C4 Engine
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| C4 Engine | |
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| Developer: | Terathon Software LLC |
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| Latest release: | Build 131 / November 20, 2006 |
| Preview release: | Build 131 / November 29, 2006 |
| OS: | Microsoft Windows Mac OS X |
| Platform: | PC, Mac |
| Use: | Game Engine |
| License: | Commercial (currently $200 per user) |
| Website: | C4 Engine Overview |
The C4 Engine is an emerging next-generation computer game engine created by Terathon Software. It supports many features considered to be indicative of next-generation titles, including full-scene motion blur, normal mapping and parallax mapping, dynamic lights and shadows, and penumbral soft shadows. The engine is currently in a beta stage of development.
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[edit] Technology Overview
For a full list of technology features see: C4 Features
C4 renders lights and shadows in real time and uses a variety of light source types. It uses ambient light volumes and soft shadows.
One of C4's most visually appealing elements is its bump mapping and per-pixel shading. It also supports parallax mapping, ambient occlusion mapping, gloss-mapped specular reflections. Water shading and real-time fluid simulation are also strong features.
C4 has some impressive special effects including full-scene cinematic motion blur, procedural fire effects, extensible particle systems and cloth simulation.
3D sound effects are supported as are streaming music channels and EAX environmental audio effects.
The network implementation has recently undergone a complete overhaul. The current build uses UDP/IP and includes hacker resistance and packet encryption.
The art pipeline supports the COLLADA file format, enabling models and full scenes to be imported into the engine from many 3D content creation packages.
[edit] Tools
World Editor
C4's World Editor runs as part of the engine and opens inside the engine's windowing system. Building / compiling levels is not required as changes and additions are effective immediately. The editor uses CSG for its modeling and allows placement of various shapes, including cubes, planes and tori, using the viewports. Multiple undo steps are supported.
Script Editor
C4 uses a graphical Script Editor designed to allow quick access to scripts, and to be user friendly for artists as well as programmers. Custom script components can be defined, and they will automatically appear in the editor.
Interface Panel Editor
Interactive in-game interface panels can be created with the World Editor's 2D 'Panel Editor', which allows for panel design and animation additions. Custom scripts can be attached to panel items for interactivity.
Model, Animation, and Texture Import Tools
C4 supports the COLLADA scene format, which allows use of models created in 3D Studio MAX, Maya, XSI, Blender and other major 3D modelling applications. Textures are imported via the TGA image file format.
[edit] Future Technology
Plans for updates to the engine include a complete overhaul to the World Editor, updates to the GUI scripting editor, particle emitter nodes, a new terrain and foliage system, improved physics, an upgraded soft shadow system, more multiplayer improvements, skinnable GUIs, support for XInput controls, movers, a shader tree editor and customisable shortcut keys.
The official Roadmap can be viewed here
[edit] History
The C4 Engine was started as a part-time side project in March 1999 by Eric Lengyel of Terathon Software.
In 2000-2001 an early graphics system was incorporated into the engine that featured lightmaps generated during a build phase, dynamic lights created by projecting a lightmap into the environment, a basic bumpmapping and specular shading system, and characters casting stencil shadow volumes. At that time the shading system was yet to be extended, and the stencil shadow volumes were yet to be made robust and fully co-operative with the lightmaps.
In 2002 the engine received a major rewrite of the graphics system, and lighting was made completely dynamic. The light-shading code was separated from the material shader code. The development of the World Editor was also begun.
Terathon began researching a soft shadow algorithm for use within the engine in July of 2004. This algorithm is not yet implemented in the current version of the engine.
In 2005, Terathon first released the engine to the public, and began selling licenses. Many features have been added since the engine became available for license, such as:
- Mac OS X support
- Cook-Torrance specular reflection
- A basic visual scripting system
- Realistic Reflective and Refractive water shading
- Enhanced parallax mapping
- Ambient occlusion mapping
[edit] Games in development
There are 5 announced games in development using the C4 Engine. These games are:
- Mangler by Terathon Software
- Pentapolis by Pale “archanger” Lesňák
- Kronos Wrath by Cold Logic
- Metal Assault Online
- Sonic Xtreme NeXT Fan Game
[edit] Licensing
The standard C4 Engine license costs $200 USD and is available to independent developers who do not receive funding from a major publisher. The license includes the complete source code to the engine, sample games, and tools. All future updates to the engine are also provided for this one-time fee. Products created with the C4 Engine are required to display the "Powered by the C4 Engine" logo.
[edit] Image Gallery
 C4 Engine, interior screenshot |
 C4 Engine, outdoor screenshot |
