Snow Accumulation in Real-Time

Whenever real-time snowfall is animated in computer games, no snow accumulation is simulated, as far as we know. Instead, so-called zero thickness is used, which means that the blanket of snow does not grow when the snowflakes reach the ground. In this paper we present a method for simulation of snow accumulation, which simulates the different stages, starting with a snow free environment and ending with a totally snow covered scene, all in real-time. The main focus is not on the physical properties of snow but on speed and visual result.