Patent ID: 7079136

Claim:
A rendering method comprising the steps of: subdividing a frame where a two-dimensional image is formed into predetermined unit areas: determining an optional area in the frame corresponding to a first object of the two-dimensional image; determining overwrite rendering is inhibited for at least one of the predetermined unit areas in the optional area, wherein said overwrite rendering provides means for rendering a portion of a second object in an area overlapping the optional area that corresponds to a portion of a second object in the two-dimensional image; and wherein the second object is positioned nearer a virtual viewpoint than the first object and rendering is inhibited in each unit area in the overlapping area for which overwrite rendering is determined to be inhibited; making a determination that the overwrite rendering is inhibited with respect to each unit ares corresponding to a predetermined pattern of the unit area included in the optional area; making a determination that the overwrite rendering is inhibited by setting a Z coordinate value indicative of a distance from a virtual viewpoint to be identical to a Z coordinate value of the virtual viewpoint, with respect to the unit area corresponding to the predetermined pattern; and rendering a predetermined object in the frame; wherein the optional area is determined based on a rendering range where the predetermined object is rendered.