Configuring Snow Coverage

intermediate concepts

Global Snow · Core Concepts

Snow Coverage Overview

Global Snow provides multiple overlapping systems to control exactly where snow appears in your scene. This page focuses on the Coverage section of the inspector and the per-object exclusion scripts.

Coverage Inspector Section

ParameterDescription
Layer MaskInclude or exclude entire layers from snow coverage.
Minimum AltitudeWorld-space Y height where snow begins to accumulate.
Use Zenithal CoverageAutomatically computes which surfaces are exposed to snowfall from above.

Zenithal Coverage Sub-Options

When Use Zenithal Coverage is enabled, these additional settings become available:

ParameterDescription
Zenithal MaskLayer mask for objects that participate in the top-down occlusion pass.
Snow Coverage DepthDepth of the snow coverage computation.
Ground CoverageExtent of snow on horizontal ground surfaces.
Coverage ExtensionExtends coverage beyond computed boundaries for a wider area.
Snow Coverage BoundaryVisualizes the coverage rectangle in the Scene View.
Coverage QualityResolution of the coverage render texture (higher = sharper edges, more GPU cost).

Coverage Mask

Use an alpha texture to paint snow on or off across the world:

ParameterDescription
Coverage Mask TextureAlpha channel: 1 = snow, 0 = no snow.
World SizeSize in meters the texture spans. A 2048x2048 texture at World Size 2048 = 1 m per pixel.
World CenterCenter of the mask area in world coordinates.
Tip: Use the built-in Scene View Mask Editor to paint coverage directly in the editor.

Per-Object Exclusion

Attach the GlobalSnowIgnoreCoverage script to any GameObject for fine-grained control:

OptionDescription
Block SnowObject prevents snow beneath it (shelters, roofs, awnings).
Receive SnowObject and its children receive snow coverage.
Use Fast Mask ShaderOptimized exclusion shader. Disable for vertex-animated custom shaders.
Exclusion Cut OffAlpha cutoff threshold for semi-transparent objects.

Next Steps

  • Parameters — full inspector reference including Appearance and Features.
  • Additional Topics — snow volumes, mask editor, moving objects, integrations.
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