[Aim] To easily generate or display only a virtual endoscopic image or images having a high degree or degrees of interest from a three-dimensional image.[Solution Means] A three-dimensional image is obtained, and a relative degree of interest is set at each of plural positions on a path connecting the plural positions in the three-dimensional image. A discrimination condition for identifying, based on the set degree or degrees of interest, a virtual endoscopic image or images to be generated from the three-dimensional image is obtained, and only the virtual endoscopic image or images identified based on the discrimination condition are generated based on the three-dimensional image.
