Can the background shadow animation shown on the Build microinteractions around mouse movement example on the Webflow Interaction feature page be achieved using just interactions or does it require custom code?

The background shadow animation shown in the Build microinteractions around mouse movement example on Webflow’s Interactions feature page can be achieved using Webflow’s built-in interactions — no custom code is required.

1. Use Mouse Move Interaction on an Element

• Select the container or background element where you want the light/shadow effect to appear.
• Go to the Interactions panel, create a new interaction, and select Mouse Move over Element as the trigger.
• This allows you to create animations based on the cursor’s position relative to the selected element.

2. Animate Box Shadow or a Light Element

There are two ways to simulate the shadow/highlight:

• Method A: Animate box-shadow properties

• Under the interaction, create a new Mouse X/Y move action.

• Add a Box Shadow style transformation that updates the X and Y offset dynamically based on the mouse position.

• Set the Origin of the element appropriately if needed.

• Method B: Move a light overlay

• Create a radial gradient div (e.g., a white semi-transparent circle) behind or above the element.

• Animate its position using move transforms based on the cursor position.

• This method simulates how a light source changes dynamically with mouse movement.

3. Fine-Tune the Effect

• Use easing, boundaries, and dampening to make the shadow animation more fluid and natural.
• Consider setting limits to avoid extreme offset values that can break the design visual.

Summary

You can fully replicate the mouse-based background shadow effect from the Webflow interaction demo using Webflow’s native interactions—no custom code is needed. Use Mouse Move over Element triggers with box-shadow changes or positioned overlays to achieve the animated light/shadow look.