Sculptured thin films (STFs) are a new class of engineered columnar thin films in which their shapes can resemble oblique matchsticks, chevrons, multiple zigzags, S's, C's, helices, and even superhelices. They can have densities as low as 10%-30% of the bulk material and can be made of virtually any material. The origin and evolution of columnar thin films are reviewed in the context of structure zone models in which both thermally induced and ion bombardment-induced adatom mobility effects are considered. Since STFs are prepared under low adatom mobility and oblique angle of vapor incidence conditions, the columns are the result of clustering at the 1-10 nm level, with atomic self-shadowing controlling their growth evolution. The distribution functions of the cluster sizes, shapes, and relative heights are shown to be critical for any quantitative understanding of columnar growth, especially for achieving and maintaining steady state column diameters for oblique incidence where the self-shadowing is anisotropic in the plane of the film.