Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

This page covers the most common issues with Global Snow and how to solve them. Check the Global Snow inspector first: a red message at the top tells you when the URP asset, the Render Feature or the deferred path is missing.

No snow visible

Symptom	You added the Global Snow component but no snow appears.
Cause	Missing Render Feature, wrong rendering path, or coverage settings that remove the snow.
Solution	Check that the Global Snow Render Feature is added to your Universal Renderer asset. Check that the Universal Renderer uses the Deferred or Deferred+ rendering path. Forward and Forward+ are not supported. If you have several quality levels, add the Render Feature to the renderer of every URP asset. Check that the Global Snow component is on the camera and that the Snow slider is above 0. Check that Minimum Altitude in the Coverage foldout is below the height of your terrain. Check that the Layer Mask includes the layers of your terrain and objects. If Coverage Mask is on, check that the mask is not black over your scene and that World Size and World Center match it. Check the Cameras Layer Mask of the Render Feature: it must include the layer of your camera.

Render Feature not appearing in the list

Symptom	When clicking Add Renderer Feature, Global Snow Render Feature does not appear in the list.
Cause	Script compilation errors, or an incomplete import.
Solution	Check the Console for compilation errors. Any script error can stop Renderer Features from appearing. Import the Global Snow package again if needed.

Render Graph errors

Symptom	The Console shows Render Graph errors, or the snow does not render.
Cause	An older version of Global Snow, or another Renderer Feature that conflicts with the Global Snow passes.
Solution	Make sure you use the latest version of Global Snow & Rain 3. Disable other Renderer Features one by one to find a conflict. Check the Render Graph settings in Project Settings > Graphics for overrides.

Snow only shows in the Game View, not in the Scene View

Symptom	Snow appears in the Game View but not in the Scene View.
Cause	Scene View preview is disabled.
Solution	Enable Show In Scene View in the Tools & Debug foldout.

Snow shifts or slides on moving characters

Symptom	Snow on a character or vehicle changes shape as it animates or moves.
Cause	Global Snow applies the snow on the G-buffer, so it does not tell static objects from moving ones.
Solution	Exclude the object from the snow with the Layer Mask or the Global Snow Ignore Coverage component. See Moving Objects for a full walkthrough.

Exclusion borders show artifacts

Symptom	Excluded objects show snow along their borders.
Cause	The exclusion depth bias does not fit the object, or the object has complex geometry.
Solution	Change the Exclusion Depth Bias value slightly (default 0.99). For double sided objects, enable Exclusion Double Sided. For objects with vertex animation, disable Use Fast Mask Shader on the Global Snow Ignore Coverage component.

Snow, rain or puddles appear under roofs

Symptom	Surfaces under a roof get snow, get wet or show puddles.
Cause	The roof is not in the top-down coverage capture.
Solution	Check that Use Zenithal Coverage is on. Without it, nothing blocks the snow or the rain. Check that the layer of the roof is in the Zenithal Mask. If the roof is a single sided mesh, set Cull Mode to Both Faces. If the roof has Global Snow Ignore Coverage, enable Block Snow on it. Turn on Show Coverage Depth in Tools & Debug to see what the capture contains.

Coverage flickering or popping

Symptom	The snow coverage visibly pops or flickers as the camera moves.
Cause	The Coverage Extension is too small for the scene, or the Discrete update captures the coverage again after a large move.
Solution	Increase Coverage Extension to cover a larger area around the camera. Switch Coverage Update to Every Frame to remove the jumps of the Discrete updates. Increase Coverage Quality for smoother transitions.

Footprints do not appear

Symptom	Characters or the first person camera leave no footprints.
Cause	Footprints are off, the character has no Global Snow Interaction component or it is disabled, or the feet are not found.
Solution	Enable Footprints > Enabled in the Footprints & Marks foldout. Add Global Snow Interaction to the root of the character and keep it enabled. On non humanoid rigs, click Detect Feet to find the bones named foot, paw or hoof, or assign the foot bones by hand. For a first person camera, set First Person > Mode to Character Controller or Ray Cast and check the ground distance. Check that Coverage Update is not set to Disabled.

Deep Marks do not appear

Symptom	Deep Marks are enabled but objects do not dig into the snow.
Cause	There is no snow layer, the game is not in Play mode, or nothing registers the object as a source.
Solution	Set Thickness in Snow Appearance above 0. The inspector shows a note when it is 0. Enter Play mode. Deep Marks do not work in Edit mode. For characters, vehicles and physics objects, add Global Snow Interaction. Nothing is needed on the ground. For anything else, call AddContactSource().

No snow bursts when objects hit the snow

Symptom	Impact FX is on but no snow particles appear.
Cause	Impact FX only shows in Play mode, in view of the camera and within 30 m, when Snow is above 0.5, and when the object hits snow, not standing water. Wet snow throws little powder. Only objects with Global Snow Interaction burst snow when they hit it, and a component with Impact FX off mutes it.
Solution	Raise the Snow slider above 0.5. The particles reach full strength at Snow 1. Lower Snow Wetness or Rain to get more powder. Check the Intensity of Impact FX and the Dig Depth of Collision Marks.

Snow Dust is not visible

Symptom	The Snow Dust slider is above 0 but no dust shows.
Cause	Snow Dust needs the camera depth texture.
Solution	Enable Depth Texture in your URP asset. The inspector shows an error with a button that selects the asset.

Empty Global Snow objects remain in the scene

Symptom	The scene contains empty objects named like GlobalSnowZenithCam, GlobalSnowfallVolume or GlobalRainVolume.
Cause	Global Snow creates hidden helper objects while it runs. An error or an interrupted session can leave an empty one behind.
Solution	Use Window > Global Snow > Clean Empty Helper Objects. It removes the empty helpers and can be undone.

Performance is lower than expected

Symptom	The frame rate drops when Global Snow is active.
Cause	High coverage quality, every frame updates, running drops at full resolution, or effects that are on but not needed.
Solution	See the Performance Tips page for an optimization checklist.

Next Steps

• Performance Tips - optimization strategies.
• FAQ - common questions answered.