frames/skills/frames-animation/rules/split-tilt-cards.md

name, description, metadata

name	description	metadata
split-tilt-cards	Two cards side-by-side with opposing Y-rotation creating a symmetric 3D split-screen layout for comparisons or feature pairs.	tags 3d, cards, split, tilt, comparison, symmetric, layout

Split Tilt Cards

Two cards side-by-side with opposing rotateY (left +TILT, right −TILT) — a symmetric "book-open" 3D split for comparisons, before/after, feature pairs. Each card slides in from its own side (reinforcing "they came from their own worlds and met here"), then the pair idles in counter-phase.

How It Works

perspective on the scene root (REQUIRED — without it rotateY flattens to a 2D layout) and transform-style: preserve-3d on the stage and both cards. Entry starts each card off-axis with TILT + TILT_OVERSHOOT, settling to TILT — a pivot-into-place. Idle is a gentle counter-phase y-bob (the two yoyo tweens run in opposite directions); copy fades up during the cards' settle, not after.

Recipe

<!-- inside a standard scene clip (frames-core) -->
<div class="split-stage">
  <div class="card card-left">
    <div class="card-eyebrow">{leftEyebrow}</div>
    <div class="card-headline">{leftHeadline}</div>
    <div class="card-body">{leftBody}</div>
  </div>
  <div class="card card-right">…</div>
</div>

.scene-root {
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
  perspective: SCENE_PERSPECTIVE; /* REQUIRED */
}
.split-stage {
  display: flex;
  gap: STAGE_GAP;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
}
.card {
  width: CARD_WIDTH;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
  will-change: transform;
}
/* Shadow falls WITH the facing direction: left card faces right → shadow right. */
.card-left {
  box-shadow: -CARD_SHADOW_OFFSET CARD_SHADOW_DROP CARD_SHADOW_BLUR {shadowColor};
}
.card-right {
  box-shadow: CARD_SHADOW_OFFSET CARD_SHADOW_DROP CARD_SHADOW_BLUR {shadowColor};
}

// Entry — from outside, opposing tilts settle with a small pivot
tl.fromTo(
  ".card-left",
  { x: -ENTRY_SLIDE_DIST, rotateY: TILT + TILT_OVERSHOOT, opacity: 0 },
  { x: 0, rotateY: TILT, opacity: 1, duration: ENTRY_DUR, ease: "power3.out" },
  LEFT_AT,
);
tl.fromTo(
  ".card-right",
  { x: ENTRY_SLIDE_DIST, rotateY: -TILT - TILT_OVERSHOOT, opacity: 0 },
  { x: 0, rotateY: -TILT, opacity: 1, duration: ENTRY_DUR, ease: "power3.out" },
  RIGHT_AT,
);

// Counter-phase idle bob — opposite signs = alive; synchronized = conveyor belt
tl.to(
  ".card-left",
  { y: -FLOAT_AMP, duration: FLOAT_DURATION / 2, ease: "sine.inOut", yoyo: true, repeat: 1 },
  IDLE_START,
);
tl.to(
  ".card-right",
  { y: FLOAT_AMP, duration: FLOAT_DURATION / 2, ease: "sine.inOut", yoyo: true, repeat: 1 },
  IDLE_START,
);

// Copy fades up during the settle
tl.from(
  ".card-eyebrow, .card-headline, .card-body",
  { opacity: 0, y: COPY_RISE, stagger: COPY_STAGGER, duration: COPY_DUR, ease: "power2.out" },
  COPY_REVEAL_AT,
);

Variations

• Badges / floating labels: position them on the PARENT, never inside a card — inside they inherit the rotateY and tilt off-axis.
• 3+ cards: center card stays flat (rotateY: 0), outer two tilt inward — "old way / nothing / our way."
• Zoom-through: a separate camera tween scaling .split-stage reads as the viewer crossing the gap between the tilted pair.

Values

token	range	notes
SCENE_PERSPECTIVE	1000–2400px	lower exaggerates the tilt; higher reads near-isometric
TILT	10–18°	< 10 reads almost flat; > 18 folds shut and copy blurs
TILT_OVERSHOOT	4–12°	the pivot-into-place feel
STAGE_GAP	40–120px (~0.06–0.15×CARD_WIDTH)	small = fused pair; large = compared-but-separate
CARD_WIDTH	480–820px @1920	2×CARD_WIDTH + STAGE_GAP ≤ 0.95×stage at full tilt
ENTRY_SLIDE_DIST	200–500px (~0.3–0.6×CARD_WIDTH)
ENTRY_DUR	0.6–1.2s
RIGHT_AT	LEFT_AT + 0–0.3s	zero feels mechanical; large fragments the pair
FLOAT_AMP	3–8px	subtle is the point
FLOAT_DURATION	1.6–3.2s round trip	breathing cadence; IDLE_START ≥ entry end
COPY_REVEAL_AT	during the entry tail	copy popping in after cards are idle reads disconnected

Critical Constraints

• perspective on the scene root is REQUIRED; preserve-3d on the stage AND each card.
• Shadow direction matches tilt — left card faces right → shadow falls right (and mirrored). Wrong sign reads as broken 3D.
• Counter-phase idle — the two bobs run with opposite signs at the same position.
• Badges outside the card divs (they'd inherit the rotation).
• Body copy ≤ 2 lines per card — tilted long paragraphs collapse into perspective blur.
• Symmetric weight — same width, same vertical center, similar line counts; asymmetry breaks the comparison metaphor.

See also

card-morph-anchor (the pair can morph into one unified shape afterward) · counting-dynamic-scale (numbers as each side's headline) · sine-wave-loop (the idle form).