Patent ID: 7796132

Claim:
An image generation system comprising: a memory which stores a program and data for image generating; and at least one processor device which is connected to the memory and performs processing for image generating, the processor device performing: depth cueing only for an object positioned within a depth cueing volume such that the color of the object being more distant from a viewpoint is made closer to a target color, the depth cueing volume being defined as a partial subset of a viewing volume based on a position of the viewpoint and includes a backward clipping plane of the viewing volume; varying an alpha (α) value of the object on condition that the object is positioned within the depth cueing volume so that the object being more distant from the viewpoint becomes more transparent; varying a depth cueing value for each vertex of the object based on a Z-value for each vertex of the object; varying the alpha value for each vertex of the object based on the Z-value for each vertex of the object; sorting objects within the depth cueing volume so that the objects are drawn in succession starting from an object nearest to the viewpoint; and drawing an image viewable from a virtual camera in an object space in drawing order determined by the sorting processing while performing hidden-surface erasing based on a Z-buffer process for the objects within the depth cueing volume, wherein the processor device performs processing so that the depth cueing value increases based on an increase in the Z-value, the depth cueing value being a parameter for determining the strength of a depth cueing effect that results in the color of the object being brought closer to the target color as the Z-value increases.