SVG Wave Generator

Difficulty	Beginner
Team Size	Solo
Time	~15-20 hours
Demo-ready by	Step 4
Prerequisites	HTML, CSS, JavaScript, basic math (sine/cosine)
Built by	SVG Wave, Haikei, Get Waves, Shape Divider

Skills you'll earn: SVG path generation, trigonometry, randomization, CSS export, responsive design

Start by drawing a sine wave with an SVG path. End with a layered wave generator that exports production-ready SVG.

(Assumes basic HTML/CSS/JS knowledge. Includes learning SVG path syntax and noise functions.)

Step 1: Draw a sine wave (~1-2 hours)

You need a wavy line. SVG paths can do this.

• Generate points along a sine curve: y = amplitude * Math.sin(frequency * x)
• Convert points to an SVG <path> using cubic bezier curves or polyline
• Render it in an inline <svg> element
• Hardcode amplitude, frequency, and number of points for now

You now have: A static sine wave.

Step 2: Make it configurable (~2-3 hours)

Hardcoded values are useless for a tool.

• Add sliders for amplitude, frequency, number of points, and vertical offset
• Re-render the wave on every input change
• Add a color picker for the stroke and fill
• Fill from the wave down to the bottom of the SVG to get that "wave section" look

You now have: An interactive wave editor.

Step 3: Multiple layers (~2-3 hours)

One wave looks flat. Stacking them creates depth.

• Allow adding multiple wave layers, each with its own settings
• Render layers back-to-front with decreasing opacity
• Each layer gets its own color, amplitude, frequency, and offset
• Slight phase shifts between layers create a natural look

You now have: Layered, parallax-style waves.

Step 4: Randomization (~2-3 hours)

Hand-tuning every parameter is tedious.

• Add a "Randomize" button that generates a pleasing random combination
• Constrain randomness: keep amplitudes proportional, colors from a palette
• Use Perlin noise or simplex noise for organic-looking wave distortion instead of pure sine

You now have: One-click wave generation.

Step 5: Export (~2-3 hours)

The wave lives in your browser and nowhere else.

• Copy raw SVG markup to clipboard
• Download as .svg file
• Export as PNG at configurable resolution using a canvas intermediary
• Generate a CSS background-image using inline SVG data URI

You now have: Production-ready wave assets.

Step 6: Presets and animation (~2-3 hours)

• Save and load preset configurations
• Animate waves by shifting phase over time with requestAnimationFrame
• Export animated SVG using <animate> elements or CSS keyframes

You now have: A full wave design tool.

Useful Resources

• MDN: SVG path element
• MDN: SVG path d attribute
• SVG Wave generators for inspiration (svgwave.in)
• simplex-noise (npm)
• MDN: SVG animate element

Where to go from here

• Blob/organic shape mode (closed wave paths)
• Gradient fills per layer
• Responsive wave that adapts to container width
• npm package that renders waves programmatically