Moving ASCII art
Bouncing Ball
A small ball arcing up and down inside a text box, drawn frame by frame.
|o | | | | | |_________|
About the animation
What it is
A small ball arcing up and down inside a text box, drawn frame by frame.
Use it as an idle animation, a screensaver in a terminal app, or a fun 404 page element.
Motion guide
How the bouncing ball animation works
The ball travels across the top, drops toward the lower-right corner and then retraces its path. The border remains fixed, which makes the changing position easy to follow from frame to frame.
Implementation tip
Render all four lines as one frame and overwrite the same region at about eight frames per second. Do not trim trailing spaces: they keep the ball's horizontal position accurate.
Best uses
- 01
Terminal idle animations
- 02
Text-only 404 screens
- 03
Teaching frame-by-frame animation
Use the frames
How to run the bouncing ball animation
- 01
Copy the frame set
Copy all 6 frames at once, or take individual frames from the reference list below.
- 02
Display them in order
Use a timer in your script or bot to advance through the frames at about 8 frames per second.
- 03
Replace the previous frame
Render all four lines as one frame and overwrite the same region at about eight frames per second. Do not trim trailing spaces: they keep the ball's horizontal position accurate.
Frame by frame
Every frame
|o | | | | | |_________|
| o | | | | | |_________|
| | | o | | | |_________|
| | | | | o| |_________|
| | | o | | | |_________|
| o | | | | | |_________|
Common questions
About this ASCII animation
What is the bouncing ball ASCII animation?
A small ball arcing up and down inside a text box, drawn frame by frame. The ball travels across the top, drops toward the lower-right corner and then retraces its path. The border remains fixed, which makes the changing position easy to follow from frame to frame.
Does copying the frames make them animate?
No. The copied text contains each of the 6 drawings, while your terminal, app or bot supplies the timer and replaces one frame with the next. Render all four lines as one frame and overwrite the same region at about eight frames per second. Do not trim trailing spaces: they keep the ball's horizontal position accurate.
Can I change the playback speed?
Yes. The preview uses 8 fps as a readable starting point. A shorter delay feels faster, while a longer delay makes each frame easier to inspect.
Where does the bouncing ball animation fit?
Use it as an idle animation, a screensaver in a terminal app, or a fun 404 page element. It suits terminal idle animations, text-only 404 screens, teaching frame-by-frame animation.
Also known as
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