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Anime.js provides powerful tools for animating SVG elements, including path morphing, motion path animations, and line drawing effects.

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Motion Path

Animate elements along SVG paths using createMotionPath().

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Basic Usage

import { animate, svg } from 'animejs';

const motionPath = svg.createMotionPath('#path');

animate('.box', {
  ...motionPath,
  duration: 2000,
  ease: 'inOut(2)'
});

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With Offset

Start the animation at a different point along the path: 
const motionPath = svg.createMotionPath('#path', 0.25);

animate('.box', {
  ...motionPath,
  duration: 3000
});
The createMotionPath() function returns an object with translateX, translateY, and rotate properties that automatically calculate positions along the path.
The offset parameter ranges from 0 to 1, where 0 is the start of the path and 1 is the end. An offset of 0.25 starts the animation 25% along the path.

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Path Morphing

Morph between two SVG paths with morphTo().

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Basic Morphing

import { animate, svg } from 'animejs';

animate('#path1', {
  d: svg.morphTo('#path2'),
  duration: 1500,
  ease: 'out(3)'
});

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Custom Precision

Control the number of points used in the morphing animation: 
animate('#myPath', {
  d: svg.morphTo('#targetPath', 0.5),
  duration: 2000
});
The precision parameter controls how many points are sampled along the paths. Higher values create smoother morphing but may impact performance. Default is 0.33.

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Supported Elements

morphTo() works with:
  • <path> elements
  • <polygon> elements
  • <polyline> elements
// Morph a polygon to a path
animate('#myPolygon', {
  points: svg.morphTo('#targetPath'),
  duration: 1000
});

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Line Drawing

Create drawing and reveal effects with createDrawable().

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Basic Drawing Effect

import { animate, svg } from 'animejs';

const drawables = svg.createDrawable('.svg-path');

animate(drawables, {
  draw: [0, 1],
  duration: 2000,
  ease: 'linear'
});

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Starting State

Set initial draw positions: 
// Start with path fully hidden
const drawables = svg.createDrawable('.path', 0, 0);

// Start with path fully visible
const drawables = svg.createDrawable('.path', 0, 1);

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Advanced Drawing

// Draw from center outward
animate(drawables, {
  draw: [
    [0.5, 0.5],
    [0, 1]
  ],
  duration: 1500
});

// Reverse drawing effect
animate(drawables, {
  draw: [[1, 0]],
  duration: 1000,
  ease: 'in(2)'
});
The createDrawable() function modifies the element’s stroke-dasharray and stroke-dashoffset properties. Make sure your SVG elements have a stroke defined.

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Combining Techniques

import { animate, svg, timeline } from 'animejs';

const tl = timeline();

// Draw the path
const drawables = svg.createDrawable('#myPath', 0, 0);
tl.add(drawables, {
  draw: [0, 1],
  duration: 1500
});

// Then morph it
tl.add('#myPath', {
  d: svg.morphTo('#targetPath'),
  duration: 1000
}, '-=500');

// Move element along another path
const motionPath = svg.createMotionPath('#curvePath');
tl.add('.circle', {
  ...motionPath,
  duration: 2000
}, '-=500');

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SVG Transform Origin

SVG transforms use a different coordinate system: 
// Center transform origin for SVG
animate('#svgElement', {
  rotate: 360,
  transformOrigin: '50% 50%',
  duration: 2000
});

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Performance Tips

Simplify SVG paths before animating. Complex paths with many points can impact performance.
If morphing animations feel slow, try lowering the precision parameter:
svg.morphTo('#target', 0.2)
Create drawable proxies once and reuse them across multiple animations:
const drawables = svg.createDrawable('.paths');
// Use drawables in multiple animations

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Browser Support

All SVG animation features require:
  • Modern browsers with SVG support
  • getBoundingClientRect() support for motion paths
  • getTotalLength() and getPointAtLength() for path operations
These features are supported in all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.

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