Dynamic weather in virtual environments

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided for rendering virtual objects in a computer generated virtual environment. Physical environment condition data is received and transformed into UV map data structure(s), where each UV map data structure comprises entries that store one or more environment condition values mapped from the physical environment condition data to the UV map data structure. A customized shader processes the UV map data structure(s) to apply environment condition effects to a rendering of a virtual object corresponding to the customized shader. The customized shader executes on the environment condition data of the UV map data structure(s) and specifies a modification to a representation of the virtual object due to the environment condition values represented in the UV map data structure(s). Generation of the virtual object in the virtual environment is controlled based on results of processing the one or more UV map data structures by the customized shader.