# Snow

## Overview

The Snow Simulation Layer simulates the evolution of the snow layer over time on the terrain. The system works internally on two separate layers, an upper layer for powdery snow, which is susceptible to diffusion, and a lower unstable layer, which is transformed by avalanches.

Both are affected by melting (powdery snow melts first, as soon as there is no more powdery snow, the unstable snow melts) and, depending on the **Powdery/Unstable Ratio** parameter, also by precipitation.

The key to properly using the snow simulation is to understand the underlying temperature parameters that affect precipitation and melting. Temperature is primarily calculated from elevation. The **Temperature Offset** controls the height at which the temperature is 0°. The **Temperature Scale** then controls how many meters of elevation it takes to change the temperature by one degree (e.g. a scale of 5 means 1° change every 5 meters of elevation).\
In addition to elevation, the amount of sunlight during the day also affects the temperature. If enabled, the system will use the global sun settings from World Creator, but you can override them if you wish.

The amount of simulated material is also quite different from the other simulation layers, as the snow simulation can produce additional sediment during the simulation, instead of the fixed amount of sediment that is set at a specified spawn level like in the fluid or sand simulation layers.

## Video Guide

{% embed url="<https://vimeo.com/1029727098>" %}
World Creator Guide
{% endembed %}

## Parameters

### Global

<table><thead><tr><th width="179.699951171875">Properties</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Temperature Offset</strong></td><td>The altitude at which the temperature is 0°.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Temperature Scale</strong></td><td>How many meters of elevation it takes to change 1°.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Use Global Sun</strong></td><td>Toggles between World Creator's global sun parameter and the layer's custom north value.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Sun North</strong> (only visible is Use Global Sun is disabled)</td><td>The layers custom north value.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Sun Temperature</strong></td><td>The influence of the terrain's solar exposure on the computed temperature map.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Precipitation

<table><thead><tr><th width="179.6998291015625">Properties</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Strength</strong></td><td>The amount of snowfall in each simulation step.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Temperature</strong></td><td>The temperature below which precipitation occurs.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Powdery/Unstable Ratio</strong></td><td>The distribution of powdery/unstable snow in new snowfall. 0 is only powdery, 1 is only unstable snow.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Melt

<table><thead><tr><th width="179.699951171875">Properties</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Strength</strong></td><td>The power of the melt in each simulation step.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Temperature</strong></td><td>The temperature at which melting occurs.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Diffusion (powdery layer)

<table><thead><tr><th width="179.699951171875">Properties</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Speed</strong></td><td>The rate of downward diffusion of the powder layer.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Rest Angle</strong></td><td>Controls the rest angle at which diffusion stops.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Avalanche (unstable layer)

<table><thead><tr><th width="179.699951171875">Properties</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Probability</strong></td><td>The probability that an avalanche is formed. Depends on temperature, amount of snow and slope.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Speed</strong></td><td>The speed at which the avalanches travel downhill.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Viscosity</strong></td><td>The viscosity/inertia of the avalanche.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Rest Angle</strong></td><td>The angle at which the avalanche will stop.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Spawn Level</strong></td><td>In which level the sediment gets added to the terrain.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Spawn Amount</strong></td><td>The amount of sediment added to the terrain.</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Result

<div><figure><img src="/files/FUTr6C2roF1JzpYL0elR" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <figure><img src="/files/AtJEx7tkuqArAjzKD82v" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.world-creator.com/reference/terrain/simulation-layers/snow.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.