CSS transforms

The CSS transforms module defines how elements styled with CSS can be transformed in two-dimensional or three-dimensional space.

CSS transforms in action

Use the sliders in the example below to modify the translation, rotation, scale, and skew CSS transform properties of the cube in 3D space. As you move the cube through 3D space, notice the way it interacts with the element labelled z:0px, which is located at the 3D position (0, 0, 0).


  
    
      Transform settings
      
    
    
      
        
          
            Translation
          
          
        
        
          
            
              X
              
            
            
          
          
            
              Y
              
            
            
          
          
            
              Z
              
            
            
          
        
      

      
        
          
            Rotation
          
          
        
        
          
            
              X
              
            
            
          
          
            
              Y
              
            
            
          
          
            
              Z
              
            
            
          
        
      

      
        
          
            Scale
          
          
        
        
          
            
              X
              
            
            
          
          
            
              Y
              
            
            
          
          
            
              Z
              
            
            
          
        
      

      
        
          
            Skew
          
          
        
        
          
            
              X
              
            
            
          
          
            
              Y
              
            
            
          
        
      

      
        
          
            Container Perspective
          
          
        
        
          
            
              perspective
              
            
            
          
          
            
              perspective-origin X (%)
              
            
            
          
          
            
              perspective-origin Y (%)
              
            
            
          
        
      

      
        
          
            Other Properties
          
          
        
        
          
            
              backface-visibility
              
            
          
        
      
    
  
  
    
      
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      z:0px

#allTransformFieldset {
  border: none;
  padding: 0;
  margin-bottom: 4px;
  accent-color: blue; /* or any color */
  font-family:
    Inter, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell,
    "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;
}

#allTransformFieldset > legend {
  margin-bottom: 4px;
}

fieldset {
  margin: 0;
}

legend {
  font-weight: bold;
  padding: 0;
}

#fieldsetSection {
  display: flex;
  flex-wrap: wrap;
  align-items: start;
  gap: 8px;
}

#outputSection {
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 400px;
  background: linear-gradient(skyblue, khaki);
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
  position: relative;
  overflow: clip;
}

#outputContainer {
  position: absolute;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  perspective: 200px;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
  pointer-events: none;
}

#z0 {
  width: 50px;
  height: 50px;
  background: linear-gradient(
    to right bottom,
    rgb(223 223 223),
    rgb(190 190 190)
  );
  transform: translateZ(0px);
  position: absolute;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  font-size: 14px;
  color: black;
  border-radius: 50%;
  outline: 1px solid rgb(0 0 0 / 0.35);
  pointer-events: all;
}

#perspectiveDot {
  width: 4px;
  height: 4px;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background-color: rgb(240 0 0 / 0.5);
  transform: translate3d(-2px, -2px, 0px);
  position: absolute;
}

#cube {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
  transition: all 0.075s ease-out;
  position: absolute;
  pointer-events: all;
}

.face {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  position: absolute;
  backface-visibility: inherit;
  font-size: 60px;
  color: white;
}

.front {
  background: rgb(90 90 90 / 0.7);
  transform: translateZ(50px);
}

.back {
  background: rgb(0 210 0 / 0.7);
  transform: rotateY(180deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.right {
  background: rgb(210 0 0 / 0.7);
  transform: rotateY(90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.left {
  background: rgb(0 0 210 / 0.7);
  transform: rotateY(-90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.top {
  background: rgb(210 210 0 / 0.7);
  transform: rotateX(90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.bottom {
  background: rgb(210 0 210 / 0.7);
  transform: rotateX(-90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.transformFieldset {
  margin: 0;
}

.controlsContainer {
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: start;
  gap: 4px;
}

.controlsContainer {
  width: 100%;
}

.controlsContainer > div {
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: row;
  align-items: center;
  gap: 4px;
}

.controlsContainer > div > label {
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: row;
  align-items: center;
  gap: 4px;
}

button {
  font-size: 18px;
  border-radius: 50%;
  border: #ccc solid 1px;
  padding: 0;
  width: 26px;
  height: 26px;
  margin-left: 4px;
}

input[type="range"] {
  width: 172px;
}

output {
  width: 3em;
}

allTransformFieldset
  .querySelectorAll("input[type='range']")
  .forEach((rangeInput) => {
    // Event listeners for when the range inputs change
    rangeInput.addEventListener("input", (el) => {
      updateTransform();
    });

    // Reset the relevant transform setting when the range input is double clicked
    rangeInput.addEventListener("dblclick", (el) => {
      resetInput(el.target);
      updateTransform();
    });
  });

// Event listeners for when checkbox inputs change
allTransformFieldset
  .querySelectorAll("input[type='checkbox']")
  .forEach((checkboxInput) => {
    checkboxInput.addEventListener("input", (el) => {
      updateTransform();
    });
  });

// "Reset All" button event listener
resetAllButton.addEventListener("click", () => {
  allTransformFieldset.querySelectorAll("input").forEach((input) => {
    resetInput(input);
  });
  updateTransform();
});

// Section reset button event listeners
allTransformFieldset
  .querySelectorAll(".resetSectionButton")
  .forEach((resetSectionButton) => {
    resetSectionButton.addEventListener("click", (el) => {
      let allRanges = el.target.parentElement.parentElement.querySelectorAll(
        "input[type='range']",
      );
      allRanges.forEach((range) => {
        resetInput(range);
      });

      let allCheckboxes =
        el.target.parentElement.parentElement.querySelectorAll(
          "input[type='checkbox']",
        );
      allCheckboxes.forEach((check) => {
        resetInput(check);
      });

      updateTransform();
    });
  });

const resetInput = (inputEl) => {
  if (!inputEl) {
    console.warn(`inputEl \`${inputEl}\` is falsy!`);
    console.trace();
    return;
  }

  const defaultValue = inputEl.getAttribute("data-default");
  if (inputEl.getAttribute("type") === "checkbox") {
    inputEl.checked = defaultValue === "checked";
  } else {
    inputEl.value = defaultValue || "0";
  }
};

const updateOutputs = () => {
  translateXOutput.value = `${translateXRange.value}px`;
  translateYOutput.value = `${translateYRange.value}px`;
  translateZOutput.value = `${translateZRange.value}px`;

  rotateXOutput.value = `${rotateXRange.value}°`;
  rotateYOutput.value = `${rotateYRange.value}°`;
  rotateZOutput.value = `${rotateZRange.value}°`;

  scaleXOutput.value = `${scaleXRange.value}x`;
  scaleYOutput.value = `${scaleYRange.value}x`;
  scaleZOutput.value = `${scaleZRange.value}x`;

  skewXOutput.value = `${skewXRange.value}°`;
  skewYOutput.value = `${skewYRange.value}°`;

  perspectiveOutput.value = `${perspectiveRange.value}px`;

  perspectiveOriginXOutput.value = `${perspectiveOriginXRange.value}%`;
  perspectiveOriginYOutput.value = `${perspectiveOriginYRange.value}%`;
};

const updateTransform = () => {
  updateOutputs();

  cube.style.transform = `translate3d(${translateXRange.value}px,
                ${translateYRange.value}px,
                ${translateZRange.value}px)
                rotateX(${rotateXRange.value}deg)
                rotateY(${rotateYRange.value}deg)
                rotateZ(${rotateZRange.value}deg)
                scale3d(${scaleXRange.value},
                ${scaleYRange.value},
                ${scaleZRange.value})
                skewX(${skewXRange.value}deg)
                skewY(${skewYRange.value}deg)`;
  cube.style.backfaceVisibility = `${backfaceVisibilityCheckbox.checked ? "visible" : "hidden"}`;

  outputContainer.style.perspective = `${perspectiveRange.value}px`;
  outputContainer.style.perspectiveOrigin = `${perspectiveOriginXRange.value}% ${perspectiveOriginYRange.value}%`;

  perspectiveDot.style.top = `${perspectiveOriginYRange.value}%`;
  perspectiveDot.style.left = `${perspectiveOriginXRange.value}%`;
};
updateTransform();

You can also use the perspective slider to modify the perspective property of the cube's container, which determines the distance between you and the z=0 plane.

The perspective-origin sliders determine where you, the viewer, are looking into the 3D space for purposes of determining the view's vanishing point. This vanishing point is indicated by a small red dot. You can imagine modifying these sliders as physically moving your head up, down, left, and right to see different parts of the cube without moving the cube itself.

The backface-visibility checkbox determines whether the cube's back faces are set to visible or hidden.

The cube in the above example is comprised of six

elements, all of which are styled with CSS to create the cube's faces. The cube is not drawn using a 2D or 3D canvas context, so you can inspect the faces of the cube with your browser's developer tools as you would inspect any other DOM element. Try using your browser's developer tools element picker to inspect different faces of the cube as you transform its position and rotation.

Note: The order in which transformations, including 3D rotations, are applied affects the resultant transformation. In the above example, transforms are translated, scaled, rotated, then skewed. The rotations are applied in the order X → Y → Z.

Using CSS transforms: Step-by-step tutorial about how to transform elements styled with CSS.
Coordinate systems: Describes the way pixel locations are defined in the CSS object model.
Performance fundamentals: Use CSS transforms: An overview of web performance fundamentals, including how CSS transforms can improve performance.
Matrix math for the web: Describes how object transformations can be represented by mathematical matrices.

Related concepts

CSS Properties:
Data types:
Glossary terms:
- Interpolation
- Stacking context
SVG concepts:
- element
- element
- element
- transform element

Specifications

Specification
CSS Transforms Module Level 1
CSS Transforms Module Level 2

CSS transforms

CSS transforms in action

Reference

Properties

Functions

Data types

Guides

Related concepts

Specifications

See also