Auto-Rotating 3D Cube Carousel With JavaScript & CSS3

This is a simple 3D cube carousel that supports auto-rotation and pauses when hovered over. Built with HTML, CSS/CSS3, and a little bit of JavaScript, it also allows users to manually navigate through images with next and previous buttons.

This 3D carousel provides a fancy way to showcase a set of images, perfect for showcasing product collections, portfolio items, or even as a dynamic visual element for your website. The auto-rotation feature keeps the display engaging, while the pause-on-hover functionality allows users to focus on a particular image.

How to use it:

1. Build the HTML for the carousel. This structure defines the main container, the image cube itself (containing individual image divs), and the buttons for manual navigation.

<div class="container">
  <div class="image-cube">
    <div class="front"></div>
    <div class="right"></div>
    <div class="back"></div>
    <div class="left"></div>
  </div>
   <div class="btns">
    <button id="prev"><</button>
    <button id="next">></button>
   </div>
</div>

2. The necessary CSS/CSS3 styles.

• Define the root variables for the primary color and rotation speed.
• Reset default styles and set up the layout with flexbox.
• Style the container and cube, applying the necessary 3D transformations and transitions.
• Position and style the individual cube faces using background images.
• Style the next/prev buttons and apply the reflection effect.

:root {
  --color-primary: dimgray;
  --rotation-speed: 1s;
}
* {
  padding: 0;
  margin: 0;
  box-sizing: border-box;
}
html {
  min-height: 100vh;
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
}
body {
  background: linear-gradient(to top, #222, #ddd);
}
.container {
  height: 100%;
  width: 100%;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
  perspective: 800px;
  perspective-origin: 50%;
}
.image-cube {
  width: 300px;
  height: 300px;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
  position: relative;
  transition: var(--rotation-speed);  
}
.image-cube div {
  height: 300px;
  width: 300px;
  position: absolute;
  background-size: cover;
  background-position: 50% 50%;
  border: 3px solid white;
  -webkit-box-reflect: below -3px linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(0,0,0,0) 80%, rgba(0,0,0,0.15));
}
.front {
  transform: translateZ(150px);
}
.right {
  transform: rotateY(-270deg) translateX(150px);
  transform-origin: 100% 0;
}
.back {
  transform: translateZ(-150px) rotateY(180deg);
}
.left {
  transform: rotateY(270deg) translateX(-150px);
  transform-origin: 0 50%;
}
.btns {
  position: absolute;
  display: flex;
  justify-content: space-between;
  width: 405px;
  pointer-events: none;
}
.btns button {
  background-color: transparent;
  color: #ffffff;
  border: 3px solid #ffffff;
  background: var(--color-primary);
  border-radius: 50%;
  font-size: 20px;
  cursor: pointer;
  width: 40px;
  height: 40px;
  box-shadow: 0 3px 5px rgba(0,0,0,.5);
  pointer-events: all;
}

3. Add your own images to the carousel.

.front {
  background-image: url('https://source.unsplash.com/zgZjXqeyZVI/2400x1600');
}
.right {
  background-image: url('https://source.unsplash.com/tXiMrX3Gc-g/2400x1600');
}
.back {
  background-image: url('https://source.unsplash.com/p0ZvBVpW3KY/2400x1600');
}
.left {
  background-image: url('https://source.unsplash.com/u6JG0eYjcEU/2400x1600');
}

4. Activate the carousel.

let con = document.querySelector('.container'),
    cube = document.querySelector(".image-cube"),
    btnNext = document.getElementById("next"),
    btnPrev = document.getElementById("prev"),
    switch_delay = 3000; //milliseconds
let pos = 0;
btnNext.addEventListener("click", () => {
  pos -= 90;
  cube.style.transform = `rotateY(${pos}deg)`;
});
btnPrev.addEventListener("click", () => {
  pos += 90;
  cube.style.transform = `rotateY(${pos}deg)`;
});
function autoClick() {
  pos -= 90;
  cube.style.transform = `rotateY(${pos}deg)`;
}
autoClick();
let autoRun = setInterval(autoClick, switch_delay);
//pause on mouseover
con.addEventListener('mouseenter', function(){
  clearInterval(autoRun);
});
//restart on mouseleave
con.addEventListener('mouseleave', function(){
  autoRun = setInterval(autoClick, switch_delay);
});