Make it snow with XAML

XAML is a very flexible technology platform. This time of year, some of the nicest things you can do is release apps that contain the character of the season. Since I am in Colorado, a lot of that character surrounds the weather. Snow is an easy ambiance to add to any XAML app.

In this article we’ll discuss how to create the assets you need, and how to use those assets to simulate a Winter Wonderland. This will include the dynamic creation of controls and their animations.

Let me show you!

In the video above, I walk through the important first step of creating the wintery assets you will need to make the snow effect look more realistic. I use Expression Design because I love it. It’s a free download on MSDN for anyone to get. The best part is that it can copy vector graphics as XAML.

The Code

Download the code-behind here

In the code above, we create the dynamic snowflake that is a random size, random rotation, and random starting location. From there we create the animations that translate the flake’s location.

In the code above, we are animating the x and y translations. This makes the flake fall to the ground. It’s the random parts that help create an organic look to the app.

Let it snow! And, best of luck!