![realflow snow realflow snow](https://i0.wp.com/realflow.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/nurbs-and-subvision.png)
Since we can't scatter particles, we'll use a simple plane object instead. We're going to demonstrate two different techniques. This means you can get a natural distribution where only branches that are visible to the sky receive snow. Best of all we can control the distribution so that it only scatters on polygons which are facing upwards in world space, and are not occluded by the geometry above them. It might not be an obvious choice, but Forest Pack is fully multi-threaded and has the ability to scatter on surfaces. the PFlow technique in particular takes a long time to simulate. All of these techniques are perfectly fine, but they can be very slow when applied to high poly meshes like a tree. There are a number of approaches used by artists for modelling snow, a few plugins are available specifically for this purpose, some people like to create snow by hand, but probably most common is the use of PFlow or another particle system to simulate snow accumulation. Fortunately the Cedrus tree is evergreen, retains it's leaves and doesn't look substantially different in the winter.
#Realflow snow free#
The free sample is for a new summer collection of plants, but we're creating a winter scene. The exercise files for this tutorial also includes the complete scene (except the car and furniture) so you can easily follow along.
#Realflow snow download#
You can find out more about this collection, see previews of the trees and download the free 17m Cedrus tree used in this tutorial by clicking on the button below. With over 70 trees in total, the collection includes: In this tutorial we'll be using a free mature Cedrus from our new Summer Trees Collection, which features 6 species of trees in 3 ages with 4 variations per age. Finally we'll use our new snow covered tree assets to populate the small environment shown above. We'll then build upon these foundations to add a denser coating of snow by covering all the tree's upwards facing polygons. In this tutorial we'll examine two techniques for adding realistic snow to a tree, starting with covering only the branches that are visible to the sky and not obstructed by one another. It might not be the obvious choice of plugin for this task - after all snow normally forms a continuous blanket-like mesh, and Forest Pack scatters hundreds of thousands of individual objects - but when coupled with a metaballs plugin, Forest Pack can be used to add a covering of snow to high polygon objects really quickly. In this special seasonal instalment of our regular tips and tricks episodes, we're going to look at a rather unusual use for Forest Pack - adding snow to trees.