Ken Silverman
The programmer who wrote the Build engine, powering Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, and Blood.
via Wikipedia: Ken Silverman · see source
Ken Silverman (born November 1, 1975) is an American game programmer, best known for writing the Build engine. It was most notably utilized by Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, Blood, and more than a dozen other games in the mid- to late-1990s. Once considered the primary rival of John Carmack (later succeeded by Tim Sweeney), Silverman started work on the Build engine sometime before his first semester at Brown University in 1993, under a contract with Apogee Software. In the wake of Duke Nukem 3D and other Build engine games, Silverman left the commercial game industry.
- role
- Programmer, Game Engine Developer
- affiliation
- 3D Realms (formerly Apogee Software)
- known_for
- Build engine
- notable_projects
- Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, Blood
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Ken Silverman started work on the Build engine sometime before his first semester at Brown University in 1993, under a contract with Apogee Software. The engine was used in a number of popular games of the era, and its source code was released on June 20, 2000. Shortly after the Duke Nukem 3D source code was released in 2003, Silverman added the Polymost renderer to the Build engine. From 2006 to 2011 he prototyped a successor to the engine, titled Build2. He released his drafts for the engine on March 7, 2018. Silverman has been CTO and co-founder of Ardfry Imaging, LLC responsible for the PNG Compression tool PNGOUT. He is the founder and Chief Computer Scientist of VOXON, makers of a 3D volumetric display system.
In Their Own Story
In early 2013, Silverman joined Voxon Photonics as Chief Computer Scientist. His role is primarily that of programming the volumetric graphics engine for the Voxiebox, a swept surface volumetric display being described by Voxon as 'the world's first holographic arcade game system'. The Voxiebox is capable of generating points of light within a volume of space, and in doing so enables the creation of 3D multiplayer gaming experiences that can be viewed from any angle without special glasses.
Reader's Guide
Ken Silverman's other creations include the ZIP file archiver KZIP, the EVALDRAW programming environment, and the PNG file-size optimizer PNGOUT. In 2006, a GUI-driven version of PNGOUT known as PNGOUTWin was released by Ardfry Imaging, a small company Silverman co-founded in 2005. In 2000, Silverman started work on Voxlap, a voxel-driven graphics engine. In addition to the engine, a Voxlap-powered tech demo was produced in cooperation with Tom Dobrowolski. Since 2003, development on the engine has been fairly static, the source code to the engine was released by Silverman in 2005, allowing commercial derivatives with permission. Ace of Spades, a 2011 online multiplayer shooter, was developed from the Voxlap engine.
Did You Know?
- Ken Silverman was born on November 1, 1975.
- He started work on the Build engine before his first semester at Brown University in 1993.
- The source code for the Build engine was released on June 20, 2000.
- Silverman co-founded Ardfry Imaging, LLC in 2005 and is its CTO.
- He joined Voxon Photonics as Chief Computer Scientist in early 2013.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ken Silverman?
Ken Silverman is the lead programmer and creator of the Build engine technology used in Duke Nukem 3D. He worked at 3D Realms during the mid-1990s to develop the software that made the game possible.
What specific technology did he build?
He engineered the Build engine, a powerful 2.5D ray-casting system known for allowing sloped floors and complex level geometry. This innovation distinguished Duke Nukem 3D from other first-person shooters of that time.
Why is Ken Silverman important to the franchise?
His technical contributions provided the backbone for Duke Nukem 3D's gameplay and visual presentation. Without his engine development, the series would not have achieved its iconic status in gaming history.
Does Ken Silverman appear as a character with powers?
No, he is not a playable character or villain within the game's story or lore. His role is strictly behind the scenes as the developer responsible for the game's underlying code and mechanics.
What other titles utilized his engine work?
The Build engine was also used to power notable shooters like Shadow Warrior and Blood during the same era. These projects demonstrate the flexibility of the toolkit Silverman created while at Apogee Software.
More in Development & Legacy
Elsewhere in the Duke Nukem universe
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