit 114 may also determine whether or not one or more pixels are included in a shadow region (shaded region) by, for example, referring to the normal map shown in Fig. 5(C).

[0043] FIG. 6 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of scene parameters according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the scene parameters SP illustratively include a distance between one or more pixels of an object or a predetermined surface in a virtual space and a virtual light source (virtual camera), a color (display form) when the pixel is rendered, and a normal threshold (for example, 0.0 to 1.0) for determining whether or not the pixel is included in a shadow area. For example, when a specific pixel is in the near area (0.2) to middle area (0.6), if the normal Y axis value corresponding to the specific pixel exceeds the near normal threshold (0.X), the specific pixel is determined to be included in a shadow area. On the other hand, when a specific pixel is in the near area (0.2) to middle area (0.6), if the normal Y axis value corresponding to the specific pixel does not exceed the near normal threshold (0.X), the specific pixel is determined not to be included in a shadow area. Note that the normal threshold is not limited to the three values ​​of 0.X, 0.Y, and 0.Z. For example, the normal threshold may be set in stages, such as 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, etc., as a value between 0.X (e.g., 0.3) and 0.Y (e.g., 0.7) in the near region (0.2) to middle region (0.6). Note that in other regions, such as the middle region to far region, values ​​between 0.Y and 0.Z may also be set in stages.

[0044] FIG. 7 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a display control process according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the display control unit 115 shown in FIG. 3 controls a pixel included in a shadow region to be displayed in a display form according to the depth of the pixel based on the depth information. The display control unit 115 uses, for example, a shader function to display one or more pixels determined to be included in a shadow region or a shadow region in a color according to the distance between each of the pixels and the virtual camera 60. Here, the shader function includes a computer program that performs shading processing in three-dimensional computer graphics. The shader function is a part of a renderer function that executes calculation of the color of an object.

[0045] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the display control unit 115 changes the color used when rendering pixels stepwise, such as red, red to green, green, green to blue, blue, blue to yellow, or yellow, depending on the distance from the virtual camera 60 (origin to near to middle to far). The display control unit 115 may change the color used when rendering pixels linearly. Note that the colors used by the display control unit 115 are not limited to those mentioned above, and other colors may be used depending on the distance from the virtual camera 60.

[0046] The display control unit 115 may, for example, render the pixel by combining the adopted color with the base shading color.

[0047] <Comparative Example> With reference to FIG. 8, a comparison is made between a case where pixel display control processing according to an embodiment of the present invention is performed and a case where pixel display control processing according to an embodiment of the present invention is not performed. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed by a playback device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8(A) is an example of an image G1 when pixel display control processing according to an embodiment of the present invention is not performed, and FIG. 8(B) is an example of an image G2 when pixel display control processing according to an embodiment of the present invention is performed. In the pixel display control processing according to an embodiment of the present invention, for example, the display control unit 115 generates image data for displaying an image G2 shown in FIG. 8(B) by adding color information included in the scene parameter SP shown in FIG. 6 to image data for displaying the image G1 shown in FIG. 8(A).

[0048] For example, the display control unit 115 generates image data (base image data) for displaying the image G1 shown in FIG. 8(A). Specifically, the display control unit 115 generates image data for displaying the image G1 based on color information for drawing each pixel for each scene, which is pre-recorded in the recording unit 112. Then, based on the base image data, the display control unit 115 adds color information included in the scene parameters SP shown in FIG. 6 to the color information for each pixel included in the image data. For such color synthesis processing, an alpha blending process may be adopted. For example, when the alpha blending process is executed, a blending coefficient of an alpha value is determined. The blending coefficient is set to both the color information of the image data for displaying the image G1, which was generated earlier, and the color information to be added to the color information.

[0049] 8(A) and (B), the shaded regions SA4, SA5, and SA6 in the image G2 displayed by executing the pixel display control process according to the embodiment of the present invention more appropriately express colors corresponding to the shadows than the shaded regions SA1, SA2, and SA3 in the image G1. That is, the display control unit 115 generates image data for displaying the image G2 by adding color information included in the scene parameters SP shown in FIG. 6 to the image data for displaying the image G1, so that the color drawn in the shaded region (shadow color) can be more appropriately adjusted. Thus, the subtle shade of the shadow color can be accurately adjusted.

[0050] Fig. 9 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of blocks set in a virtual space according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in Fig. 9, the virtual space 50 defined by the display control unit 115 illustrated in Fig. 3 includes, for example, a plurality of blocks B1 to B4 set by the block setting unit 116 based on block information BI. In the virtual space 50, for example, in a certain game scene, a virtual camera 60 is placed in the block B1 of the virtual space 50. Based on image information acquired by the virtual camera 60 capturing an image of a predetermined range including a plurality of objects O in the block B1, an image (screen) is displayed on the display of the reproduction device 5 illustrated in Fig. 1.

[0051] The recording unit 112 shown in Fig. 3 may record scene parameters SP as shown in Fig. 6 for one or more blocks in the virtual space 50. For example, the recording unit 112 may record, for each block, the color of a pixel (information on the display mode) and the distance (depth) of one or more pixels from the virtual camera 60 in association with each other. When the virtual camera 60 is in a specific block B1 among the one or more blocks, the display control unit 115 may perform control so as to display a pixel determined by the determination unit 114 to be included in a shadow region in a display mode according to the distance from the virtual camera 60 of a pixel included in the acquired depth map associated with the specific block B1, based on the depth map acquired in the specific block B1, as shown in Fig. 5(A).

[0052] According to this configuration, the display mode of the target pixel is controlled by referring to information managed for one or more blocks in the virtual space, thereby enabling more efficient screen drawing.

[0053] Furthermore, the recording unit 112 may record, for each of one or more blocks in the virtual space 50, the color of a pixel according to the distance of the one or more pixels from the virtual camera 60 and the normal threshold value (see FIG. 6 ) of the one or more pixels in association with each other. When the virtual camera 60 is in a specific block B1, the display control unit 115 performs control so as to display a pixel determined by the determination unit 114 to be included in a shadow region in a display form according to the distance from the virtual camera 60 of the pixel included in the acquired depth map associated with the specific block B1, based on the depth map acquired in the specific block B1, as shown in FIG. 5(A).

[0054] According to this configuration, pixels included in the "shadow" region are identified by comparing normal information of one or more pixels with a normal threshold. Then, the display form of the pixels included in the "shadow" region is controlled by referring to information managed for each block in the virtual space. This makes it possible to accurately identify pixels included in the "shadow" region and perform appropriate shadow drawing, as well as to perform more efficient screen drawing.

[0055] <Virtual space provision processing> An example of the virtual space provision process according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the virtual space provision process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] The acquisition unit 113 of the virtual space providing device 3 shown in Fig. 3 acquires depth information corresponding to the depth of one or more pixels in a virtual space image constituting a virtual space, and shading information indicating whether or not the pixel is included in a shading region in the virtual space image (step S1). The determination unit 114 determines the region in which the target pixel is included (for example, the middle region to the far region in Fig. 6) based on the depth information (step S3). Then, the determination unit 114 determines whether or not the target pixel is included in a shading region based on the shading information. If the target pixel is included in a shading region (Yes in step S5), the process proceeds to step S7. If the target pixel is not included in a shading region (No in step S5), the process ends.

[0057] The display control unit 115 controls the pixels included in the shaded area to be displayed in a display form according to the depth of the pixel based on the depth information (step S7). Then, the display control unit 115 defines a virtual space based on the virtual space data, and generates an image including the virtual space including one or more objects. Here, as described above, the position of the virtual camera 60 shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to the user's viewpoint in the virtual space 50, so that, for example, at least one of the position and the inclination of the user's viewpoint (virtual camera 60) is controlled by operating the input device 9 shown in FIG. 1. The display control unit 115 controls the viewing area in the virtual space 50 based on the control of at least one of the position and the inclination of the virtual camera 60. For example, the viewing area corresponds to an area of ​​the virtual space 50 that is visible to the user. When at least one of the position and the inclination of the virtual camera 60 changes, the image control unit 115 generates image data for generating a new image according to the change.

[0058] According to the embodiment described above, the virtual space providing device acquires depth information corresponding to the depth of each of one or more pixels in a virtual space image constituting a virtual space, and shading information indicating whether or not the pixel is included in a shading region in the virtual space image. The virtual space providing device determines whether or not the pixel is included in a shading region based on the acquired shading information. The virtual space providing device controls the display of the pixel included in the shading region in a display form according to the depth of the pixel based on the depth information. Thus, it is possible to accurately identify one or more pixels included in a shading portion caused by an object arranged in a virtual space, and to adopt a shading color according to the distance from the virtual camera when drawing the pixel. Therefore, it is possible to improve the screen display technology when drawing a shading caused by an object arranged in a virtual space.

[0059] (Other embodiments) The above-mentioned embodiments are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved (for example, by combining the embodiments, or by omitting some of the configurations of the embodiments) without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention also includes equivalents thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1...Virtual space providing system, 3...Virtual space providing device, 5...Playback device, 7...Cable, 9...Input device, 10...Wired / wireless interface, 11...Antenna, 12...Data processing unit, 14...Memory, 15...Hard disk drive, 16: disk drive, 18: recording medium attachment / detachment section, 19: bus, 50: virtual space, 60: virtual camera, 100: control section, 111: information processing section, 112: recording section, 113: acquisition section, 114: determination section, 115: display control section, 116: block setting section

Claims

1. The computer that provides the virtual space, an acquisition unit that acquires depth information corresponding to a depth for each of one or more pixels in a virtual space image that configures the virtual space, and predetermined information indicating whether or not the pixel is included in a specific area in the virtual space image, the predetermined information including normal information for the pixel and a threshold value for the normal information; a determination unit that determines whether or not a pixel having normal information exceeding the threshold value is included in the specific region based on the predetermined information; a display control unit that controls the display of pixels included in the specific region in a display form according to the depth of the pixels based on the depth information; program.

2. The computer, an area setting unit that sets one or more areas in the virtual space; a recording unit that records, for each of the areas, information on the display form of the pixels and the depth of one or more pixels in association with each other; When the virtual viewpoint is in a specific area among the areas, the display control unit controls, based on the acquired depth information, to display pixels included in the specific area in a display form corresponding to a pixel depth based on the depth information associated with the specific area. The program according to claim 1.

3. The computer, an area setting unit that sets one or more areas in the virtual space; a recording unit that records, for each of the areas, information on a display form of one or more pixels according to a depth of the pixel and a threshold value related to the normal information in association with each other; When the virtual viewpoint is in a specific area among the areas, the display control unit controls to display pixels determined to be included in the specific area in a display form corresponding to a pixel depth based on the acquired depth information associated with the specific area, the pixel depth being based on the depth information.

3. The program according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A virtual space providing method executed by a computer for providing a virtual space, comprising: acquiring depth information corresponding to a depth for each of one or more pixels in a virtual space image constituting the virtual space, and predetermined information indicating whether or not the pixel is included in a specific area in the virtual space image, the predetermined information including normal information for the pixel and a threshold value for the normal information; determining whether or not a pixel having normal information exceeding the threshold value is included in the specific region based on the predetermined information; and controlling the display of the pixels included in the specific region in a display form according to the depth of the pixels based on the depth information. Method of providing virtual space.

5. A virtual space providing device for providing a virtual space, an acquisition unit that acquires depth information corresponding to a depth for each of one or more pixels in a virtual space image that configures the virtual space, and predetermined information indicating whether or not the pixel is included in a specific area in the virtual space image, the predetermined information including normal information for the pixel and a threshold value for the normal information; a determination unit that determines whether or not a pixel having normal information exceeding the threshold value is included in the specific region based on the predetermined information; a display control unit that controls the display of pixels included in the specific region in a display form according to a depth of the pixel based on the depth information, Virtual space providing device.

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