Motion Grid
A small LED matrix that plays looping patterns (wave, spiral, pulse, snake or rain), for loaders, status lights and empty states.
- Category: Feedback
- Licence: Charcoal UI Pro
- Built with: React 19, Tailwind CSS 4, Motion
- Dependencies: motion, clsx, tailwind-merge
Examples
Motion Grid
API reference
| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
pattern | "wave" | "spiral" | "pulse" | "snake" | "rain" | "wave" | |
size | number | 6 | |
fps | number | 14 | |
cell | number | 8 | Px. |
label | string | "Loading" | |
className | string | — |
About Motion Grid
Motion Grid is a small LED matrix that plays looping patterns: wave, spiral, pulse, snake or rain. It works as a loader, a status light or a bit of life in an empty state.
Motion Grid is a feedback component 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 Motion Grid
- Loading and processing states.
- AI thinking indicators.
- Device and hardware dashboards.
- Retro and pixel brands.
How it works
Each pattern is a function from cell and frame to brightness, so adding one is a few lines. It is a status role with a label, and reduced motion shows a still pattern.
State changes are announced through live regions or the right ARIA roles, so screen-reader users hear what sighted users see. With prefers-reduced-motion on, it holds still or settles instantly instead of animating.
Customizing Motion Grid
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 pattern, size, fps live, and the Code tab updates to match, so the snippet you copy already carries your values.
- pattern (default "wave").
- size (number, default 6).
- fps (number, default 14).
- cell (number, default 8): Px.
- label (string, default "Loading").
Goes well with Motion Grid
These feedback pieces share its tokens and motion language, so they sit together on one page without clashing.
- Countdown: An animated React countdown timer whose digits roll as they tick
- Confetti: React confetti that bursts from any point on a throwaway canvas
- Ripple: A React press ripple that spreads from the exact point you pressed
- Success Check: A React spinner that resolves into a drawn check or a shaking cross
- Story Progress: React story progress bars like Instagram: segmented, auto-advancing, pausable
Install Motion Grid
npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/motion-gridMotion Grid is part of Charcoal UI Pro. One seat unlocks all 393 Pro components, 112 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 motion-grid.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 Motion Grid?
- Motion Grid is part of Charcoal UI Pro. Add the @charcoal registry to components.json with your access token, then run npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/motion-grid. It copies motion-grid.tsx into components/ui and installs motion, clsx, tailwind-merge.
- Is Motion Grid free for commercial use?
- Motion Grid 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 Motion Grid 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 Motion Grid?
- Yes. Connect the Charcoal UI MCP server (https://charcoalui.com/mcp) to Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client; get_component returns Motion Grid's props and get_install_command returns the exact command.