Video simulation system for calculating distance between characters and applying polygon to polygon plane

An apparatus for calculating a distance between a moving character displayed in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen and a fixed character comprising blocks, each of said blocks being comprised of polygons displayed in the pseudo-three-dimensional space on the display monitor screen, comprising:

• first means for identifying a one of said blocks which confronts said moving character;
• second means for identifying a polygon containing a point of planar coordinates representing the position of the moving character from among ones of said polygons forming said one of said blocks, said polygon being of a triangular shape, and said second means comprising means for identifying a polygon which satisfies the conditions of s≧0, t≧0, and s+t≦1 in the equation:
• p=(s×a)+(t×b)
• where:
• p represents a vector directed from a reference vertex of the polygon toward said point of planar coordinates contained in said polygon,
• a, b represent respective vectors directed from said reference vertex of the polygon toward respective other vertexes of the polygon, and
• s, t represent respective coefficients of the vectors a, b;
• and
• third means for calculating a distance between said moving character and the polygon which has been identified by said second means.

An apparatus for calculating a distance between a moving character displayed in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen and a fixed character comprising blocks, each of said blocks being comprised of polygons displayed in the pseudo-three-dimensional space on the display monitor screen, comprising:

• first means for identifying a one of said blocks which confronts said moving character;
• second means for identifying a polygon containing a point of planar coordinates representing the position of the moving character from among ones of said polygons forming said one of said blocks;
• and
• third means for calculating a distance between said moving character and the polygon which has been identified by said second means, said third means comprising means for calculating a distance y between said moving character and the polygon which has been identified, according to the equation:
• y=nx(Px−Ox)+ny(Py−Oy)+nz(Pz−Oz)
• where:
• nx, ny, nz represent components respectively along X-, Y-, and Z-axes of a vector n normal to the polygon,
• Px, Py, Pz represent coordinates respectively along the X-, Y-, and Z-axes of the position of the moving character, and
• Ox, Oy, Oz represent coordinates respectively along the X-, Y-, and Z-axes of a predetermined point O on a plane which contains said polygon.

A simulator comprising:

• a display monitor for displaying a moving character and a fixed character comprising blocks, each of said blocks being comprised of polygons in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen;
• a control device manipulatable by a player;
• detecting means for detecting a control action produced by said control device;
• calculating means for calculating a position on the display monitor screen of the moving character based on a detected signal from said detecting means;
• and
• an apparatus for calculating a distance between the moving character and the fixed character, said apparatus comprising:
• first means for identifying a one of said blocks which confronts said moving character;
• second means for identifying a polygon containing a point of planar coordinates representing the position of the moving character calculated by said calculating means from among ones of said polygons forming said one of said blocks, said polygon being of a triangular shape, and said second means comprising means for identifying a polygon which satisfies the conditions of s≧0, t≧0, and s+t≦1 in the equation:
• p=(s×a)+(t×b)
• where:
• p represents a vector directed from a reference vertex of the polygon toward said point of planar coordinates contained in said polygon,
• a, b represent respective vectors directed from said reference vertex of the polygon toward respective other vertexes of the polygon, and
• s, t represent respective coefficients of the vectors a, b;
• and
• third means for calculating a distance between said moving character and the polygon which has been identified by said second means.

A method of calculating a distance between a character movably displayed in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen and a polygon model composed of a plurality of polygons displayed in the pseudo-three-dimensional space on the display monitor screen, comprising the steps of:

• establishing a hypothetical plane in the pseudo-three-dimensional space and identifying one of the polygons which is positioned on the periphery of or within a polygonal shape onto which said character is projected when said character and the polygons of the polygon model are projected onto said hypothetical plane, said one of the polygons being of a triangular shape, and said step of identifying including identifying a polygon which satisfies the conditions of s≧0, t≧0, and s+t≦1 in the equation:
• p=(s×a)+(t×b)
• where:
• p represents a vector directed from a reference vertex of the polygon toward said point of planar coordinates contained in said polygon,
• a, b represent respective vectors directed from said reference vertex of the polygon toward respective other vertexes of the polygon, and
• s, t represent respective coefficients of the vectors a, b;
• and
• calculating a distance between the identified one of the polygons and said character.

An apparatus for calculating a distance between a character movable displayed in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen and a polygon model composed of a plurality of polygons displayed in the pseudo-three-dimensional space on the display monitor screen, comprising:

• polygon identifying means for establishing a hypothetical plane in the pseudo-three-dimensional space and identifying one of the polygons which is positioned on the periphery of or within a polygonal shape onto which said character is projected when said character and the polygons of the polygon model are projected onto said hypothetical plane;
• and
• distance calculating means for calculating a distance between said one of the polygons which has been identified by said polygon identifying means and said character, said one of the polygons being of a triangular shape, and said polygon identifying means comprising means for identifying a polygon which satisfies the conditions of s≧0, t≧0, and s+t≦1 in the equation:
• p=(s×a)+(t×b)
• where:
• p represents a vector directed from a reference vertex of the polygon toward said point of planar coordinates contained in said one of the polygons,
• a, b represent respective vectors directed from said reference vertex of the polygon toward respective other vertexes of said one of the polygons, and
• s, t represent respective coefficients of the vectors a, b.

A simulator comprising:

• a display monitor visually observable by a player;
• display control means for displaying on said display monitor a character movably in a pseudo-three-dimensional space and a polygon model composed of a plurality of polygons in the pseudo-three-dimensional space, as viewed from a predetermined viewpoint;
• a control device manipulatable by the player;
• detecting means for detecting a control action produced by said control device;
• calculating means for calculating a position on the display monitor screen of the moving character based on a detected signal from said detecting means;
• and
• an apparatus for calculating a distance between the character and the polygon model;
• said apparatus comprising:
• polygon identifying means for establishing a hypothetical plane in the pseudo-three-dimensional space and identifying one of the polygons which is positioned on the periphery of or within a polygonal shape onto which said character is projected when said character and the polygons of the polygon model are projected onto said hypothetical plane, said one of the polygons being of a triangular shape, and said polygon identifying means comprising means for identifying a polygon which satisfies the conditions of s≧0, t≧0, and s+t≦1 in the equation:
• p=(s×a)+(t×b)
• where:
• p represents a vector directed from a reference vertex of the polygon toward said point of planar coordinates contained in said one of the polygons,
• a, b represent respective vectors directed from said reference vertex of the polygon toward respective other vertexes of said one of the polygons, and
• s, t represent respective coefficients of the vectors a, b;
• distance calculating means for calculating a distance between said one of the polygons which has been identified by said polygon identifying means and said character;
• and
• contact decision means for deciding whether said character and said polygon model has contacted each other based on the distance calculated by said distance calculating means.

A method of calculating a distance between a moving character displayed in a pseudo-three-dimensional space on a display monitor screen and a fixed character comprising blocks, each of said blocks being comprised of triangular polygons displayed in the pseudo-three-dimensional space on the display monitor screen, comprising the steps of:

• identifying a one of said blocks which confronts said moving character;
• identifying a one of said triangular polygons containing a point of planar coordinates representing the position of the moving character in X-Z coordinate character from among ones of said triangular polygons forming said one of said blocks, including the sub-steps of:
• identifying a triangular polygon which satisfies the conditions of:
• SIGN(1)×SIGN(2)≧0
• SIGN(3)×SIGN(4)≧0
• ABS(1+3)≦ABS(2) s = b x × P z - P x × b z b x × a z - a x × b z ( 1 ) t = a z × P x - P z × a x b x × a z - a x × b z ( 2 )
• where:
• SIGN (1) represents the sign (positive or negative) of the numerator of equation (1),
• SIGN (2) represents the sign (positive or negative) of the denominator of the equation (1),
• SIGN (3) represents the sign (positive or negative) of the numerator of equation (2),
• SIGN (4) represents the sign (positive or negative) of the denominator of the equation (2),
• ABS (1+3) represents the absolute value of the sum of the numerator of the equation (1) and the numerator of the equation (2),
• ABS (2) represents the absolute value of the denominator of the equation (1),
• Px represents an X-coordinate of a point P at a certain point of the moving character,
• Pz represents a Z-coordinate of the point P of the moving character,
• a and b represent respective vectors directed from a reference vertex of the triangular polygon toward respective other vertexes of the triangular polygon,
• ax is a component of a vector a along the X-axis,
• az is a component of the vector a along the Z-axis,
• bx is a component of a vector b along the X-axis, and
• bz is a component of the vector b along the Z-axis;
• and
• calculating a distance between said moving character and the triangular polygon which has been identified.