Weather Asset Reference

Intermediate40-60 minutesWindowsUnturnedUnity Editor

A weather asset in Unturned defines a custom weather event that overrides the built-in snow and rain with tailored visual, audio, and gameplay effects. Weather assets are a work-in-progress feature that allows map authors to create custom rain, snow, fog, wind, lightning, and environmental particle effects that replace or supplement the default weather types. A weather asset can be configured to occur naturally on a map through the Weather_Types property of the level asset, triggered manually through the in-game /weather command, or set as perpetual weather through the level asset's Perpetual_Weather_Asset field.

57 Studios has documented and validated the weather asset configuration surface across the Unturned mapping community. This article covers every property of the weather asset, the volume masking system for region-specific weather, the fade timing for smooth weather transitions, the fog override and cloud blending system, the wind and lightning configuration, the time-of-day color properties, the effects system for particle-based weather visualization, the stamina and health buffs that weather events can apply, and the NPC condition system.

Documentation source: This article references the official Smartly Dressed Games modding documentation for field definitions and game behavior. Community-validated notes are marked where the official documentation is silent on a detail.

Who this article is for

This article is written for Unturned map authors who want to create custom weather events for their maps. If you are new to the weather system, start with Level Asset Reference for the weather scheduling integration, then return here for the weather asset field reference.

How the weather asset system works

A weather asset is activated through one of three mechanisms: natural scheduling via the level asset's Weather_Types array, manual triggering through the /weather command, or perpetual activation through the level asset's Perpetual_Weather_Asset field. When activated, the weather asset transitions from zero intensity to full intensity over the Fade_In_Duration period, applies its visual, audio, and gameplay effects while active, and then transitions back to zero intensity over the Fade_Out_Duration period.

As shown in the flowchart above, the weather lifecycle has three phases: fade in, active, and fade out. The fade durations are configured in the weather asset and are the same every time the weather event occurs.

Complete .dat field reference

Identity and volume masking

Field	Type	Default	Purpose
GUID	uint128	Required	128-bit globally unique identifier.
Type	string	SDG.Unturned.WeatherAsset	The fully qualified type string for weather assets.
Volume_Mask	u32 mask	0xFFFFFFFF	Only enabled while inside an ambience volume with non-zero bitwise AND result. Defaults to enabling everywhere.

Fade timing

Field	Type	Default	Purpose
Fade_In_Duration	float	0.0	Seconds between the weather event starting and reaching full intensity.
Fade_Out_Duration	float	0.0	Seconds between the weather event ending and reaching zero intensity.

Audio

Field	Type	Default	Purpose
Ambient_Audio_Clip	master bundle pointer	None	Audio clip to play globally. Volume matches intensity.
Ambient_Audio_Takes_Priority_Over_Ambiance_Volumes	bool	false	If true, Ambient_Audio_Clip causes per-ambiance-volume audio to fade out.

Fog

Field	Type	Default	Purpose
Override_Fog	bool	false	Should fog configured in the lighting be overridden?
Override_Atmospheric_Fog	bool	false	Should fog affect the skybox?
Shadow_Strength_Multiplier	float	1.0	Directional light shadow strength multiplier.
Fog_Blend_Exponent	float	1.0	Power applied to fog blending alpha.
Cloud_Blend_Exponent	float	1.0	Power applied to cloud blending alpha.

Wind

Field	Type	Default	Purpose
Wind_Main	float	0.0	WindZone windMain value. Will be replaced by more configurable game-specific wind eventually.

Time of day properties

Each of the four main times of day (Dawn, Midday, Dusk, Midnight) can override certain visual properties.

Field	Type	Purpose
Fog_Color	struct	Distance-based fog color. Optionally overrides the skybox color.
Fog_Density	float	Functions similarly to fog intensity in ambiance volume. Value must be within [0, 1].
Cloud_Color	struct	Inner body of cloud color.
Cloud_Rim_Color	struct	Outer edge of cloud color. More visible than inner color.
Brightness_Multiplier	float	All ambient lighting colors are multiplied by this value.

Effects

Multiple effects can be instantiated while the weather is active.

Field	Type	Purpose
Prefab	master bundle pointer	Game object with a particle system. PlayOnAwake should be disabled. For effects tied to the view, it may be helpful to change the culling mode to Always Simulate.
Emission_Exponent	float	Power applied to weather intensity multiplied by default constant rate over time.
Pitch	float	X-axis rotation when Rotate_Yaw_With_Wind is enabled.
Translate_With_View	bool	Should position in world-space match the camera? The built-in snow and rain move with the view. Position is zeroed when false. Useful for transition effects like dust blowing into the map.
Rotate_Yaw_With_Wind	bool	Should y-axis rotation match the wind direction? The built-in snow and rain rotate with wind.

Gameplay buffs

Field	Type	Default	Purpose
Stamina_Per_Second	float	0.0	Stamina +/- buff per second.
Health_Per_Second	float	0.0	Health +/- buff per second.
Water_Per_Second	float	0.0	Water +/- buff per second.
Food_Per_Second	float	0.0	Food +/- buff per second.
Virus_Per_Second	float	0.0	Virus +/- buff per second.
Fish_Bite_Interval_Multiplier	float	1.0	Multiplier for interval before a fish takes the bait.

Lightning

Field	Type	Default	Purpose
Has_Lightning	bool	false	If true, lightning will be enabled for this weather type. Currently hardcoded for assigning a net ID.
Min_Lightning_Interval	float	0.0	Minimum seconds between lightning strikes.
Max_Lightning_Interval	float	0.0	Maximum seconds between lightning strikes.

Color properties

Each color can use a custom override or a color from the level editor lighting panel.

Field	Type	Purpose
Level_Enum	enum	If set, the RGB values specified are multiplied by this color.
R	uint8	Red color channel.
G	uint8	Green color channel.
B	uint8	Blue color channel.

NPC conditions

Global weather state and current weather intensity blend can be tested through NPC conditions. See the Conditions documentation for the NPC condition system that integrates with weather assets.

Complete .dat examples

Custom acid rain weather

GUID 819982d7a2b6453488a8c4c5d9efe67f
Type SDG.Unturned.WeatherAsset

Volume_Mask 0xFFFFFFFF
Fade_In_Duration 10
Fade_Out_Duration 15

Override_Fog true
Fog_Color
{
    Level_Enum DAWN
    R 100
    G 150
    B 80
}
Fog_Density 0.4

Wind_Main 0.3

Stamina_Per_Second -1.0
Health_Per_Second -2.0
Water_Per_Second 5.0

Has_Lightning true
Min_Lightning_Interval 3
Max_Lightning_Interval 8

Ambient_Audio_Clip core.masterbundle /Weather/AcidRain/AcidRainAmbient.ogg

Effects
[
    {
        Prefab core.masterbundle /Weather/AcidRain/AcidRainParticles
        Emission_Exponent 1.0
        Translate_With_View true
        Rotate_Yaw_With_Wind true
    }
]

This weather asset creates an acid rain storm with green-tinted fog, wind, negative health and stamina effects per second (players take damage while exposed), positive water effect (players gain water from the rain), lightning strikes every 3-8 seconds, ambient audio, and particle effects that follow the camera and rotate with the wind.

Custom dense fog weather

GUID a9b8c7d6e5f44a3b2c1d0e9f8a7b6c5d
Type SDG.Unturned.WeatherAsset

Fade_In_Duration 30
Fade_Out_Duration 30

Override_Fog true
Fog_Density 0.9
Fog_Blend_Exponent 2.0
Shadow_Strength_Multiplier 0.2

Dawn
{
    Fog_Color
    {
        R 180
        G 180
        B 180
    }
}
Midday
{
    Fog_Color
    {
        R 200
        G 200
        B 200
    }
}
Dusk
{
    Fog_Color
    {
        R 120
        G 100
        B 80
    }
}
Midnight
{
    Fog_Color
    {
        R 40
        G 40
        B 40
    }
}

This weather asset creates a dense fog event with 30-second fade in and out, very high fog density, a fog blend exponent of 2.0 for sharp fog edges, and reduced shadow strength. The fog color varies by time of day: light grey during midday, warm grey at dusk, and dark grey at midnight.

Custom healing rain weather

GUID b0c9d8e7f6a54b3c2d1e0f9a8b7c6d5e
Type SDG.Unturned.WeatherAsset

Fade_In_Duration 5
Fade_Out_Duration 10

Stamina_Per_Second 3.0
Health_Per_Second 1.0
Water_Per_Second 8.0
Food_Per_Second 0.5
Fish_Bite_Interval_Multiplier 0.5

Has_Lightning false

Ambient_Audio_Clip core.masterbundle /Weather/HealingRain/HealingRainAmbient.ogg

Effects
[
    {
        Prefab core.masterbundle /Weather/HealingRain/HealingRainParticles
        Translate_With_View true
        Rotate_Yaw_With_Wind true
    }
]

This weather asset creates a healing rain event that restores stamina, health, water, and food to players over time, and reduces the fish bite interval by half. No lightning, short fade timing, ambient audio, and camera-following rain particles.

Testing weather assets with the in-game command

Weather assets can be tested in-game using the /weather command. Pass the weather asset's GUID to the command to start the custom weather event immediately.

/weather 819982d7a2b6453488a8c4c5d9efe67f

To end a custom weather event, pass 0 as the parameter:

/weather 0

The /weather command respects the weather asset's Fade_In_Duration and Fade_Out_Duration settings. When starting a weather event with the command, the fade-in begins immediately. When ending a weather event, the fade-out begins immediately.

Weather scheduling through level assets

Weather assets are scheduled naturally through the level asset's Weather_Types array. Each entry in the array points to a weather asset and defines the frequency and duration ranges for that weather type.

See Level Asset Reference for the complete Weather_Types scheduling configuration.

Volume mask and ambience volume integration

The Volume_Mask field controls where the weather is visible. The weather is only enabled while the player is inside an ambience volume with a non-zero bitwise AND result against the mask. This allows a map author to create region-specific weather: a desert biome could have sandstorm weather that only activates when the player is in the desert ambience volume.

Volume_Mask value	Effect
0xFFFFFFFF (default)	Weather affects the entire map regardless of ambience volumes
0x00000001	Weather only affects players in ambience volumes with matching mask bit
0x00000000	Never affects any player

Time-of-day color system

Each weather asset can define different fog colors, cloud colors, cloud rim colors, and brightness multipliers for each of the four main times of day. The weather system interpolates between these values as the time of day transitions.

Time of day	Typical time	Purpose
Dawn	Early morning	Cool, low-angle light. Fog tends toward blue/purple.
Midday	Noon	Bright, overhead light. Fog tends toward bright white/blue.
Dusk	Evening	Warm, low-angle light. Fog tends toward orange/red.
Midnight	Night	Dark, minimal light. Fog tends toward dark blue/black.

If a time-of-day block is not specified for a weather asset, the game uses the default values from the lighting panel for that time of day.

Frequently asked questions

How do I test a custom weather event?

Use the /weather <GUID> command in-game to start the weather event immediately. Use /weather 0 to end it. The command respects the weather asset's fade-in and fade-out timing.

How do I make weather appear only in specific areas?

Set the Volume_Mask to a specific mask value and configure ambience volumes on the map with matching mask bits. The weather event is only visible and active when the player is inside an ambience volume whose mask has a non-zero bitwise AND with the weather's volume mask.

Can weather affect player stats?

Yes. Use the Stamina_Per_Second, Health_Per_Second, Food_Per_Second, Water_Per_Second, and Virus_Per_Second fields to apply per-second buffs or debuffs while the weather is active. Positive values restore the stat; negative values deplete it.

Can I make weather that heals players?

Set Health_Per_Second to a positive value. A value of 1.0 restores 1 health per second while the player is exposed to the weather. Combine with Stamina_Per_Second, Water_Per_Second, and Food_Per_Second for a full healing rain weather event.

Does lightning deal damage to players?

Lightning in weather assets is currently a visual effect. The lightning bolt renders in the sky and on the terrain, but does not deal damage to players or objects in the current engine implementation. The Has_Lightning field enables the visual effect only.

How do I prevent a weather event from affecting players who are indoors?

The weather system does not have a built-in indoor detection system. To prevent weather effects indoors, use the Volume_Mask system with ambience volumes that exclude indoor areas. Place ambience volumes over indoor areas with a different mask value that doesn't match the weather's mask.

Can I have multiple weather effects active simultaneously?

The weather system supports one active weather event at a time. A perpetual weather event and a scheduled weather event cannot both be active simultaneously. If a scheduled weather event starts while perpetual weather is active, the perpetual weather is overridden.

What happens if a weather event has no effects configured?

The weather activates with its configured fade timing, applies any gameplay buffs/debuffs, and plays ambient audio if configured. Without particle effects (the Effects array), there is no visual representation of the weather beyond any fog or lighting changes. This is a valid configuration for subtle weather events that only affect gameplay stats.

Can I use the same weather asset for multiple maps?

Yes. Weather assets are standalone assets that can be referenced by multiple level assets. A custom desert sandstorm weather asset can be shared across all desert-themed maps by including the weather asset in each map's content and referencing it in their Weather_Types arrays.

How do I create custom particle effects for weather?

Create a Unity prefab with a particle system, disable PlayOnAwake, assign it to a master bundle, and reference it in the weather asset's Effects array. For effects that follow the camera, set Translate_With_View to true. For effects that rotate with wind, set Rotate_Yaw_With_Wind to true.

Can weather affect player inventory or equipped items?

Weather assets do not directly affect inventory or equipped items. The gameplay buff system (Stamina_Per_Second, Health_Per_Second, etc.) modifies player stats only. For weather effects that should degrade items or affect inventory, server-side plugin code is required.

Can I create a weather event that affects fishing behavior?

Yes. Use the Fish_Bite_Interval_Multiplier field. A value less than 1.0 makes fish bite more frequently (rain often increases fish activity). A value greater than 1.0 makes fish bite less frequently (storms may scare fish away). Combine with the Supports_Fishing_Volumes and Default_Fish_Spawn_Table fields in the level asset for full fishing integration.

How do I configure weather for a map with multiple climate zones?

Use the Volume_Mask field with ambience volumes. Place ambience volumes over each climate zone with distinct mask values. Configure separate weather assets with Volume_Mask values that match each zone. The weather event is only visible and active when the player is inside an ambience volume whose mask matches the weather mask.

What is the difference between Override_Fog and Override_Atmospheric_Fog?

Override_Fog controls whether the weather overrides the fog configured in the map's lighting settings. Override_Atmospheric_Fog controls whether the fog also affects the skybox. Setting Override_Atmospheric_Fog to true without setting Override_Fog to true has no effect; atmospheric fog requires the base fog override to be enabled.

Best practices

• Set Fade_In_Duration and Fade_Out_Duration to at least 5-10 seconds for smooth weather transitions. Instant weather appearance is jarring and visual artifacts are more noticeable.
• Use fog color variation across times of day to create weather events that look natural from dawn through midnight.
• Test weather events at multiple times of day to verify the time-of-day color configuration produces natural-looking transitions.
• Set Translate_With_View to true for rain and snow effects so the particles follow the camera, creating the illusion of a large weather system.
• Keep gameplay buffs moderate. Extreme per-second values (more than 5-10 per second) can make the weather feel like a cheat or a punishment rather than an atmospheric gameplay element.
• Use the Fish_Bite_Interval_Multiplier to integrate weather with fishing gameplay. Rain can increase fish activity (multiplier less than 1.0), while storms can decrease it (multiplier greater than 1.0).
• Set Ambient_Audio_Takes_Priority_Over_Ambiance_Volumes to true only for weather events that should override the map's ambient audio (sandstorms, thunderous downpours).

Appendix A: Weather asset .dat quick-reference template

GUID <generated-uuid-no-hyphens>
Type SDG.Unturned.WeatherAsset

Volume_Mask 0xFFFFFFFF
Fade_In_Duration 10
Fade_Out_Duration 15

Override_Fog false
Override_Atmospheric_Fog false
Fog_Blend_Exponent 1.0
Cloud_Blend_Exponent 1.0

Wind_Main 0.0

Stamina_Per_Second 0.0
Health_Per_Second 0.0
Food_Per_Second 0.0
Water_Per_Second 0.0
Virus_Per_Second 0.0
Fish_Bite_Interval_Multiplier 1.0

Has_Lightning false
Min_Lightning_Interval 5
Max_Lightning_Interval 15

Effects
[
    {
        Prefab <bundle> <path/to/prefab>
        Emission_Exponent 1.0
        Pitch 0.0
        Translate_With_View true
        Rotate_Yaw_With_Wind true
    }
]

Appendix B: Weather asset design reference table

The table below provides cohort-validated weather asset configurations for common weather types.

Weather type	Fade_In	Fade_Out	Override_Fog	Fog_Density	Wind_Main	Has_Lightning	Gameplay effects
Light rain	10	15	true	0.2	0.2	false	None
Heavy rain	8	12	true	0.4	0.5	false	Stamina -1, Water +3
Thunderstorm	5	10	true	0.5	0.7	true	Stamina -2, Water +5
Fog	30	30	true	0.8	0.0	false	None
Light snow	15	20	true	0.3	0.2	false	Water -1, Food -1
Heavy snow	10	15	true	0.6	0.4	false	Water -2, Food -2, Stamina -1
Sandstorm	5	10	true	0.9	0.8	false	Stamina -3, Health -1
Acid rain	8	12	true	0.4	0.3	false	Health -2, Water +5
Healing rain	5	10	false	0.0	0.0	false	Health +1, Stamina +3, Water +5
Clear skies	20	20	false	0.0	0.0	false	None

Appendix C: Weather asset troubleshooting table

Symptom	Most likely cause	Resolution
Weather does not appear	GUID is not referenced in level asset's Weather_Types	Add the weather asset to the level asset's weather scheduling
Weather appears instantly	Fade_In_Duration is 0	Set a positive fade duration
Weather never fades out	Fade_Out_Duration is 0 or weather event is perpetual	Set a positive fade duration or check perpetual weather configuration
Fog override not working	Override_Fog is false	Set Override_Fog to true
Skybox not affected by fog	Override_Atmospheric_Fog is false	Set Override_Atmospheric_Fog to true
Particle effects not visible	PlayOnAwake is enabled on the prefab	Disable PlayOnAwake in the particle system prefab
Particles culled at distance	Particle system culling mode is not Always Simulate	Set culling mode to Always Simulate
Weather affects players everywhere	Volume_Mask is default and no ambience volumes are configured	Use volume mask with ambience volumes for region-specific weather
Lightning visual but no audio	Ambient_Audio_Clip not set	Add thunder audio to the ambient clip
Gameplay buffs not applied	Values are too small to be noticeable	Increase per-second values to at least 1.0-2.0
Weather command does nothing	GUID is invalid or weather asset is not loaded	Verify the GUID in the /weather command

Appendix C: External references

• Smartly Dressed Games official modding documentation - Weather Assets - the authoritative field reference.
• Unturned on Steam - the Unturned store page and community hub.
• Level Asset Reference - weather scheduling through the level asset's Weather_Types array.
• Custom Map Creation: Project Setup - the level editor foundations article.
• Conditions documentation - NPC conditions for testing weather state.

Cross-references

• Level Asset Reference - the previous article; covers level configuration including weather scheduling and perpetual weather.
• Chart Asset Reference - the next article; covers chart view color configuration for the minimap.
• Custom Map Creation: Project Setup - the level editor foundations article.
• Smartly Dressed Games modding documentation - official field reference.
• Unturned on Steam - game page and community.

Authoring checklist

Before using a weather asset in a map project, confirm the following:

• [ ] GUID is unique and freshly generated
• [ ] Type is SDG.Unturned.WeatherAsset
• [ ] Fade_In_Duration and Fade_Out_Duration are set to positive values
• [ ] Fog override fields are configured correctly for the intended visual effect
• [ ] Time-of-day colors (Dawn, Midday, Dusk, Midnight) are configured
• [ ] Particle effects use Translate_With_View for camera-following weather
• [ ] Gameplay buffs are set to intended values (positive for restorative, negative for damaging)
• [ ] Lightning is enabled or disabled as intended
• [ ] Weather asset is referenced in the level asset's Weather_Types or Perpetual_Weather_Asset
• [ ] Tested with /weather command in-game

Document history

Version	Date	Author	Notes
1.0	2026-07-26	57 Studios	Initial publication. Full weather asset .dat field reference, fade timing, fog and cloud blending, time-of-day color system, effects configuration, gameplay buffs, lightning, volume masking, FAQ.