Posted on Sep 8 HTML and CSS may be the bedrock of 2D web design, but hidden within their virtual toolbox are the secrets to creating breathtaking 3D perspectives. Imagine crafting interactive interfaces that transcend flatland into a world where the X, Y, and Z axes dance together. In this blog post, we'll unveil the magic of HTML and CSS's 3D capabilities, guiding you through the essential properties and techniques to create stunning 3D visuals.Like this one!Although HTML and CSS are primarily designed for constructing 2D layouts, there are still 3 axes (X, Y & Z) enabling the creation of perspective through specific CSS properties.The perspective property alters the user's perspective by adjusting the position of the vanishing Point along the Z-axis.For example, with the following code, utilizing the following code snippet will establish a distance of 800px between the user and the plane (Z-axis).The perspective-origin property determines the user's position along the X and Y axes. To view an object from above, you can employ the following code:In this example, we are centered on the X-axis (50%) and positioned -200px on the Y-axis.Now that you have grasped the essentials of 3D in HTML and CSS, let's embark on creating our own 3D cube!For our HTML structure, we will construct a perspective plane and add a div element for each face of our cube.Now, let's imbue our perspective plane with a specific perspective. In our case, we desire an overhead view of our cube.Then, we'll assign dimensions to our box and apply styling to our individual faces. To keep the 3D rendering within the perspective plane in our div, we incorporate transform-style: preserve-3d.At this point, you should see all the faces superimposed at the same location, forming a square.Now, let's fabricate the 2D pattern of our cube, which we will then fold like a piece of paper. Additionally, we will incorporate a rotation animation for a better 3D visualization.Creating a pattern simplifies the process of rotating and positioning elements accurately, preventing confusion with inverted faces.Now, you should see a cross-shaped configuration:Our next step involves folding the faces to create the cube effect. This entails utilizing rotateX(), rotateY() and specifying the vertex from which the folding originates via transform-origin.For the back face we need to adjust the transform-origin both the Y and Z axes since it is located two faces away from the front face.To achieve a convincing 3D effect, we need to introduce shading to the faces. Although CSS lacks native lighting, we can create the illusion of depth by varying the lightness of colors.We'll utilize the lightness property of hsl() to produce distinct shades for each face.Now, you should behold a splendid 3D cube, crafted solely with HTML and CSS!I hope this tutorial has ignited your imagination for creating captivating 3D animations with pure HTML and CSS.Feel free to share your creations in the comments section!And for more content like this, be sure to follow me @PaucotMartin on X (formerly Twitter).Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use.Wow, This is cool. Thanks for the perspective. Are you sure you want to hide this comment? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink. Hide child comments as well Confirm For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse Bernie January Jr. - Aug 28 vayola pradeep - Aug 29 joan? - Aug 29 Kingsley Ubah - Aug 29 Once suspended, martinp will not be able to comment or publish posts until their suspension is removed. Once unsuspended, martinp will be able to comment and publish posts again. Once unpublished, all posts by martinp will become hidden and only accessible to themselves. If martinp is not suspended, they can still re-publish their posts from their dashboard. Note: Once unpublished, this post will become invisible to the public and only accessible to Martin PAUCOT. They can still re-publish the post if they are not suspended. Thanks for keeping DEV Community safe. Here is what you can do to flag martinp: martinp consistently posts content that violates DEV Community's code of conduct because it is harassing, offensive or spammy. Unflagging martinp will restore default visibility to their posts. DEV Community — A constructive and inclusive social network for software developers. With you every step of your journey. Built on Forem — the open source software that powers DEV and other inclusive communities.Made with love and Ruby on Rails. DEV Community © 2016 - 2023. We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.