Create snow using particle systems

AFTER EFFECTS

Discover how 3D World Editor Rob Redman brings snow to his scenes in After Effects with the help of a handy built-in plugin

SNOWY CITY Particle systems are perfect for creating your own winter wonderland

Using a particle system can be computationally expensive, especially when incorporated into a full 3D scene. Sometimes that’s unavoidable and render times just have to take a hit, but in many situations you can get away with doing it in post. This will depend on factors like objects in the scene or camera placement, but if you can get away with it, turning to something like Fusion or After Effects can be a real time-saver.

I covered the process for adding atmospheric rainfall last issue and this time I’m going to look at falling snow, which, to really sell the effect, requires a little more input. Whereas rain is quite simple in look, snow has more detail, both in the flakes you use as particles and in the motion itself.

In order to get the best blend of realism – or stylisation if that’s your goal – and efficiency, we’re going to use one of After Effects’ built-in plugins. This will give us some depth, controllable motion and the ability to design our own custom snowflake.