Isometric Grid Wave Loader
Sixteen blocks on an isometric floor rise and sink in a wave that rolls from the back corner to the front. Each block is one tile plus two pseudo-element sides inside a preserve-3d grid.
Also known as: 3d grid wave loader, isometric blocks loader, cube wave animation.
HTML
<div class="ldr-isometric-grid-wave" role="status" aria-label="Loading">
<div class="ldr-isometric-grid-wave-grid">
<span style="--d: 0"></span><span style="--d: 1"></span><span style="--d: 2"></span><span style="--d: 3"></span>
<span style="--d: 1"></span><span style="--d: 2"></span><span style="--d: 3"></span><span style="--d: 4"></span>
<span style="--d: 2"></span><span style="--d: 3"></span><span style="--d: 4"></span><span style="--d: 5"></span>
<span style="--d: 3"></span><span style="--d: 4"></span><span style="--d: 5"></span><span style="--d: 6"></span>
</div>
</div>CSS
.ldr-isometric-grid-wave {
--s: var(--ldr-size, 48px);
--c: var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6);
--t: calc(var(--s) * 0.2);
display: grid;
place-items: center;
width: calc(var(--s) * 1.4);
height: var(--s);
}
.ldr-isometric-grid-wave-grid {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(4, var(--t));
gap: calc(var(--s) * 0.05);
margin-top: calc(var(--s) * 0.2);
transform-style: preserve-3d;
transform: rotateX(60deg) rotateZ(45deg);
}
.ldr-isometric-grid-wave span {
position: relative;
width: var(--t);
height: var(--t);
background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 82%, #fff);
transform-style: preserve-3d;
animation: ldr-isometric-grid-wave-rise 1.8s cubic-bezier(0.45, 0, 0.55, 1) infinite both;
animation-delay: calc(var(--d) * 0.1s);
}
.ldr-isometric-grid-wave span::before,
.ldr-isometric-grid-wave span::after {
content: "";
position: absolute;
}
.ldr-isometric-grid-wave span::before {
left: 0;
top: 100%;
width: 100%;
height: var(--t);
background: var(--c);
transform-origin: 50% 0;
transform: rotateX(-90deg);
}
.ldr-isometric-grid-wave span::after {
left: 100%;
top: 0;
width: var(--t);
height: 100%;
background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 62%, #000);
transform-origin: 0 50%;
transform: rotateY(90deg);
}
@keyframes ldr-isometric-grid-wave-rise {
0%, 60%, 100% { transform: translateZ(0); }
30% { transform: translateZ(calc(var(--s) * 0.26)); }
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.ldr-isometric-grid-wave, .ldr-isometric-grid-wave *, .ldr-isometric-grid-wave::before, .ldr-isometric-grid-wave::after, .ldr-isometric-grid-wave *::before, .ldr-isometric-grid-wave *::after {
animation-duration: 3s;
}
}Customizing this loader
- Color: set
--ldr-coloron the element or a parent. Currently previewing#3b82f6. - Size: set
--ldr-size. Every dimension in the snippet is derived from it. Currently previewing64px. - Speed: change the duration on the
animationshorthand. Delays on the children are relative, so they keep their rhythm. - Accessibility: the root carries
role="status"and anaria-labelso screen readers announce the wait. The reduced-motion rule at the end slows the animation for users who asked for less motion.