Method and apparatus for generating pseudo-three-dimensional images

A pseudo-three-dimensional image generating method, the method including:

• assigning a point of interest to a three-dimensional object model;
• computing a first corresponding point which corresponds to the point of interest in a first CG image that contains the three-dimensional object model;
• computing a second corresponding point which corresponds to the point of interest in a second CG image that contains the three-dimensional object model;
• and
• recording the first corresponding point and the second corresponding point in an associated manner,
• wherein said computing a first corresponding point and said computing a second corresponding point are such that the three-dimensional object model is divided into layers according to depth, and the first corresponding point and the second corresponding point that correspond to the point of interest are respectively computed layer by layer.

A pseudo-three-dimensional image generating method, the method including:

• assigning a point of interest to a first CG image that contains a three-dimensional object model;
• and
• computing a corresponding point that corresponds to the point of interest in a second CG image that contains the three-dimensional object model,
• wherein said computing is such that an image coordinate of the point of interest is utilized as processing starting information, the first CG image and the second CG image are respectively divided into layers according to depth, and the corresponding point is derived by taking the layer, to which the point of interest and the corresponding point belong, into account as a condition.

A pseudo-three-dimensional image generating method, the method including:

• assigning a point of interest to an object model;
• computing a first corresponding point that corresponds to the point of interest in a first CG image that contains the three-dimensional object model;
• computing a second corresponding point that corresponds to the point of interest in a second CG image that contains the three-dimensional object model;
• and
• recording the first corresponding point and the second corresponding point in an associated manner,
• wherein said recording in an associated manner is such that the first CG image and the second CG image are respectively divided into layers according to depth, and the first corresponding point is associated with the second corresponding point based on a condition of a layer or layers that the first corresponding point and the second corresponding point belong to.

A pseudo-three-dimensional image generating apparatus which renders, by CG, moving pictures that contain a three-dimensional object model, the apparatus comprising:

• a first processing unit which draws key frames selected from a plurality of image frames that constitute the moving pictures, by using a direct method that copes with description of the three-dimensional object model;
• and
• a second processing unit which generates intermediate images by interpolating the key frames, wherein said second processing unit comprises:
• a point-of-interest setting unit which assigns a point of interest to a first key frame that contains the three-dimensional object model;
• and
• a corresponding-point computing unit which computes a corresponding point that corresponds to the point of interest in a second key frame that contains the three-dimensional object model, in such a manner that image coordinates of the point of interest serve as processing starting information, and
• wherein the intermediate frame is generated based on a positional relation between the point of interest and the corresponding point and wherein said corresponding-point computing unit divides the three-dimensional object model into layers according to depth, and computes the corresponding point that corresponds to the point of interest layer by layer.