Methods and apparatus for transforming three-dimensional objects in video games

A video game apparatus for transforming a three-dimensional object having a form at least a part of which is determined by a plurality of vertexes associated with a cluster, said apparatus having:

• a computer;
• and
• a computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein a program to be executed by said computer;
• said program causing said computer to execute:
• obtaining the rotation angle of each joint in a virtual skeleton of the three-dimensional object which is constituted with a plurality of joints and in which each of the plurality of vertexes corresponds to any one of the plurality of the joints at every frame display period, according to the basis of the animation data defining the movement of the virtual skeleton, and
• calculating the rotation angle of the vertex on the basis of the rotation angle of each joint obtained with the obtaining of the rotation angle and the weight predefined for the vertex corresponding to the joint and for moving the vertex according to the calculated rotation angle at every frame display period.

A video game apparatus for transforming a three-dimensional object of a shape determined with a plurality of vertexes, comprising:

• a computer and
• a computer-readable recording medium recording a program to be executed with the computer,
• the program causes the computer to execute;
• obtaining the rotation angle of each joint in the virtual skeleton of the three-dimensional object which is constituted with a plurality of joints and in which each of the plurality of vertexes corresponds to any one of the plurality of the joints, at every frame display period according to the animation data defining the movement of the virtual skeleton, and
• calculating the rotation angle of the vertex on the basis of the rotation angle of each joint obtained with the obtaining of the rotation angle and the weight predefined for the vertex corresponding to the joint and moving the vertex according to the calculated rotation angle at every frame display period.