| About Terathon | C4 Engine | Publications |
Terathon Software LLC was founded in 2001 by software engineer and computer graphics author Eric Lengyel. Terathon began in Cupertino, California, but now calls Roseville (just outside Sacramento) its home. The company's goal has always been to provide a strong technical platform upon which it would be possible to create great games. To achieve this goal, Terathon continued development of a project that had actually been begun by Eric Lengyel in late 1999, the C4 Engine.
At first, the technologies contained in the C4 Engine comprised a set of low-level systems that were licensed on a component by component basis to companies having specific needs. As the technology grew more advanced and the large-scale architecture of the engine took shape, it became clear that C4 should be licensed as a complete game technology solution. The C4 Engine as a whole was first made commerically available in May of 2005 and has enjoyed astonishing popularity ever since.
Eric Lengyel (pronounced LENG · el, with no Y) holds a Masters Degree in Mathematics from Virginia Tech and is the best-selling author of the book Mathematics for 3D Game Programming & Computer Graphics (Charles River Media, 2002). He is also a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Graphics Tools and a major contributor to the successful Game Programming Gems series.
Eric previously worked in the advanced technology group at Naughty Dog and is now credited on several PlayStation 3 titles based on technology that he developed there. Long ago (in programmer years) he was the lead programmer for the fifth installment of Sierra Studio's popular RPG adventure series Quest for Glory. When he's not engaged in multiplayer deathmatch, Eric can usually be found running somewhere in the mountains surrounding Silicon Valley.