# Aerial Dunes

> WebGL flyover of a sand sea seen from above: sinuous transverse dunes with crisp crests and slip faces, wind ripples on the windward slopes and long shadows marched toward a low sun that the pointer swings across the sky. White gypsum by day, moonlit at night, with Sahara, Namib and dusk sands too. Pauses off-screen and holds a still frame for reduced motion.

- Slug: `aerial-dunes`
- Category: [Backgrounds](https://www.assembli.design/category/backgrounds.md)
- Type: block
- Tags: webgl, shader, desert, terrain, shadows, pointer
- npm dependencies: motion
- shadcn/ui dependencies: none
- Live preview: https://www.assembli.design/preview/aerial-dunes
- Page: https://www.assembli.design/components/aerial-dunes

![Aerial Dunes preview](https://www.assembli.design/thumbnails/aerial-dunes-light.png)

## Props

Other props pass through to the root element.

| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `sand` | `DuneSand` | `"gypsum"` | Desert in light mode. |
| `darkSand` | `DuneSand` | `"moon"` | Desert in dark mode. |
| `mode` | `"auto" \| "light" \| "dark"` | `"auto"` | Follow the page theme, or force one. |
| `scale` | `number` | `1` | Dune size: below 1 is a smaller sea of dunes, above 1 larger. |
| `speed` | `number` | `1` | Speed of the flyover. 0 holds the view still. |
| `interactive` | `boolean` | `true` | The pointer swings the sun around the sky. |

## Install

One-time setup (needs a subscription):

1. Add the registry to the project's `components.json`: `{"@assembli":{"url":"https://www.assembli.design/r/{name}.json","headers":{"Authorization":"Bearer ${ASSEMBLI_API_KEY}"}}}` (merge into `"registries"`).
2. Put an API key from https://www.assembli.design/account in `.env.local` as `ASSEMBLI_API_KEY=asm_…`.

Then install with the shadcn CLI (writes `components/aerial-dunes/aerial-dunes.tsx` and installs dependencies):

```bash
npx shadcn@latest add @assembli/aerial-dunes
```

Registry item JSON: https://www.assembli.design/r/aerial-dunes.json (send `Authorization: Bearer <api key>`)

## Code

> Component source needs an Assembli subscription ($12/month or $96/year) and an API key sent as `Authorization: Bearer <key>`. To get one without copying anything, POST https://www.assembli.design/api/agent/login (or call the MCP tool connect_account), show the user the link it returns, and poll https://www.assembli.design/api/agent/token for the key. Or subscribe at https://www.assembli.design/pricing and create a key at https://www.assembli.design/account.