Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic device/apparatus capable of displaying an animation that varies with internal settings and minimizing the amount of memory use for handling information for animation generation. When a shutter button (12) is pressed in a help display mode, flash ON/OFF setup information (52) stored in an EEPROM (25) is referenced. If the value of the flash ON/OFF setup information is ON, a three-dimensional animation in which a flash (104) on a three-dimensional model (71) emits light is created and displayed in accordance with three-dimensional model data. If, on the other hand, the value is OFF, a three-dimensional animation in which the flash (104) on the three-dimensional (71) model does not emit light is displayed. Consequently, the user can recognize visually and intuitively the difference among various digital camera (100) motions that vary with system settings.

Abstract: When the user touches a display screen, a touch-operated input device (7) detects a coordinate of a user-touched point on the display screen and a touch-input conversion program is executed to determine an axis, direction and speed of rotation of a three-dimensional object (40) on the basis of the user-defined coordinate, and give the information to a three-dimensional rendering program. The three-dimensional rendering program is executed to make a calculation for rotating the three-dimensional object (40) on the basis of the given information. The axis, direction and speed of the three-directional object rotation are repeatedly calculated in a fixed cycle only while the coordinate is kept defined by the user by continuously touching the display screen. Upon completion of each calculation, the results of calculation are given to the three-dimensional rendering program.

Abstract: A three-dimensional object manipulating technique is provided. An axis of rotation is set for a three-dimensional object (40) on the basis of a push-in of a dial (8) of a dial-operated input device (7), and the three-dimensional object (40) is rotated through a user-defined angle about the set axis of rotation on the basis of a direction and angle of rotation of the dial (8) of the dial-operated input device (7). Also, an axis of movement is arbitrarily set for the three-dimensional object (40) on the basis of a push-in of the dial (8) of the dial-operated input device (7) and moved over a user-defined distance along the set axis of movement on the basis of a direction and angle of rotation of the dial (8) of the dial-operated input device (7). Further, the three-dimensional object (40) is resized at a user-defined scale-up or -down rate on the basis of a direction and angle of rotation of the dial (8) of the dial-operated input device (7).

Abstract: In a service providing system, a client computer displays chat log data received from a server in a log display area and shared information in a shared-information display area. When the chat log data and the shared information, both of which are received from the server, are linked with each other, the client computer displays a link arrow heading from a link word of the chat log data towards a shared-information window displaying the shared information linked with the chat log data.

Abstract: A body of a received e-mail is displayed in a text display field. The body displayed in the text input field includes a link indication. When a user clicks on the link indication by the mouse, a client computer displays an attachment file displaying window on a monitor and the content of an attachment file in the attachment file displaying window. Also, the client computer displays on the monitor a link arrow directed from the link indication to the attachment file displaying window.

Abstract: A browser presents a picture of a 3-dimensional virtual space photographed by means of a hypothetical camera used for photographing a 3-dimensional virtual space. The browser is provided with a switch button for switching from a first-person mode in which the visual point of a pilot avatar representing the user itself in the 3-dimensional virtual space coincides with the position of the camera to a third-person mode with the visual point of the pilot avatar not coinciding with the position of the camera and vice versa. In the third-person mode, the position of the camera is controlled in accordance with the visual point of the pilot avatar. As a result, the user is capable of feeling a sense as if the user were present in a virtual world and feeling a sense as if the user had departed from the body thereof as a soul.

Abstract: Positions of users other than a particular user in a virtual reality space shared by many users can be recognized with ease and in a minimum display space. The center (or intersection) of a cross of radar map corresponds to the particular user and the positions of other users (to be specific, the avatars of the other users) around the particular user are indicated by dots or squares colored red for example in the radar map. This radar map is displayed on virtual reality space image in a superimposed manner.