A cellular model for three-dimensional snow crystallization

Snow crystals are intriguing because they exhibit both symmetry and remarkable diversity. Previous studies have used two-dimensional models to approximate snow crystal growth. Here generalizations to three dimensions are considered. In particular, a cellular arrangement of cells is updated according to local rules that involve the identification of receptive cells and averaging values from non-receptive sites. The cellular arrangement is the same as the configuration of water molecules in ice that occurs under ordinary conditions on Earth.