Compose real layers
Use three to five separately colored DOM forms in orb, panel, or shard geometry with controlled scale and softness.
Interaction & depth
Parallax Layers
Stack organic forms, translucent panels, or crystalline shards into a responsive depth scene. Add bounded pointer movement without a framework, physics engine, or continuous render loop.
Depth that responds
Pointer parallax with guardrails, not a runaway effect.
The scene is designed for product heroes, card artwork, editorial features, and interactive identity moments. Pointer travel is deliberately bounded while a slow independent drift keeps the composition alive without interaction.
Bound the response
Pointer coordinates are clamped to the scene and applied only during movement through one requestAnimationFrame update.
Export the interaction
The snippet includes its small dependency-free pointer handler, full CSS, reduced-motion treatment, and static fallback.
Three-step workflow
How to use the Parallax Layers studio
- Choose the material
Start with soft atmospheric orbs, structured glass-like panels, or sharper prismatic pieces.
- Set the depth budget
Tune travel, layer separation, composition scale, drift, intensity, and edge softness while testing the pointer response.
- Integrate the scene
Copy the snippet into a bounded container or download the standalone file to test it independently.
Questions, answered.
Does pointer tracking run continuously?
No. It runs only when the pointer moves, batches updates into requestAnimationFrame, clamps its inputs, and stops immediately on pointer leave.
What happens on touch devices?
The scene still shows its layered idle composition. It does not require pointer movement to look complete.
Can I disable interaction?
Yes. Turn off pointer parallax to keep only the slow CSS drift, or pause the studio to inspect a static composition.
Does reduced motion disable everything?
It stops idle drift and transitions. The visual layers remain composed, while pointer behavior can also be disabled with the exported configuration.