Simulation apparatus, controlling method, program and information storage medium for the simulation apparatus

1. A simulation apparatus which simulates a position of each of a plurality of objects, which move in a virtual space together with time, at each of a plurality of points of time of calculation, comprising:

an object pair information acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of pieces of information of object pairs each including, as components thereof, two objects which contact with each other at each of the plural points of time of calculation;

an allocation unit configured to allocate, at each of the plural points of time of calculation, each of the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information to one of a plurality of groups such that two or more object pairs which include a common object do not belong to the same group; and

a calculation unit configured to calculate, at each of the plural points of time of calculation, an influence of contact of two objects included in each of the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information upon positions of the two objects;

the calculation unit executing the calculations of the object pairs in parallel to each other while preventing the calculations for the object pairs which belong to groups different from each other from being executed in parallel to each other;

the allocation unit referring, when the allocation of an object pair at the present point of time of calculation is carried out, to allocation information when the object pairs were allocated to a plurality of groups at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation to determine allocation of the object pairs such that object pairs between which the two components are common at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation and at the present point of time of calculation belong to a group same as the group to which the two components were allocated at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation.

2. The simulation apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a specification unit configured to specify, at each of the plural points of time of calculation, an object pair whose two components are common to those of one of the object pairs corresponding to the information acquired at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation from among the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information;

the specification unit using a given criterion to specify one and the other of two objects included in each of the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information as a reference object and an attending object, respectively;

the specification unit being operable to determine each of the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information as a determination target pair, extract an object pair whose reference object is common to that of the determination target pair from among the plural object pairs corresponding to the information acquired at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation as a comparison target pair and determine whether or not the determination target pair and the comparison target pair have a common attending object thereby to specify the object pairs between which the two components are common.

3. The simulation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the specification unit executes the process for determining whether or not the attending object is common between each of the determination target pairs and the comparison target pair in parallel for the determination target pairs.

4. The simulation apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a sorting unit configured to sort the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information by an identifier of the reference objects to produce an object pair sequence;

the specification unit extracting, from within each of those object pairs which are included in one of the plural object pairs corresponding to the information acquired at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation and the plural object pairs corresponding to the information acquired at the present point of time of calculation, the comparison target pair on the basis of an object pair sequence obtained by the sorting of the other of the pluralities of object pairs by the sorting unit.

5. The simulation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the specification unit uses a magnitude relationship between the identifiers of the two objects included in each of the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information as the given criterion to specify the reference object and the attending object.

6. A controlling method for a simulation apparatus which simulates a position of each of a plurality of objects, which move in a virtual space together with time, at each of a plurality of points of time of calculation, comprising:

acquiring a plurality of pieces of information of object pairs each including, as components thereof, two objects which contact with each other at each of the plural points of time of calculation;

allocating, at each of the plural points of time of calculation, each of the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information to one of a plurality of groups such that two or more object pairs which include a common object do not belong to the same group; and

calculating, at each of the plural points of time of calculation, an influence of contact of two objects included in each of the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information upon positions of the two objects;

the calculation being executed in parallel for the object pairs while the calculations for the object pairs which belong to groups different from each other are prevented from being executed in parallel to each other;

in the allocation, when the allocation of an object pair at the present point of time of calculation is carried out, allocation information when the object pairs were allocated to a plurality of groups at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation being referred to to determine allocation of the object pairs such that object pairs between which the two components are common at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation and at the present point of time of calculation belong to a group same as the group to which the two components were allocated at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation.

7. A computer operating under the control of a computer program for a simulation apparatus, which simulates a position of each of a plurality of objects, which move in a virtual space together with time, at each of a plurality of points of time of calculation, the computer program causing the computer to carry out actions, comprising:

acquiring a plurality of pieces of information of object pairs each including, as components thereof, two objects which contact with each other at each of the plural points of time of calculation;

allocating, at each of the plural points of time of calculation, each of the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information to one of a plurality of groups such that two or more object pairs which include a common object do not belong to the same group; and

calculating, at each of the plural points of time of calculation, an influence of contact of two objects included in each of the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information upon positions of the two objects;

the calculation executing the calculations of the object pairs in parallel to each other while preventing the calculations for the object pairs which belong to groups different from each other from being executed in parallel to each other;

the allocation referring, when the allocation of an object pair at the present point of time of calculation is carried out, to allocation information when the object pairs were allocated to a plurality of groups at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation to determine allocation of the object pairs such that object pairs between which the two components are common at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation and at the present point of time of calculation belong to a group same as the group to which the two components were allocated at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation.

8. A non-transitory, computer-readable information storage medium in which a program for a simulation apparatus is stored, the program simulates a position of each of a plurality of objects, which move in a virtual space together with time, at each of a plurality of points of time of calculation, the program, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to carry out actions, comprising:

acquiring a plurality of pieces of information of object pairs each including, as components thereof, two objects which contact with each other at each of the plural points of time of calculation;

allocating, at each of the plural points of time of calculation, each of the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information to one of a plurality of groups such that two or more object pairs which include a common object do not belong to the same group; and

calculating, at each of the plural points of time of calculation, an influence of contact of two objects included in each of the plural object pairs corresponding to the acquired information upon positions of the two objects;

the calculation executing the calculations of the object pairs in parallel to each other while preventing the calculations for the object pairs which belong to groups different from each other from being executed in parallel to each other;

the allocation referring, when the allocation of an object pair at the present point of time of calculation is carried out, to allocation information when the object pairs were allocated to a plurality of groups at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation to determine allocation of the object pairs such that object pairs between which the two components are common at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation and at the present point of time of calculation belong to a group same as the group to which the two components were allocated at the immediately preceding point of time of calculation.