animations-transitions

MUI Animations & Transitions

1. Built-in Transition Components

MUI provides five transition components built on top of react-transition-group. Each wraps a single child element and controls its enter/exit animation based on the in prop.

Fade

Opacity transition from transparent to opaque.

import { Fade, Box, Button } from '@mui/material';
import { useState } from 'react';

function FadeExample() {
  const [visible, setVisible] = useState(false);

  return (
    <>
      <Button onClick={() => setVisible((v) => !v)}>Toggle</Button>
      <Fade in={visible} timeout={300}>
        <Box sx={{ p: 2, bgcolor: 'primary.main', color: 'white' }}>
          Fading content
        </Box>
      </Fade>
    </>
  );
}

Key props:

Prop	Type	Default	Description
in	boolean	false	Controls visibility
timeout	number | { enter, exit }	300	Duration in ms
appear	boolean	true	Animate on initial mount when in is true
unmountOnExit	boolean	false	Remove DOM node when exited
mountOnEnter	boolean	false	Defer first mount until in is true

Grow

Combined scale and opacity transition. The element grows from the center (or a custom origin) while fading in.

import { Grow, Paper } from '@mui/material';

function GrowExample({ visible }: { visible: boolean }) {
  return (
    <Grow
      in={visible}
      timeout={500}
      style={{ transformOrigin: '0 0 0' }}
      {...(visible ? { timeout: 1000 } : {})}
    >
      <Paper elevation={4} sx={{ p: 3, width: 200 }}>
        Growing content
      </Paper>
    </Grow>
  );
}

Custom transform origin:

<Grow in={open} style={{ transformOrigin: 'center top' }}>
  <MenuContent />
</Grow>

Slide

Directional slide transition. The element slides in from an edge of the screen or a container.

import { Slide, Paper } from '@mui/material';
import { useRef } from 'react';

function SlideExample({ visible }: { visible: boolean }) {
  const containerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);

  return (
    <Box ref={containerRef} sx={{ overflow: 'hidden', height: 200 }}>
      <Slide
        direction="up"
        in={visible}
        container={containerRef.current}
        timeout={{ enter: 400, exit: 200 }}
      >
        <Paper sx={{ p: 2 }}>Slides up into view</Paper>
      </Slide>
    </Box>
  );
}

direction values: 'up' | 'down' | 'left' | 'right'

When container is provided, the element slides relative to that container instead of the viewport.

Collapse

Height (or width) animation that expands/collapses content.

import { Collapse, List, ListItem, ListItemText, Button, Box } from '@mui/material';

function CollapseExample() {
  const [expanded, setExpanded] = useState(false);

  return (
    <Box>
      <Button onClick={() => setExpanded((e) => !e)}>
        {expanded ? 'Collapse' : 'Expand'}
      </Button>
      <Collapse in={expanded} timeout="auto" unmountOnExit>
        <List>
          <ListItem><ListItemText primary="Item 1" /></ListItem>
          <ListItem><ListItemText primary="Item 2" /></ListItem>
          <ListItem><ListItemText primary="Item 3" /></ListItem>
        </List>
      </Collapse>
    </Box>
  );
}

Horizontal collapse:

<Collapse in={open} orientation="horizontal" collapsedSize={40}>
  <Sidebar />
</Collapse>

Prop	Type	Default	Description
collapsedSize	number | string	'0px'	Minimum size when collapsed (e.g., 40 to keep a peek visible)
orientation	'vertical' | 'horizontal'	'vertical'	Direction of collapse
timeout	number | 'auto'	duration.standard	'auto' calculates duration from height

Zoom

Scale transition from the center of the child element.

import { Zoom, Fab, AddIcon } from '@mui/material';

function ZoomFab({ visible }: { visible: boolean }) {
  return (
    <Zoom in={visible} timeout={200} unmountOnExit>
      <Fab color="primary" sx={{ position: 'fixed', bottom: 16, right: 16 }}>
        <AddIcon />
      </Fab>
    </Zoom>
  );
}

---

2. Usage Patterns

Basic Pattern

<Fade in={visible} timeout={300}>
  <Box>Content</Box>
</Fade>

Ref Forwarding for Custom Components

MUI transition components pass a ref to their child. If the child is a custom component, it must forward the ref:

import { forwardRef } from 'react';
import { Fade, FadeProps } from '@mui/material';

// Custom component that forwards ref
const CustomCard = forwardRef<HTMLDivElement, { title: string }>(
  function CustomCard({ title, ...props }, ref) {
    return (
      <div ref={ref} {...props}>
        <h3>{title}</h3>
      </div>
    );
  }
);

// Usage inside a transition
function AnimatedCard({ visible }: { visible: boolean }) {
  return (
    <Fade in={visible}>
      <CustomCard title="Hello" />
    </Fade>
  );
}

Without forwardRef, the transition will not work and React will warn about refs on function components.

Conditional Rendering vs Visibility Toggle

Visibility toggle (keeps DOM node, hides with CSS):

<Fade in={visible}>
  <Box>Always in DOM, opacity changes</Box>
</Fade>

Conditional rendering (removes DOM node on exit):

<Fade in={visible} unmountOnExit mountOnEnter>
  <Box>Removed from DOM when hidden</Box>
</Fade>

Use unmountOnExit when:

• The hidden content is expensive (heavy components, iframes)
• You need to reset component state on re-entry
• You want to reduce DOM size for accessibility screen readers

Use visibility toggle when:

• You need instant re-show without remount cost
• The component maintains scroll position or form state

---

3. TransitionGroup -- Animating Lists

TransitionGroup from react-transition-group works with MUI transitions to animate items being added or removed from a list.

import { TransitionGroup } from 'react-transition-group';
import {
  Collapse,
  List,
  ListItem,
  ListItemText,
  IconButton,
  Button,
  Box,
} from '@mui/material';
import DeleteIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Delete';
import { useState } from 'react';

interface Item {
  id: number;
  name: string;
}

function AnimatedList() {
  const [items, setItems] = useState<Item[]>([
    { id: 1, name: 'Apple' },
    { id: 2, name: 'Banana' },
    { id: 3, name: 'Cherry' },
  ]);

  const addItem = () => {
    const id = Date.now();
    setItems((prev) => [...prev, { id, name: `Item ${id}` }]);
  };

  const removeItem = (id: number) => {
    setItems((prev) => prev.filter((item) => item.id !== id));
  };

  return (
    <Box>
      <Button onClick={addItem} variant="contained" sx={{ mb: 2 }}>
        Add Item
      </Button>
      <List>
        <TransitionGroup>
          {items.map((item) => (
            <Collapse key={item.id}>
              <ListItem
                secondaryAction={
                  <IconButton edge="end" onClick={() => removeItem(item.id)}>
                    <DeleteIcon />
                  </IconButton>
                }
              >
                <ListItemText primary={item.name} />
              </ListItem>
            </Collapse>
          ))}
        </TransitionGroup>
      </List>
    </Box>
  );
}

Using Fade instead of Collapse for list items:

<TransitionGroup>
  {items.map((item) => (
    <Fade key={item.id} timeout={500}>
      <ListItem>
        <ListItemText primary={item.name} />
      </ListItem>
    </Fade>
  ))}
</TransitionGroup>

Important: Each child of TransitionGroup must have a unique key. The transition component (Collapse, Fade, etc.) should be the direct child of TransitionGroup, wrapping the actual content.

---

4. Custom Transitions

Create reusable transition components using the Transition component from react-transition-group.

Using MUI's styled + Transition

import { Transition, TransitionStatus } from 'react-transition-group';
import { forwardRef, useRef } from 'react';
import { Box, BoxProps } from '@mui/material';

interface SlideRotateProps extends Omit<BoxProps, 'ref'> {
  in: boolean;
  timeout?: number;
  children: React.ReactNode;
}

const SlideRotate = forwardRef<HTMLDivElement, SlideRotateProps>(
  function SlideRotate({ in: inProp, timeout = 400, children, ...boxProps }, ref) {
    const nodeRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);

    const styles: Record<TransitionStatus, React.CSSProperties> = {
      entering: { opacity: 1, transform: 'translateX(0) rotate(0deg)' },
      entered: { opacity: 1, transform: 'translateX(0) rotate(0deg)' },
      exiting: { opacity: 0, transform: 'translateX(-100%) rotate(-10deg)' },
      exited: { opacity: 0, transform: 'translateX(-100%) rotate(-10deg)' },
      unmounted: {},
    };

    return (
      <Transition in={inProp} timeout={timeout} nodeRef={nodeRef} unmountOnExit>
        {(state) => (
          <Box
            ref={nodeRef}
            {...boxProps}
            sx={{
              transition: `all ${timeout}ms ease-in-out`,
              ...styles[state],
              ...boxProps.sx,
            }}
          >
            {children}
          </Box>
        )}
      </Transition>
    );
  }
);

// Usage
function Demo() {
  const [show, setShow] = useState(true);
  return (
    <SlideRotate in={show} timeout={500}>
      <Paper sx={{ p: 2 }}>Custom transition!</Paper>
    </SlideRotate>
  );
}

Wrapping MUI Transitions for Reuse

import { Slide, SlideProps } from '@mui/material';

// A preset "slide from right" transition component
function SlideFromRight(props: Omit<SlideProps, 'direction'>) {
  return <Slide direction="left" {...props} />;
}

// A combined Fade + Slide transition
function FadeSlideUp({
  in: inProp,
  children,
  timeout = 400,
}: {
  in: boolean;
  children: React.ReactElement;
  timeout?: number;
}) {
  return (
    <Fade in={inProp} timeout={timeout}>
      <div>
        <Slide in={inProp} direction="up" timeout={timeout}>
          {children}
        </Slide>
      </div>
    </Fade>
  );
}

---

5. Theme Transitions

MUI's theme provides a transitions object for consistent timing across the application.

theme.transitions.create()

Generates a CSS transition string from property names and options:

import { Box, useTheme } from '@mui/material';

function ThemedTransition() {
  const theme = useTheme();

  return (
    <Box
      sx={{
        width: 100,
        height: 100,
        bgcolor: 'primary.main',
        transition: theme.transitions.create(['transform', 'opacity'], {
          duration: theme.transitions.duration.standard,
          easing: theme.transitions.easing.easeInOut,
        }),
        '&:hover': {
          transform: 'scale(1.1)',
          opacity: 0.8,
        },
      }}
    />
  );
}

Using the Theme Callback in sx

<Box
  sx={{
    transition: (theme) =>
      theme.transitions.create(['background-color', 'box-shadow'], {
        duration: theme.transitions.duration.short,
      }),
    '&:hover': {
      bgcolor: 'action.hover',
      boxShadow: 4,
    },
  }}
/>

Available Duration Constants

Constant	Value	Use case
shortest	150ms	Small UI feedback (ripple)
shorter	200ms	Quick toggles
short	250ms	Standard interactions
standard	300ms	Default for most transitions
complex	375ms	Multi-property changes
enteringScreen	225ms	Elements entering viewport
leavingScreen	195ms	Elements leaving viewport

Available Easing Constants

Constant	Value	Use case
easeInOut	cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1)	Standard transitions
easeOut	cubic-bezier(0.0, 0, 0.2, 1)	Elements entering screen
easeIn	cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 1, 1)	Elements leaving screen
sharp	cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.6, 1)	Elements that may return

Customizing Theme Transitions

import { createTheme } from '@mui/material/styles';

const theme = createTheme({
  transitions: {
    duration: {
      shortest: 100,
      shorter: 150,
      short: 200,
      standard: 250,
      complex: 300,
      enteringScreen: 200,
      leavingScreen: 150,
    },
    easing: {
      easeInOut: 'cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1)',
      easeOut: 'cubic-bezier(0.0, 0, 0.2, 1)',
      easeIn: 'cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 1, 1)',
      sharp: 'cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.6, 1)',
      // Custom easing:
      bounce: 'cubic-bezier(0.68, -0.55, 0.265, 1.55)',
    },
  },
});

---

6. sx-based CSS Transitions and Keyframes

Hover Transitions with sx

<Button
  sx={{
    transition: 'all 0.3s ease',
    '&:hover': {
      transform: 'translateY(-2px)',
      boxShadow: 6,
    },
    '&:active': {
      transform: 'translateY(0)',
      boxShadow: 2,
    },
  }}
>
  Animated Button
</Button>

Keyframe Animations with @keyframes

import { keyframes } from '@mui/system';
import { Box } from '@mui/material';

const pulse = keyframes`
  0% {
    transform: scale(1);
    box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(25, 118, 210, 0.4);
  }
  70% {
    transform: scale(1.05);
    box-shadow: 0 0 0 10px rgba(25, 118, 210, 0);
  }
  100% {
    transform: scale(1);
    box-shadow: 0 0 0 0 rgba(25, 118, 210, 0);
  }
`;

const spin = keyframes`
  from { transform: rotate(0deg); }
  to { transform: rotate(360deg); }
`;

const shimmer = keyframes`
  0% { background-position: -200% 0; }
  100% { background-position: 200% 0; }
`;

function KeyframeExamples() {
  return (
    <>
      {/* Pulsing notification badge */}
      <Box
        sx={{
          width: 12,
          height: 12,
          borderRadius: '50%',
          bgcolor: 'error.main',
          animation: `${pulse} 2s infinite`,
        }}
      />

      {/* Spinning loader */}
      <Box
        sx={{
          width: 40,
          height: 40,
          border: '3px solid',
          borderColor: 'grey.300',
          borderTopColor: 'primary.main',
          borderRadius: '50%',
          animation: `${spin} 1s linear infinite`,
        }}
      />

      {/* Shimmer loading placeholder */}
      <Box
        sx={{
          width: '100%',
          height: 20,
          borderRadius: 1,
          background: (theme) =>
            `linear-gradient(90deg, ${theme.palette.grey[200]} 25%, ${theme.palette.grey[100]} 50%, ${theme.palette.grey[200]} 75%)`,
          backgroundSize: '200% 100%',
          animation: `${shimmer} 1.5s ease-in-out infinite`,
        }}
      />
    </>
  );
}

Combining Keyframes with Theme

const fadeInUp = keyframes`
  from {
    opacity: 0;
    transform: translateY(20px);
  }
  to {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: translateY(0);
  }
`;

<Card
  sx={{
    animation: `${fadeInUp} 0.5s ease-out`,
    animationFillMode: 'both',
    animationDelay: '0.1s',
  }}
/>

Staggered Animations

function StaggeredList({ items }: { items: string[] }) {
  return (
    <List>
      {items.map((item, index) => (
        <ListItem
          key={item}
          sx={{
            animation: `${fadeInUp} 0.4s ease-out both`,
            animationDelay: `${index * 0.05}s`,
          }}
        >
          <ListItemText primary={item} />
        </ListItem>
      ))}
    </List>
  );
}

---

7. Framer Motion Integration

Framer Motion provides more advanced animation capabilities that work well alongside MUI components.

Install

npm install framer-motion

AnimatePresence with MUI Dialog

import { Dialog, DialogTitle, DialogContent, DialogActions, Button } from '@mui/material';
import { AnimatePresence, motion } from 'framer-motion';

const MotionDialogContent = motion.create(DialogContent);

function AnimatedDialog({
  open,
  onClose,
}: {
  open: boolean;
  onClose: () => void;
}) {
  return (
    <AnimatePresence>
      {open && (
        <Dialog
          open={open}
          onClose={onClose}
          PaperProps={{
            component: motion.div,
            initial: { opacity: 0, scale: 0.9, y: 20 },
            animate: { opacity: 1, scale: 1, y: 0 },
            exit: { opacity: 0, scale: 0.9, y: 20 },
            transition: { duration: 0.3, ease: 'easeOut' },
          }}
        >
          <DialogTitle>Animated Dialog</DialogTitle>
          <MotionDialogContent
            initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
            animate={{ opacity: 1 }}
            transition={{ delay: 0.15 }}
          >
            Content appears with a slight delay after the dialog scales in.
          </MotionDialogContent>
          <DialogActions>
            <Button onClick={onClose}>Close</Button>
          </DialogActions>
        </Dialog>
      )}
    </AnimatePresence>
  );
}

Layout Animations with MUI Components

import { motion, LayoutGroup } from 'framer-motion';
import { Card, CardContent, Typography, Grid, Box } from '@mui/material';

const MotionCard = motion.create(Card);

function LayoutAnimationGrid({ items }: { items: Item[] }) {
  const [selected, setSelected] = useState<string | null>(null);

  return (
    <LayoutGroup>
      <Grid container spacing={2}>
        {items.map((item) => (
          <Grid size={{ xs: 12, sm: selected === item.id ? 12 : 6 }} key={item.id}>
            <MotionCard
              layout
              layoutId={item.id}
              onClick={() =>
                setSelected(selected === item.id ? null : item.id)
              }
              sx={{ cursor: 'pointer' }}
              transition={{ duration: 0.4, ease: 'easeInOut' }}
            >
              <CardContent>
                <Typography variant="h6">{item.title}</Typography>
                <AnimatePresence>
                  {selected === item.id && (
                    <motion.div
                      initial={{ opacity: 0, height: 0 }}
                      animate={{ opacity: 1, height: 'auto' }}
                      exit={{ opacity: 0, height: 0 }}
                    >
                      <Typography>{item.description}</Typography>
                    </motion.div>
                  )}
                </AnimatePresence>
              </CardContent>
            </MotionCard>
          </Grid>
        ))}
      </Grid>
    </LayoutGroup>
  );
}

Animated List with AnimatePresence

import { AnimatePresence, motion } from 'framer-motion';
import { List, ListItem, ListItemText, IconButton } from '@mui/material';
import DeleteIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Delete';

const MotionListItem = motion.create(ListItem);

function MotionList({ items, onRemove }: { items: Item[]; onRemove: (id: string) => void }) {
  return (
    <List>
      <AnimatePresence initial={false}>
        {items.map((item) => (
          <MotionListItem
            key={item.id}
            initial={{ opacity: 0, x: -50 }}
            animate={{ opacity: 1, x: 0 }}
            exit={{ opacity: 0, x: 50, height: 0, marginBottom: 0 }}
            transition={{ duration: 0.3 }}
            secondaryAction={
              <IconButton onClick={() => onRemove(item.id)}>
                <DeleteIcon />
              </IconButton>
            }
          >
            <ListItemText primary={item.name} />
          </MotionListItem>
        ))}
      </AnimatePresence>
    </List>
  );
}

Shared Layout Animations (Tabs)

import { motion } from 'framer-motion';
import { Tabs, Tab, Box } from '@mui/material';

function AnimatedTabs() {
  const [tab, setTab] = useState(0);
  const tabs = ['Overview', 'Details', 'Settings'];

  return (
    <Box>
      <Box sx={{ display: 'flex', gap: 1, position: 'relative' }}>
        {tabs.map((label, i) => (
          <Box
            key={label}
            onClick={() => setTab(i)}
            sx={{
              px: 2,
              py: 1,
              cursor: 'pointer',
              position: 'relative',
              zIndex: 1,
              color: tab === i ? 'primary.contrastText' : 'text.primary',
              transition: 'color 0.3s',
            }}
          >
            {tab === i && (
              <motion.div
                layoutId="activeTab"
                style={{
                  position: 'absolute',
                  inset: 0,
                  borderRadius: 8,
                  background: '#1976d2',
                  zIndex: -1,
                }}
                transition={{ type: 'spring', stiffness: 400, damping: 30 }}
              />
            )}
            {label}
          </Box>
        ))}
      </Box>
    </Box>
  );
}

---

8. Component-Specific Transitions

Dialog Enter/Exit

Override the default Dialog transition:

import { Dialog, Slide } from '@mui/material';
import { TransitionProps } from '@mui/material/transitions';
import { forwardRef } from 'react';

const SlideUpTransition = forwardRef(function SlideUpTransition(
  props: TransitionProps & { children: React.ReactElement },
  ref: React.Ref<unknown>,
) {
  return <Slide direction="up" ref={ref} {...props} />;
});

// Full-screen dialog with slide-up entrance
<Dialog
  open={open}
  onClose={handleClose}
  fullScreen
  TransitionComponent={SlideUpTransition}
>
  {/* ... */}
</Dialog>

Drawer Slide

Drawers use Slide internally. Customize via SlideProps:

<Drawer
  open={open}
  onClose={handleClose}
  anchor="right"
  SlideProps={{
    timeout: { enter: 400, exit: 300 },
    easing: {
      enter: 'cubic-bezier(0.0, 0, 0.2, 1)',
      exit: 'cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 1, 1)',
    },
  }}
>
  <DrawerContent />
</Drawer>

Snackbar Transitions

import { Snackbar, Slide, Grow, Fade } from '@mui/material';

// Slide from top
function SlideDown(props: TransitionProps) {
  return <Slide {...props} direction="down" />;
}

<Snackbar
  open={open}
  onClose={handleClose}
  TransitionComponent={SlideDown}
  autoHideDuration={3000}
  anchorOrigin={{ vertical: 'top', horizontal: 'center' }}
  message="Notification"
/>

// Grow from the anchor
<Snackbar
  open={open}
  TransitionComponent={Grow}
  message="Growing notification"
/>

Menu and Popover Transitions

import { Menu, MenuItem, Fade, Zoom } from '@mui/material';

// Fade menu instead of default Grow
<Menu
  open={open}
  anchorEl={anchorEl}
  onClose={handleClose}
  TransitionComponent={Fade}
  transitionDuration={200}
>
  <MenuItem>Option 1</MenuItem>
  <MenuItem>Option 2</MenuItem>
</Menu>

// Zoom popover
<Popover
  open={open}
  anchorEl={anchorEl}
  TransitionComponent={Zoom}
  transitionDuration={{ enter: 300, exit: 150 }}
>
  <Box sx={{ p: 2 }}>Popover content</Box>
</Popover>

Accordion Collapse

Accordion uses Collapse internally. Customize via TransitionProps and TransitionComponent:

import { Accordion, AccordionSummary, AccordionDetails, Fade } from '@mui/material';

<Accordion
  TransitionProps={{ unmountOnExit: true }}
  slotProps={{
    transition: {
      timeout: 500,
    },
  }}
>
  <AccordionSummary expandIcon={<ExpandMoreIcon />}>
    <Typography>Section Title</Typography>
  </AccordionSummary>
  <AccordionDetails>
    <Typography>Lazy-mounted content that unmounts on collapse.</Typography>
  </AccordionDetails>
</Accordion>

Skeleton Pulse Customization

Override the default pulse animation of Skeleton:

import { Skeleton, keyframes } from '@mui/material';

const customPulse = keyframes`
  0% { opacity: 1; }
  50% { opacity: 0.3; }
  100% { opacity: 1; }
`;

<Skeleton
  variant="rectangular"
  width={210}
  height={118}
  sx={{
    animation: `${customPulse} 2s ease-in-out infinite`,
    bgcolor: 'grey.200',
  }}
/>

// Wave animation variant
<Skeleton variant="text" animation="wave" />

// Disable animation
<Skeleton variant="circular" width={40} height={40} animation={false} />

---

9. Performance Tips

Use GPU-Accelerated Properties

Only animate transform and opacity for smooth 60fps animations. These properties do not trigger layout or paint:

// GOOD: GPU-accelerated
sx={{
  transition: 'transform 0.3s, opacity 0.3s',
  '&:hover': {
    transform: 'translateY(-4px) scale(1.02)',
    opacity: 0.9,
  },
}}

// BAD: Triggers layout recalculation
sx={{
  transition: 'width 0.3s, height 0.3s, margin 0.3s',
  '&:hover': {
    width: 300,     // layout thrash
    height: 200,    // layout thrash
    marginTop: 10,  // layout thrash
  },
}}

will-change Hint

Tell the browser to prepare for upcoming animations:

<Box
  sx={{
    willChange: 'transform, opacity',
    transition: (theme) =>
      theme.transitions.create(['transform', 'opacity'], {
        duration: theme.transitions.duration.standard,
      }),
    '&:hover': {
      transform: 'scale(1.05)',
    },
  }}
/>

Important: Only apply will-change to elements that will actually animate. Overuse wastes GPU memory. Remove it after the animation completes for one-shot animations:

function AnimateOnce({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  const [animated, setAnimated] = useState(false);

  return (
    <Box
      sx={{
        willChange: animated ? 'auto' : 'transform',
        animation: `${fadeInUp} 0.5s ease-out both`,
      }}
      onAnimationEnd={() => setAnimated(true)}
    >
      {children}
    </Box>
  );
}

Avoid Layout Thrash

Do not read layout properties (offsetHeight, getBoundingClientRect) in the middle of an animation frame. Batch reads before writes:

// BAD: read-write-read-write causes forced reflows
elements.forEach((el) => {
  const height = el.offsetHeight; // read (forces layout)
  el.style.transform = `translateY(${height}px)`; // write
});

// GOOD: batch all reads, then all writes
const heights = elements.map((el) => el.offsetHeight);
elements.forEach((el, i) => {
  el.style.transform = `translateY(${heights[i]}px)`;
});

Reduce Motion for Accessibility

Respect the user's prefers-reduced-motion setting:

const prefersReducedMotion = keyframes`/* empty */`;

<Box
  sx={{
    animation: `${pulse} 2s infinite`,
    '@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)': {
      animation: 'none',
    },
  }}
/>

Or globally via the theme:

const theme = createTheme({
  transitions: {
    // Check user preference
    create: (props, options) => {
      if (window.matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches) {
        return 'none';
      }
      return createTheme().transitions.create(props, options);
    },
  },
});

Transition Performance Checklist

• Animate only transform and opacity whenever possible
• Use will-change sparingly and only on elements about to animate
• Prefer unmountOnExit on heavy content behind transitions
• Use timeout="auto" on Collapse to get natural-feeling durations
• Set appear={false} to skip initial mount animations when not needed
• Use requestAnimationFrame for JavaScript-driven animations
• Respect prefers-reduced-motion for accessibility compliance
• Avoid animating box-shadow directly; use ::after pseudo-element with opacity instead:

<Box
  sx={{
    position: 'relative',
    '&::after': {
      content: '""',
      position: 'absolute',
      inset: 0,
      borderRadius: 'inherit',
      boxShadow: 6,
      opacity: 0,
      transition: 'opacity 0.3s',
    },
    '&:hover::after': {
      opacity: 1,
    },
  }}
/>