morphing-icons
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raphaelsalaja/morphing-icons

Morphing Icons

GitHub

Build icon components that morph between SVG shapes with smooth, line-based transformation.

199 installsMotionVisualFrontend4 demos

Real-world examples

Live HTML demos for this skill — rendered directly in the page. 4 examples.

  1. 01

    Any icon → any icon

    Click a target: the hero morphs through shared 3-line SVG coordinates — real shape transforms, not crossfades.

  2. 02

    Grouped spring rotation

    Plus↔cross and arrow family share groups so rotation springs; switching out of a group jumps rotation instantly.

  3. 03

    Collapsed unused lines

    Check, minus, and equals keep exactly three lines — extras collapse to an invisible center point so morphs stay continuous.

  4. 04

    Toolbar control morphs

    Play/pause, mute, and menu/close toggle as morphing icons with round caps, aria-hidden SVGs, and reduced-motion respect.

Skill markdown
# Morphing Icons

Build icons that transform through actual shape transformation, not crossfades. Any icon can morph into any other because they share the same underlying 3-line structure.

## Core Concept

Every icon is composed of exactly **three SVG lines**. Icons that need fewer lines collapse the extras to invisible center points. This constraint enables seamless morphing between any two icons.

## Architecture

### 1. Line Definition

Each line has coordinates and optional opacity:

```ts
interface IconLine {
  x1: number;
  y1: number;
  x2: number;
  y2: number;
  opacity?: number;
}
```

### 2. Collapsed Lines

Icons needing fewer than 3 lines use collapsed lines—zero-length lines at the center:

```ts
const CENTER = 7; // Center of 14x14 viewbox

const collapsed: IconLine = {
  x1: CENTER,
  y1: CENTER,
  x2: CENTER,
  y2: CENTER,
  opacity: 0,
};
```

### 3. Icon Definition

Each icon has exactly 3 lines, optional rotation, and optional group:

```ts
interface IconDefinition {
  lines: [IconLine, IconLine, IconLine];
  rotation?: number;
  group?: string;
}
```

### 4. Rotation Groups

Icons sharing a `group` animate rotation when transitioning between them. Icons without matching groups jump to the new rotation instantly:

```ts
// These rotate smoothly between each other
{ lines: plusLines, rotation: 0, group: "plus-cross" }   // plus
{ lines: plusLines, rotation: 45, group: "plus-cross" }  // cross

// These rotate smoothly between each other
{ lines: arrowLines, rotation: 0, group: "arrow" }       // arrow-right
{ lines: arrowLines, rotation: 90, group: "arrow" }      // arrow-down
{ lines: arrowLines, rotation: 180, group: "arrow" }     // arrow-left
{ lines: arrowLines, rotation: -90, group: "arrow" }     // arrow-up
```

## Implementation Rules

### `morphing-three-lines`
Every icon MUST use exactly 3 lines. No more, no fewer.

**Fail:**
```ts
const checkIcon = {
  lines: [
    { x1: 2, y1: 7.5, x2: 5.5, y2: 11 },
    { x1: 5.5, y1: 11, x2: 12, y2: 3 },
  ], // Only 2 lines
};
```

**Pass:**
```ts
const checkIcon = {
  lines: [
    { x1: 2, y1: 7.5, x2: 5.5, y2: 11 },
    { x1: 5.5, y1: 11, x2: 12, y2: 3 },
    collapsed, // Third line collapsed
  ],
};
```

### `morphing-use-collapsed`
Unused lines must use the collapsed constant, not omission or null.

**Fail:**
```ts
const minusIcon = {
  lines: [
    { x1: 2, y1: 7, x2: 12, y2: 7 },
    null,
    null,
  ],
};
```

**Pass:**
```ts
const minusIcon = {
  lines: [
    { x1: 2, y1: 7, x2: 12, y2: 7 },
    collapsed,
    collapsed,
  ],
};
```

### `morphing-consistent-viewbox`
All icons must use the same viewBox (14x14 recommended).

**Fail:**
```ts
// Mixing viewbox scales
const icon1 = { lines: [{ x1: 2, y1: 7, x2: 12, y2: 7 }, ...] }; // 14x14
const icon2 = { lines: [{ x1: 4, y1: 14, x2: 24, y2: 14 }, ...] }; // 28x28
```

**Pass:**
```ts
const VIEWBOX_SIZE = 14;
const CENTER = 7;
// All coordinates within 0-14 range
```

### `morphing-group-variants`
Icons that are rotational variants MUST share the same group and base lines.

**Fail:**
```ts
// Different line definitions for arrows
const arrowRight = { lines: [{ x1: 2, y1: 7, x2: 12, y2: 7 }, ...] };
const arrowDown = { lines: [{ x1: 7, y1: 2, x2: 7, y2: 12 }, ...] }; // Different!
```

**Pass:**
```ts
const arrowLines: [IconLine, IconLine, IconLine] = [
  { x1: 2, y1: 7, x2: 12, y2: 7 },
  { x1: 7.5, y1: 2.5, x2: 12, y2: 7 },
  { x1: 7.5, y1: 11.5, x2: 12, y2: 7 },
];

const icons = {
  "arrow-right": { lines: arrowLines, rotation: 0, group: "arrow" },
  "arrow-down": { lines: arrowLines, rotation: 90, group: "arrow" },
  "arrow-left": { lines: arrowLines, rotation: 180, group: "arrow" },
  "arrow-up": { lines: arrowLines, rotation: -90, group: "arrow" },
};
```

### `morphing-spring-rotation`
Rotation between grouped icons should use spring physics for natural motion.

**Fail:**
```tsx
<motion.g animate={{ rotate: rotation }} transition={{ duration: 0.3 }} />
```

**Pass:**
```tsx
const rotation = useSpring(definition.rotation ?? 0, activeTransition);

<motion.g style={{ rotate: rotation, transformOrigin: "center" }} />
```

### `morphing-reduced-motion`
Respect `prefers-reduced-motion` by disabling animations.

**Fail:**
```tsx
function MorphingIcon({ icon }: Props) {
  return <motion.line animate={...} transition={{ duration: 0.4 }} />;
}
```

**Pass:**
```tsx
function MorphingIcon({ icon }: Props) {
  const reducedMotion = useReducedMotion() ?? false;
  const activeTransition = reducedMotion ? { duration: 0 } : transition;
  
  return <motion.line animate={...} transition={activeTransition} />;
}
```

### `morphing-jump-non-grouped`
When transitioning between icons NOT in the same group, rotation should jump instantly.

**Fail:**
```tsx
// Always animating rotation regardless of group
useEffect(() => {
  rotation.set(definition.rotation ?? 0);
}, [definition]);
```

**Pass:**
```tsx
useEffect(() => {
  if (shouldRotate) {
    rotation.set(definition.rotation ?? 0); // Animate
  }

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