1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method for generating and displaying a virtual object in a virtual reality space or a mixed reality space.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, researches on mixed reality (MR) for achieving a seamless integration of a physical space with a virtual space have been actively made. An image display apparatus for presenting a mixed reality is, for example, an apparatus having a configuration below. Specifically, the apparatus displays an image formed by superimposing an image (for example, a virtual object generated by computer graphics or character information) in a virtual reality space generated depending on a position and an orientation of an imaging apparatus on an image in a physical space captured by the imaging apparatus such as a video camera. In such an apparatus, for example, a head-mounted display (HMD) can be used.
The image display apparatus can be implemented by an optical see-through method for displaying an image in a virtual reality space generated depending on a position and an orientation of a viewpoint of an operator on an optical see-through display mounted to the head of the operator.
Meanwhile, with the development of IT technology, tools for drawing letters or pictures conventionally implemented by media such as paper and pencils have been computerized. Further, tablet apparatuses that use a pointing device such as a pen enabling us to input information with a sense similar to writing down on paper, even in a virtual space have been developed. For example, instead of two-dimensional position measurement of the tip of a pen-type device in the conventional tablet apparatus, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-305306 discusses a technique for three-dimensionally measuring a pen tip. By the technique, the operation of the pen tip held by the operator himself/herself can be recognized in the height direction. By varying a scale of a cursor or display of shadow displayed in response to movement of the pen tip in the height direction, the position of the pen tip in the virtual space can be further clearly presented.
However, in the known methods, when the operator indicates a point in a virtual reality space or a mixed reality space using a cursor, the point indicated by the cursor may not be visually recognized.