How do I install Plasma?

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

Is Plasma free for commercial use?

Plasma 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 Plasma 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 Plasma?

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

Plasma

The classic summed-sine plasma, folded into a two-tone palette instead of a rainbow. The pointer adds a ring source the pattern focuses on.

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

Examples

Plasma

Sweep the pointer across the box to pull the pattern toward it.

API reference

Prop	Type	Default	Description
`speed`	`number`	`1`	Multiplier on the flow rate.
`scale`	`number`	`1`	Pattern size; higher means more, tighter cells.
`color`	`string`	`"var(--ember)"`	The hot colour; any CSS colour.
`opacity`	`number`	`1`	Overall opacity of the layer, 0–1.
`mouseInteractive`	`boolean`	`true`	The pointer adds a ring source the plasma focuses on.
`className`	`string`	—

About Plasma

Plasma is the classic summed-sine plasma, folded into a two-tone palette instead of a rainbow. The pointer adds a ring source the pattern focuses on.

Plasma 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 Plasma

Retro demoscene styles.
Music and DJ sites.
Gaming.
Bold section backgrounds.

How it works

It is a WebGL fragment shader written in the file, with no three.js. Props are read each frame so tuning never rebuilds the context, it pauses off screen, and it falls back to a gradient without WebGL.

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 Plasma

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 speed, scale, color, opacity, mouseInteractive live, and the Code tab updates to match, so the snippet you copy already carries your values.

speed (number, default 1): Multiplier on the flow rate.
scale (number, default 1): Pattern size; higher means more, tighter cells.
color (string, default "var(--ember)"): The hot colour; any CSS colour.
opacity (number, default 1): Overall opacity of the layer, 0–1.
mouseInteractive (boolean, default true): The pointer adds a ring source the plasma focuses on.

The example on this page

Plasma: Sweep the pointer across the box to pull the pattern toward it.

Goes well with Plasma

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 Plasma

npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/plasma

Plasma 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 plasma.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 Plasma?: Plasma is part of Charcoal UI Pro. Add the @charcoal registry to components.json with your access token, then run npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/plasma. It copies plasma.tsx into components/ui and installs motion, clsx, tailwind-merge.
Is Plasma free for commercial use?: Plasma 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 Plasma 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 Plasma?: Yes. Connect the Charcoal UI MCP server (https://charcoalui.com/mcp) to Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client; get_component returns Plasma's props and get_install_command returns the exact command.

Plasma as Markdown · llms.txt