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React Lightning Background

React lightning background with WebGL. Features fractal noise, HSV color space, and dynamic electric patterns with customizable intensity.

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Ever wanted to recreate that mesmerizing electric energy you see in sci-fi interfaces, power-up sequences, or mystical applications? Those captivating lightning bolts that dance with organic randomness, where electric arcs branch and fork with mathematical precision? The way energy patterns pulse with life, creating depth and atmosphere through pure shader mathematics? Most lightning effects rely on simple CSS animations or static images, but they lack the sophisticated noise algorithms that create truly dynamic electric experiences.

This React component creates that captivating lightning effect using WebGL shaders and fractal mathematics, featuring dynamic electric patterns, HSV color space control, and organic noise generation that brings electric energy to your interface.

Dynamic lightning patterns with fractal mathematics

Watch electric energy flow with mathematical noise and customizable color schemes:

Loading component...

Built for React applications with TypeScript and optimized WebGL rendering. Uses advanced GLSL shaders with fractal noise algorithms for authentic lightning effects while providing intuitive controls for color, intensity, and animation parameters. Perfect for gaming interfaces, sci-fi applications, or any project needing that electric energy aesthetic.

Installation

npx shadcn@latest add https://www.shadcn.io/registry/lightning.json
npx shadcn@latest add https://www.shadcn.io/registry/lightning.json
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add https://www.shadcn.io/registry/lightning.json
bunx shadcn@latest add https://www.shadcn.io/registry/lightning.json

Why simple CSS lightning feels artificial

Developers create electric effects with CSS box-shadow and consider them lightning. Maybe they add some basic glow animations or linear transitions. The problem? Simple CSS effects can't capture the complex, organic nature of true lightning that emerges from fractal mathematics, shader-based noise generation, and authentic electric branching patterns.

WebGL-based lightning with fractal noise changes everything. It taps into the fundamental mathematics of electric phenomena—the way fractal patterns create organic branching, how noise functions generate natural randomness, the hypnotic beauty that emerges from mathematical chaos and HSV color space. The algorithms use real fractal Brownian motion and hash functions to create authentic lightning experiences.

This component handles complex mathematics automatically. Fractal noise generation, HSV color space calculations, distance-based intensity falloff, and time-based animation all work together seamlessly. The result feels like watching actual electric energy.

Features

  • WebGL shader rendering with optimized fragment shaders for real-time lightning generation
  • Fractal noise mathematics using 10-octave fractal Brownian motion with rotation matrices
  • HSV color space control with natural electric color transitions and customizable hue ranges
  • Dynamic intensity patterns with distance-based falloff and hash-based brightness variation
  • Time-based animation with smooth speed controls and organic movement patterns
  • Position offset control for lightning placement and directional effects
  • Scale customization with size parameters for different lightning densities
  • Performance optimization with efficient WebGL context management and automatic cleanup
  • Responsive design with automatic canvas scaling and device pixel ratio handling
  • Memory management with proper WebGL resource disposal and context loss handling

API Reference

Lightning

PropTypeDefaultDescription
huenumber230Color hue in degrees (0-360) for electric color
xOffsetnumber0Horizontal offset for lightning center position
speednumber1Animation speed multiplier for time-based effects
intensitynumber1Lightning brightness intensity and glow strength
sizenumber1Scale factor for fractal noise patterns
classNamestring-Additional CSS classes
...propsHTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement>-All standard div props

Color Reference

Hue RangeColorEffect
0-60Red-OrangeFire/heat lightning
120-180GreenElectric/nature energy
200-260BlueClassic electric blue
280-320Purple-MagentaMystical/magical energy

WebGL shader architecture

Fragment Shader Pipeline: Uses optimized fragment shaders with fractal noise algorithms and HSV color space mathematics for real-time electric pattern generation with 60fps performance.

Fractal Mathematics: Implements 10-octave fractal Brownian motion with rotation matrices and amplitude decay for organic lightning branching patterns that mimic natural electric phenomena.

Hash Functions: Uses mathematical hash functions for pseudo-random number generation, creating natural brightness variation and organic movement patterns without external noise textures.

Color Space Conversion: Converts HSV values to RGB using mathematical transformations for intuitive color control while maintaining electric color authenticity and vibrancy.

Performance considerations

WebGL Optimization: Uses efficient fragment shader compilation with minimal uniform updates and automatic context management for consistent performance across devices.

Memory Management: Properly handles WebGL context creation, canvas resizing, and resource cleanup to prevent memory leaks and GPU resource exhaustion.

Shader Efficiency: Implements optimized GLSL code with minimal texture lookups and mathematical operations to reduce GPU computation overhead and maintain smooth animation.

Canvas Scaling: Uses device pixel ratio handling and automatic resize events for crisp rendering on high-DPI displays without performance degradation.

Common gotchas

WebGL Support: Component requires WebGL-enabled browsers. Falls back gracefully with console errors if WebGL is not available or context creation fails.

Performance Scaling: High intensity and size values can impact performance on lower-end devices. Monitor frame rates when using extreme parameter values.

Container Sizing: Component fills its container completely. Ensure parent element has defined dimensions for proper WebGL canvas rendering and aspect ratio.

Color Range: Hue values should be 0-360 degrees. Values outside this range will wrap around, which may cause unexpected color shifts.

Animation Timing: Speed values affect time-based calculations. Very high speeds may cause visual artifacts or stuttering on devices with limited GPU capabilities.

Context Loss: Component handles WebGL context loss automatically, but rapid remounting may cause temporary rendering issues on mobile devices.

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