Usage guidance
Last updated: 20 October 2026. German is the original; English is a translation.
Lava is a decorative animation for a quiet break, with optional bubble sounds. It is not a medical or therapeutic service and does not simulate exact fluid physics.
Start and pause
- The play button at the bottom of the animation starts movement. Press it again to pause. Neither animation nor sound starts automatically, including after reloading or restoring saved settings.
- Animation and sound pause in inactive tabs. Returning resumes an animation that was running; browser restrictions may prevent sound from resuming.
Presets and custom settings
- Classic, Gold rush, Deep sea, Oil film and Rainbow dream set the colour palette, carrier liquid, viscosity, speed and brightness together.
- Changing an individual value initially shows “Custom”. On reload, an exactly matching preset may be recognised again. Presets do not change playback, touch interaction, endless transformation, sound or volume.
- Speed controls the pace. Brightness changes the rendered liquid, not your device’s screen brightness.
Colours and materials
- Ember, Amethyst, Lagoon and Rose glow each use a base colour. Rainbow gives each bubble its own colour: nearby bubbles exchange colour and retain the mixture as they separate.
- Silver / metal, Copper and Gold have simulated surface reflections. Oil shimmer uses iridescent gradients. These are stylised effects, not physically exact materials.
- Choose the carrier liquid independently: Clear, Blue, Violet, Amber or Teal. It influences the background and lighting.
- Viscosity changes movement speed, stretching and shape changes. Higher values make lava more sluggish and elongated. Speed can also be adjusted separately.
Touch interaction and endless transformation
- Touch interaction and endless transformation are initially on and can be switched off separately.
- While the animation is running, drag through it with a pressed mouse button or one finger. Nearby bubbles follow gently. The influence gradually fades after release. Controls remain clickable.
- With touch interaction on and the animation running, swipes inside the scene move lava instead of scrolling. Pause or turn off touch interaction to scroll normally there.
- Endless transformation slowly develops shapes and colour nuances. Turning it off stops this extra development; normal movement and colour exchange on contact continue. Pause also freezes transformation.
Finger trail and detached lava bubbles
- Bubble trail and Bubble shedding are on by default. Both require running animation and enabled touch interaction. Drag with one finger or a pressed mouse button; tapping without dragging does not produce a trail.
- Bubble trail follows your finger or pointer, letting you draw lines or short messages in the liquid. Small bubbles rise gently and disappear after a few seconds.
- Bubble shedding starts on a large lava bubble: press it directly and drag. Small bubbles detach from its trailing edge, not from the current pointer position.
- With both options on, only the gesture’s starting point decides: starting on a large bubble selects shedding only; starting in empty space selects the finger trail only. This selection stays until release, even if you cross other bubbles afterwards.
- The effects can be disabled independently. With only the finger trail on, it also draws when starting on a bubble. With only shedding on, starting in empty space creates no small-bubble trail. With both off, gently moving the large bubbles remains available.
- Pause also freezes small bubbles. Turning an effect off clears its existing bubbles. Remember settings on this device saves both switches, but not drawn messages or particles.
Bubble sounds and volume
- Bubble sounds are initially on but begin only after you start. Quiet synthetic tones accompany bubbles approaching and separating. They are stylised sounds, not recordings; not every visible contact produces a tone.
- Volume changes work during playback. 0% is silent; 50% is the default volume. The sound switch disables bubble sounds independently of the slider.
- Start quietly, especially with headphones. Pause and inactive tabs interrupt sound. If audio is blocked or unsupported, you can still use the animation without sound.
Focus view and mobile devices
- Use the button at the top right of the animation to enter focus view. It uses browser fullscreen when available. Leave with the top-right cross, Escape or your device’s fullscreen controls.
- Buttons hide after three seconds without interaction. Moving the pointer, tapping or using the keyboard reveals them. A keyboard-focused button stays visible.
- The canvas adapts to screen size and orientation. Lava does not prevent the screen from switching off or your device from locking.
Remember and clear preferences
- “Remember settings on this device” is optional and initially off. Without consent, changes last only on the current page.
- With consent, the colour palette, speed, brightness, carrier liquid, viscosity, touch interaction, transformation, bubble trail, bubble sounds and volume are saved. Language and general appearance preferences can also be restored.
- Preferences stay in this browser, not an account. They do not automatically transfer to another browser or device. Playback, bubble positions and mixed colours are not saved.
- Turning off storage or using the clear action under local settings removes saved preferences. Currently displayed values may remain until reloading. The tool remains usable if browser storage is blocked.
Technical limits and comfortable use
- Animation requires JavaScript and WebGL. Without WebGL a still fallback is shown. Liquid, interaction and materials are simplified visual effects; rendering and performance depend on your device.
- The page indicates a reduced-motion preference. Animation never starts automatically. Enabling reduced motion during playback pauses the animation.
- Pause or close the page if uncomfortable. Choose comfortable brightness and volume. Do not use while driving or during tasks requiring your full attention.