explaingit

rreusser/animation-experiments

Analysis updated 2026-08-13 · repo last pushed 2019-02-24

4JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5DormantSetup · easy

TLDR

A collection of animated visual experiments built on Plotly.js, showcasing interactive data visualizations with smooth, dynamic animation. The live demos are the main deliverable, the code repo serves as the source behind a website where anyone can explore them in a browser.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Animated visual experiments
      Interactive data viz
      Live demos online
    Tech stack
      JavaScript
      Plotly.js
      Web browser
    Use cases
      Chart design inspiration
      Math concept demos
      Physics visualizations
    Audience
      Developers and designers
      PMs and founders
      Educators

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Browse animated chart experiments for inspiration on making web data visualizations more engaging.

USE CASE 2

Explore the live demos to get ideas for presenting complex data in a product in a way that feels alive rather than flat.

USE CASE 3

Use the interactive animations as visual aids when teaching or communicating mathematical and scientific concepts.

What is it built with?

JavaScriptPlotly.js

How does it compare?

rreusser/animation-experimentsamirmahdavi2023/d1-adminanil-matcha/open-poe-ai
Stars444
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Last pushed2019-02-242026-06-25
MaintenanceDormantMaintained
Setup difficultyeasyeasymoderate
Complexity1/52/53/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

In plain English

This project is a collection of animated visual experiments built on top of Plotly.js, a popular open-source charting library. The repo showcases what's possible when you combine interactive data visualization with smooth, dynamic animation. The author, Ricky Reusser, has published the live demos on a website so anyone can explore them directly in a browser. Each experiment demonstrates a different visual concept. Rather than static charts, these are moving, responding, and often playful visualizations, think of animated geometric patterns, flowing mathematical surfaces, or interactive demonstrations of physics and geometry. They're essentially tech demos that push the boundaries of what a web-based charting tool can do when animation is treated as a first-class feature. The primary audience is developers and designers who work with data visualization on the web and want inspiration for making their own charts more engaging. A PM or founder building a data-heavy product might browse these experiments to get ideas for how to present complex information in a way that feels alive rather than flat. It could also appeal to educators or anyone who communicates mathematical or scientific concepts visually, the animations make abstract ideas easier to intuit. The README doesn't go into detail about the specific experiments, the technical approach, or how the code is structured. What you get is a title, a one-line description, and a link to the live site. If you want to understand what the project actually contains, the website is the real deliverable, the code repo serves mainly as the source behind it. This is very much a show-don't-tell project where the interactive demos speak for themselves.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Help me build an animated geometric pattern visualization using Plotly.js, where shapes morph and respond over time like the experiments on rreusser.github.io/animation-experiments.
Prompt 2
Create a Plotly.js chart that animates a flowing mathematical surface, updating frames smoothly to create a dynamic visual effect.
Prompt 3
Show me how to add smooth animation to a Plotly.js scatter plot so points transition fluidly between data states instead of jumping.
Prompt 4
Write a Plotly.js demo that animates a physics concept like a pendulum or wave, using animated frames to make the motion intuitive.

Frequently asked questions

What is animation-experiments?

A collection of animated visual experiments built on Plotly.js, showcasing interactive data visualizations with smooth, dynamic animation. The live demos are the main deliverable, the code repo serves as the source behind a website where anyone can explore them in a browser.

What language is animation-experiments written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, Plotly.js.

Is animation-experiments actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2019-02-24).

How hard is animation-experiments to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is animation-experiments for?

Mainly developer.

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