I’ve been trying to create a simple snow particle system in Raylib, and I’ve run into an issue that’s really bugging me. No matter how many times I tweak my code, those snowflakes keep flickering during rendering. It’s super distracting and definitely not the snowy scene I was hoping to achieve!
Here’s a quick overview of what I’ve got so far. I’m generating particles for the snowflakes, and each one has its own position and velocity, which seems to work fine conceptually. The problem arises when I try to draw them on the screen. I’m using a texture that I’ve linked here for reference, and the spawn_particle function initializes their positions and velocities. However, it seems like the snowflakes occasionally blink or flicker as they fall, which I can’t quite figure out.
Here’s a snippet of the code I’m using, mostly focusing on the particle structure, spawning, and drawing functions. I’m pretty sure the logic should be straightforward: particles get spawned off the top and gradually fall down, but somehow, every time I run it, those flickers seem to manifest as soon as the particles move outside the screen.
The thing is, I’ve checked the drawing order and the texture itself seems fine when rendering static images. Yet, with the way they update each frame, parts of the snowflakes go missing or they seem to jump around instead of falling smoothly. I’ve looked around for suggestions, but I haven’t really found a concrete solution that addresses flickering specifically.
Would it be a problem with how I’m spawning the particles again? Or maybe there’s something else off in my calculations for their velocities? I’d really appreciate any ideas or insights from anyone who’s run into a similar issue. It’s super frustrating because all I want is a nice, smooth snowfall effect! Any help would be awesome—thanks!
It sounds like you’re having a pretty frustrating time with those flickering snowflakes! I’ve had similar issues before, so maybe I can help. The flickering could be coming from a few different places, so let’s break it down a bit.
First off, have you checked if you’re properly managing the particle life cycle? When particles go off-screen, are they being removed or reset correctly? Sometimes, if you’re not handling that well, you can end up with particles that make a quick appearance before disappearing, which can cause that flickering effect.
Next, if your snowflakes are jumping around instead of falling smoothly, you might want to look at how you’re updating their positions in relation to your game loop. Double-check that your velocity calculations are consistent and are being applied correctly each frame. If they’re updated differently each frame, it could make them seem like they’re jumping.
Here’s a quick checklist:
Also, instead of removing particles instantly when they go off-screen, try having them fade out or be recycled. This might help give a smoother look to the overall effect. Flickering can often be a sign of a particle just appearing and disappearing too quickly!
Hope these tips help you get that peaceful snowfall effect you’re aiming for!
The flickering issue you’re experiencing is most likely caused by repeatedly respawning or resetting particle positions abruptly once they go off-screen, rather than smoothly transitioning them. In particle systems, particles often flicker when their positions are reset to a noticeably different location within a single frame. Make sure you’re checking if particles have fully exited the viewport, and smoothly respawn or reposition them slightly above the visible screen boundary, rather than directly jumping or teleporting them to entirely new positions. Additionally, verify that you are using double-buffering correctly (which Raylib provides inherently through the BeginDrawing and EndDrawing functions) to handle rendering smoothly without visible refresh artifacts.
Another common contributing factor could be related to incorrect velocity or position updates that create sudden leaps in particle positions each frame. To address this, confirm that your velocity calculations and position updates are done using consistent delta time measurements (e.g., velocity * GetFrameTime()). Moreover, avoid inadvertently resetting particle attributes—such as velocity or position—mid-draw or within unintended loops. Keeping your updating and drawing logic clearly separated and ensuring particles only update their positions once per frame will help maintain smooth, continuous trajectories for your snowflakes. These adjustments should provide a smoother representation of falling snow without flickering.