Shader Showcase Saturday #6
Hi everyone!
After two previous instalments of Shader Showcase Saturday focused on wind and rain, talking about snow was simply unavoidable.
Creating realistic snow is a serious challenge, which will be further explored in the following months. This week, we focus on how shaders can be used to add snow to an existing scene. Most of the references shown in this post will not be photorealistic. We will show on how to simulate photorealistic snow and frost in a few weeks.
I have included case studies for the following games
The Signal From Tölva featuring work of Olly Wilson
And, as always, including a tutorial from the ridiculously talented MinionsArt.
If you need professional assets and materials, then feel free to check out these links in affiliation with the Asset Store:
Winter Suite: it contains some of the most realistic shaders for snowy and frosty surfaces. As you can see from the preview on the store, their materials support translucency, subsurface scattering and the shimmering effect that is typically seen in snow.
Dynamic Nature - Starter: it comes with hundreds of custom-made rocks, trees, grasses and materials. If you need high-quality models and textures you can rely on, this is the asset for you.
Global Snow: if you have a project that is already set up, changing all of your materials can be a pain. This asset works in screen space, exactly like a post-processing effect. If you have a big scene, this might be your best bet at adding snow in just a few clicks without having to change all of your existing assets.
I hope this will encourage more developers to get into shaders and to be open about what they are working on.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.