hover-ui

Smoke

An ember with smoke curling up from it, swirling round controls. A click blows a smoke ring that rises as it widens.

npx shadcn@latest add https://hoverui.fun/r/smoke.json

Adds components/cursors/smoke.tsx. The CLI also installs the useCursor hook it runs on, once, into your hooks folder. The files are yours from there.

Move through the preview, then hover the controls and press.

Kind
Weird
Dependencies
None
License
MIT

How it behaves

A glowing ember at the pointer, like the tip of a stick of incense, with a thread of smoke curling up from it. Moving leaves a trail of drifting smoke. Over anything clickable the smoke thickens and swirls round the pointer; hold to pour it out; a click blows a smoke ring that rises, wobbling as it widens.

Usage

Any element
import { SmokeCursor } from "@/components/cursors/smoke";

export function Section() {
  return (
    <section>
      <SmokeCursor />
      {/* this section now wears Smoke */}
    </section>
  );
}

Put it inside <body> in your root layout to wear it on every page. Nested cursors take over inside their own element.

Props

className
Extra classes for the cursor's root. It draws in its own colors, set in the file; any outline or pointer dot it has follows currentColor, e.g. text-pink-500. Leave mix-blend-difference off: it would turn those colors to negatives.
Hover targets
a, button, input, select, textarea, label, [role=button], [data-cursor-label]

Source

smoke.tsx
"use client";

import { useRef } from "react";
import { cursorRoot, useCursor } from "@/hooks/use-cursor";

const PUFFS = 32;
const RINGS = 3;
/** A puff of smoke: the cursor's own color, thinning to nothing at its edge. */
const PUFF = "radial-gradient(circle, color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 24%, transparent), color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 9%, transparent) 45%, transparent 70%)";

/**
 * A glowing ember at the pointer, like the tip of a stick of incense, with a thread of smoke curling up from it. Moving
 * leaves a trail of drifting smoke. Over anything clickable the smoke thickens and swirls round the pointer; hold to
 * pour it out; a click blows a smoke ring that rises, wobbling as it widens.
 */
export function SmokeCursor({ className = "" }: { className?: string }) {
  const s = useRef({
    puffs: Array.from({ length: PUFFS }, () => ({ x: 0, y: 0, vx: 0, vy: 0, age: Infinity, life: 2, curl: 0 })),
    rings: Array.from({ length: RINGS }, () => ({ x: 0, y: 0, age: Infinity })),
    next: 0,
    nextRing: 0,
    due: 0,
    travel: 0,
    lx: 0,
    ly: 0,
    t: 0,
    wasDown: false,
  });
  const ref = useCursor((p, el) => {
    const st = s.current;
    st.t += p.dt;
    if (!p.dt) {
      [st.lx, st.ly, st.travel] = [p.x, p.y, 0];
      for (const puff of [...st.puffs, ...st.rings]) puff.age = Infinity;
    }
    const puff = (vx: number, vy: number) => {
      Object.assign(st.puffs[st.next], { x: p.x, y: p.y - 4, vx, vy, age: 0, life: 1.6 + Math.random() * 0.9, curl: Math.random() * 6 });
      st.next = (st.next + 1) % PUFFS;
    };
    st.travel += Math.hypot(p.x - st.lx, p.y - st.ly);
    const [dx, dy] = [p.x - st.lx, p.y - st.ly];
    [st.lx, st.ly] = [p.x, p.y];
    if (!p.reduced) {
      // A thin steady thread at rest, thicker over a control, poured out while held, and a trail as you move.
      st.due -= p.dt;
      if (st.due <= 0) {
        puff((Math.random() - 0.5) * 8, -(26 + Math.random() * 14));
        st.due = p.down ? 0.04 : p.hover ? 0.07 : 0.16;
      }
      for (; st.travel > 16; st.travel -= 16) puff(-dx * 3 + (Math.random() - 0.5) * 10, -dy * 3 - 18);
      if (p.down && !st.wasDown) {
        Object.assign(st.rings[st.nextRing], { x: p.x, y: p.y - 10, age: 0 });
        st.nextRing = (st.nextRing + 1) % RINGS;
      }
    }
    st.wasDown = p.down;

    const [smoke, rings, ember] = el.children as HTMLCollectionOf<HTMLElement>;
    st.puffs.forEach((pf, i) => {
      const node = smoke.children[i] as HTMLElement;
      if (pf.age >= pf.life) {
        node.style.opacity = "0";
        return;
      }
      pf.age += p.dt;
      // Over a control the smoke is drawn round the pointer in a slow vortex instead of straight up.
      if (p.hover) {
        const [rx, ry] = [pf.x - p.x, pf.y - p.y];
        const r = Math.hypot(rx, ry) || 1;
        pf.vx += ((-ry / r) * 70 - (rx / r) * 12 - pf.vx) * Math.min(p.dt * 3, 1);
        pf.vy += ((rx / r) * 70 - (ry / r) * 12 - 10 - pf.vy) * Math.min(p.dt * 3, 1);
      } else pf.vy -= 6 * p.dt;
      // Curling: a lazy side-to-side wander that grows as the puff rises.
      pf.x += (pf.vx + Math.sin(pf.age * 2.4 + pf.curl) * 14 * pf.age) * p.dt;
      pf.y += pf.vy * p.dt;
      pf.vx *= 1 - Math.min(p.dt * 0.8, 1);
      const k = pf.age / pf.life;
      node.style.transform = `translate(${pf.x}px, ${pf.y}px) scale(${0.6 + k * 1.7})`;
      node.style.opacity = String(Math.min(k / 0.25, 1) * (1 - k) ** 1.2);
    });
    st.rings.forEach((ring, i) => {
      ring.age += p.dt;
      const k = Math.min(ring.age / 1.5, 1);
      const node = rings.children[i] as HTMLElement;
      // It rises, widens and wobbles, a torus seen from the side.
      const wobble = 1 + Math.sin(ring.age * 9) * 0.06 * (1 - k);
      node.style.transform = `translate(${ring.x}px, ${ring.y - k * 70}px) scale(${(0.5 + k * 1.3) * wobble}, ${(0.5 + k * 1.1) / wobble})`;
      node.style.opacity = String(k < 1 ? 0.85 * (1 - k) ** 1.4 : 0);
    });
    // The ember breathes; it flares while you hold.
    const glow = p.reduced ? 1 : 1 + Math.sin(st.t * 5) * 0.12 + (p.down ? 0.3 : 0);
    ember.style.transform = `translate(${p.x}px, ${p.y}px) scale(${glow})`;
  });

  return (
    <div ref={ref} aria-hidden className={`${cursorRoot} ${className}`}>
      {/* A soft blur over the puffs melts them into one stream of smoke. */}
      <div className="blur-[2.5px]">
        {Array.from({ length: PUFFS }, (_, i) => (
          <div key={i} className="absolute top-0 left-0 size-6 -translate-1/2 rounded-full opacity-0" style={{ background: PUFF }} />
        ))}
      </div>
      <div>
        {Array.from({ length: RINGS }, (_, i) => (
          <div key={i} className="absolute top-0 left-0 h-3.5 w-9 -translate-1/2 rounded-[50%] border-[3px] opacity-0" style={{ borderColor: "color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 30%, transparent)", filter: "blur(1.5px)" }} />
        ))}
      </div>
      <div className="absolute size-1.5 -translate-1/2 rounded-full bg-[#ff7a2e] shadow-[0_0_6px_2px_rgb(255_120_40/0.65)]" />
    </div>
  );
}

It runs on the useCursor hook, which has its own source and API.

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