Pendulum Wave Loader
Six pendulums of different lengths swing from one pivot, each a little slower than the one above, so the dots drift through waves and snakes and line back up every 9.6 seconds.
Also known as: pendulum dots loader, pendulum wave animation, swinging dots.
HTML
<div class="ldr-pendulum-wave-dots" role="status" aria-label="Loading"> <span style="--l:0.3;--t:0.4"></span> <span style="--l:0.44;--t:0.4364"></span> <span style="--l:0.58;--t:0.48"></span> <span style="--l:0.72;--t:0.5333"></span> <span style="--l:0.86;--t:0.6"></span> <span style="--l:1;--t:0.6857"></span> </div>
CSS
.ldr-pendulum-wave-dots {
--s: var(--ldr-size, 48px);
--c: var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6);
--d: calc(var(--s) / 7.5);
position: relative;
width: calc(var(--s) * 1.1);
height: calc(var(--s) + var(--d));
}
.ldr-pendulum-wave-dots::before {
content: "";
position: absolute;
top: calc(var(--d) / -4);
left: calc(50% - var(--d) / 4);
width: calc(var(--d) / 2);
height: calc(var(--d) / 2);
border-radius: 50%;
background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6) 45%, transparent);
}
.ldr-pendulum-wave-dots span {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 50%;
width: 0;
height: calc(var(--l) * var(--s));
border-left: 1px solid color-mix(in srgb, var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6) 14%, transparent);
transform-origin: 50% 0;
transform: rotate(26deg);
animation: ldr-pendulum-wave-dots-swing calc(var(--t) * 1s) cubic-bezier(0.37, 0, 0.63, 1) infinite alternate;
}
.ldr-pendulum-wave-dots span::after {
content: "";
position: absolute;
bottom: calc(var(--d) / -2);
left: calc(var(--d) / -2);
width: var(--d);
height: var(--d);
border-radius: 50%;
background: var(--c);
}
@keyframes ldr-pendulum-wave-dots-swing {
from { transform: rotate(26deg); }
to { transform: rotate(-26deg); }
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.ldr-pendulum-wave-dots, .ldr-pendulum-wave-dots *, .ldr-pendulum-wave-dots::before, .ldr-pendulum-wave-dots::after, .ldr-pendulum-wave-dots *::before, .ldr-pendulum-wave-dots *::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.