How do I install Grid Scan?

Grid Scan is part of Charcoal UI Pro. Add the @charcoal registry to components.json with your access token, then run npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/grid-scan. It copies grid-scan.tsx into components/ui and installs motion, clsx, tailwind-merge.

Is Grid Scan free for commercial use?

Grid Scan needs a Charcoal UI Pro seat, monthly or a one-time lifetime price. A seat covers unlimited personal and commercial projects, including client work, and every future Pro component.

Does Grid Scan work with Next.js?

Yes. It is a client component for React 19 styled with Tailwind CSS 4, so it works in the Next.js App Router and Pages Router, Vite, Remix and Astro.

Can an AI coding agent install Grid Scan?

Yes. Connect the Charcoal UI MCP server (https://charcoalui.com/mcp) to Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client; get_component returns Grid Scan's props and get_install_command returns the exact command.

Grid Scan

A floor grid in perspective with a light bar sweeping across it; cells light up in a checkered pattern as the bar passes and fade behind it. CSS only, so it costs almost nothing.

Category: Backgrounds
Licence: Charcoal UI Pro
Built with: React 19, Tailwind CSS 4, Motion
Dependencies: motion, clsx, tailwind-merge

Examples

Grid Scan

Try a lower perspective for a steeper floor, and the vertical directions.

API reference

Prop	Type	Default	Description
`cell`	`number`	`56`	Cell size in px on the plane, before perspective.
`speed`	`number`	`1`	Sweeps per 10 seconds.
`color`	`string`	`"var(--ember)"`	Any CSS colour for the bar and the lit cells.
`perspective`	`number`	`520`	Perspective distance in px; smaller is more dramatic.
`direction`	`"right" \| "left" \| "down" \| "up"`	`"right"`
`className`	`string`	—

About Grid Scan

Grid Scan is a floor grid in perspective with a light bar sweeping across it; cells light up in a checkered pattern as the bar passes and fade behind it.

Grid Scan is an animated background for React 19, styled with Tailwind CSS 4 and animated with Motion. It drops into Next.js, Vite, Remix or Astro through the shadcn CLI as a single file you own.

When to use Grid Scan

Synthwave and retro-futurist brands.
Gaming and esports.
Tech product heroes.
Event and DJ pages.

How it works

The grid and bar are CSS with perspective, and cells light on delays timed to the bar. It is pure CSS, so it costs almost nothing to keep running, and it stops under reduced motion.

The whole layer is decorative and aria-hidden, sits behind your content without taking pointer events it does not need, and pauses when scrolled off screen. With prefers-reduced-motion on, it holds still or settles instantly instead of animating.

Customizing Grid Scan

Every prop is documented in the API reference above with its type and default. The ones you will reach for first are listed here.

The Customize panel next to the preview lets you change cell, speed, direction, perspective, color live, and the Code tab updates to match, so the snippet you copy already carries your values.

cell (number, default 56): Cell size in px on the plane, before perspective.
speed (number, default 1): Sweeps per 10 seconds.
color (string, default "var(--ember)"): Any CSS colour for the bar and the lit cells.
perspective (number, default 520): Perspective distance in px; smaller is more dramatic.
direction ("right" | "left" | "down" | "up", default "right").

The example on this page

Grid Scan: Try a lower perspective for a steeper floor, and the vertical directions.

Goes well with Grid Scan

These backgrounds pieces share its tokens and motion language, so they sit together on one page without clashing.

Ember Field: An animated React ember background: glowing embers drift up and flicker as they cool
Smoke: A slow React smoke background: blurred plumes drifting over dark sections, CSS only
Aurora: An animated React aurora background: soft light bands drifting across a section
Grid Beams: A React grid background with beams of light running along its lines
Meteors: A React meteor shower background: streaks falling diagonally, CSS only

Install Grid Scan

npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/grid-scan

Grid Scan is part of Charcoal UI Pro. One seat unlocks all 300 Pro components, 107 landing-page sections and 100 full templates, for every personal and client project, with updates included. Add the @charcoal registry once with your access token, then the command above copies grid-scan.tsx into components/ui and installs clsx, tailwind-merge.

You own the file you install: no runtime package, no lock-in, nothing to keep in sync. Change it however your product needs.

See Charcoal UI Pro pricing · Pro setup

Frequently asked questions

How do I install Grid Scan?: Grid Scan is part of Charcoal UI Pro. Add the @charcoal registry to components.json with your access token, then run npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/grid-scan. It copies grid-scan.tsx into components/ui and installs motion, clsx, tailwind-merge.
Is Grid Scan free for commercial use?: Grid Scan needs a Charcoal UI Pro seat, monthly or a one-time lifetime price. A seat covers unlimited personal and commercial projects, including client work, and every future Pro component.
Does Grid Scan work with Next.js?: Yes. It is a client component for React 19 styled with Tailwind CSS 4, so it works in the Next.js App Router and Pages Router, Vite, Remix and Astro.
Can an AI coding agent install Grid Scan?: Yes. Connect the Charcoal UI MCP server (https://charcoalui.com/mcp) to Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client; get_component returns Grid Scan's props and get_install_command returns the exact command.

Grid Scan as Markdown · llms.txt