Character Display, Character Displaying Method, Information Recording Medium, and Program

A character displaying method that, when executed, references an arrangement storage unit storing a plurality of arrangement information defining reference positions and reference orientations in a virtual space for each of a plurality of characters, and a posture storage unit storing coordinate groups expressing character positions and postures relative to the reference positions and reference orientations in association with elapsed time, the method comprising:

• an arrangement selecting step that selects one set of arrangement information from among the stored plurality of arrangement information;
• a posture acquiring step that acquires, from among the stored coordinate groups, a coordinate group stored in association with the elapsed time from a predetermined time to the present;
• a moving/rotating step that performs orthogonal transformations for each character in the plurality of characters defined by the selected arrangement information and with respect to a coordinate group obtained from the reference positions and reference orientations defined for the characters in the arrangement information, and then takes the obtained coordinate group to be the coordinate group expressing the positions and orientations of the characters in the virtual space;
• and
• a generating/displaying step that uses the calculated coordinate group expressing the respective positions and postures of the plurality of characters to generate an image wherein the characters are arranged in the virtual space, and then displays the generated image.

A computer-readable information recording medium having recorded thereon a program that causes a computer to function as:

• an arrangement storage unit (302) that plurally stores arrangement information defining reference positions and reference orientations in a virtual space for each of a plurality of characters;
• an arrangement selector (303) that selects one set of arrangement information from among the stored plurality of arrangement information;
• a posture storage unit (304) that stores coordinate groups expressing the positions and postures of characters relative to the reference positions and reference orientations in association with elapsed time;
• a posture acquirer (305) that acquires, from among the stored coordinate groups, the coordinate group stored in association with the elapsed time from a predetermined time to the present;
• a mover/rotator (306) that, for each character in the plurality of characters defined by the selected arrangement information, performs orthogonal transformations with respect to a coordinate group obtained from the reference positions and reference orientations defined for the characters in the arrangement information, and then takes the obtained coordinate group to be the coordinate group expressing the positions and postures of the characters in the virtual space;
• and
• a generating/displaying unit (307) that uses the calculated coordinate group expressing the respective positions and postures of the plurality of characters to generate an image wherein the characters are arranged in the virtual space, and then displays the generated image.

A program that causes a computer to function as:

• an arrangement storage unit (302) that plurally stores arrangement information defining reference positions and reference orientations in a virtual space for each of a plurality of characters;
• an arrangement selector (303) that selects one set of arrangement information from among the stored plurality of arrangement information;
• a posture storage unit (304) that stores coordinate groups expressing the positions and postures of characters relative to the reference positions and reference orientations in association with elapsed time;
• a posture acquirer (305) that acquires, from among the stored coordinate groups, the coordinate group stored in association with the elapsed time from a predetermined time to the present;
• a mover/rotator (306) that, for each character in the plurality of characters defined by the selected arrangement information, performs orthogonal transformations with respect to a coordinate group obtained from the reference positions and reference orientations defined for the characters in the arrangement information, and then takes the obtained coordinate group to be the coordinate group expressing the positions and postures of the characters in the virtual space;
• and
• a generating/displaying unit (307) that uses the calculated coordinate group expressing the respective positions and postures of the plurality of characters to generate an image wherein the characters are arranged in the virtual space, and then displays the generated image.