Patent ID: 8836693

Claim:
An image processing apparatus, comprising, virtual space generating means for generating a virtual space; object setting means for setting an object in said virtual space; virtual viewpoint setting means for setting a display image in said virtual space; movement path setting means for setting a reference movement path for said object in a course on which said object moves in said virtual space; movement operation means for moving said object on the course in said virtual space; and object-corresponding position calculating means for calculating an object-corresponding position on said reference movement path corresponding to an actual position of said object on the course; and wherein said object-corresponding position and said actual position differ for at least a portion of the course on which said object moves; wherein said virtual viewpoint setting means sets a virtual viewpoint position and an image rendering state thereof, the virtual viewpoint position differing from said object-corresponding position while having a correspondence with said object-corresponding position, thereby allowing display of the display image including said object; and wherein said object-corresponding position is a point on said reference movement path nearest from the actual position of said object.