Snowy terrain workflow

Unity Engine
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1

Not sure if this is the right place to ask but it is a world building question I think…

My outdoor game environment is snowy and takes place in the winter. There is a day/night cycle but no seasonal cycle; everything will always take place in the snow. Is it better to build the environment in a ‘neutral weather-less’ fashion and then apply all of the weather effects via shaders? Or sort of ‘pre-bake’ everything with weather textures.

Is there a right vs wrong way to do this?

2

It really depends on how interactive you want the snow to be.

If it’s just snow that you look at, make it however you like and you’re done.

If you need to stand in it, push it around, make footprints, grooves, etc., the answer gets a LOT more complex.

In the second case, start experimenting small before you commit to one approach!