How can I create pure CSS 3-dimensional spheres?

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tl;dr: I would like to create an actual 3d sphere with CSS - not just an illusion

Note: some of the snippet examples are not responsive. Please use full screen.

With pure CSS you can create and animate a 3d cube like so:

#cube-wrapper {
  position: absolute;
  left: 50%;
  top: 50%;
  perspective: 1500px;
}

.cube {
  position: relative;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
  animation-name: rotate;
  animation-duration: 30s;
  animation-timing-function: linear;
  animation-iteration-count: infinite;
}

@keyframes rotate {
  0% {
    transform: rotate3d(0, 0, 0, 0);
  }
  100% {
    transform: rotate3d(0, 1, 0, 360deg);
    ;
  }
}

.face {
  position: absolute;
  width: 200px;
  height: 200px;
  border: solid green 3px;
}

#front_face {
  transform: translateX(-100px) translateY(-100px) translateZ(100px);
  background: rgba(255, 0, 0, 0.5);
}

#back_face {
  transform: translateX(-100px) translateY(-100px) translateZ(-100px);
  background: rgba(255, 0, 255, 0.5);
}

#right_face {
  transform: translateY(-100px) rotateY(90deg);
  background: rgba(255, 255, 0, 0.5);
}

#left_face {
  transform: translateY(-100px) translateX(-200px) rotateY(90deg);
  background: rgba(0, 255, 0, 0.5);
}

#top_face {
  transform: translateX(-100px) translateY(-200px) rotateX(90deg);
  background: rgba(0, 255, 255, 0.5);
}

#bottom_face {
  transform: translateX(-100px) rotateX(90deg);
  background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5);
}

.cube {
  transform: rotateX(90deg) rotateY(90deg);
}
<div id="cube-wrapper">
  <div class="cube">
    <div id="front_face" class="face"></div>
    <div id="right_face" class="face"></div>
    <div id="back_face" class="face"></div>
    <div id="left_face" class="face"></div>
    <div id="top_face" class="face"></div>
    <div id="bottom_face" class="face"></div>
  </div>
</div>

I want to create and animate a 3d sphere in the same manner.

So... the first idea I get is to use border-radius and...well... it doesn't work.

#cube-wrapper {
  position: absolute;
  left: 50%;
  top: 50%;
  perspective: 1500px;
}

.cube {
  position: relative;
  transform-style: preserve-3d;
  animation-name: rotate;
  animation-duration: 30s;
  animation-timing-function: linear;
  animation-iteration-count: infinite;
}

@keyframes rotate {
  0% {
    transform: rotate3d(0, 0, 0, 0);
  }
  100% {
    transform: rotate3d(0, 1, 0, 360deg);
   
    ;
  }
}


.face {
  position: absolute;
  width: 200px;
  height: 200px;
  border: solid green 3px;
  border-radius: 100vw
}


 

#front_face {
  transform: translateX(-100px) translateY(-100px) translateZ(100px);
  background: rgba(255, 0, 0, 0.5);
}

#back_face {
  transform: translateX(-100px) translateY(-100px) translateZ(-100px);
  background: rgba(255, 0, 255, 0.5);
}

#right_face {
  transform: translateY(-100px) rotateY(90deg);
  background: rgba(255, 255, 0, 0.5);
}

#left_face {
  transform: translateY(-100px) translateX(-200px) rotateY(90deg);
  background: rgba(0, 255, 0, 0.5);
}

#top_face {
  transform: translateX(-100px) translateY(-200px) rotateX(90deg);
  background: rgba(0, 255, 255, 0.5);
}

#bottom_face {
  transform: translateX(-100px) rotateX(90deg);
  background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5);
}

.cube {
  transform: rotateX(90deg) rotateY(90deg);
}
<div id="cube-wrapper">
  <div class="cube">
    <div id="front_face" class="face"></div>
    <div id="right_face" class="face"></div>
    <div id="back_face" class="face"></div>
    <div id="left_face" class="face"></div>
    <div id="top_face" class="face"></div>
    <div id="bottom_face" class="face"></div>
  </div>
</div>

So, I reconsidered my approach and looked for a different method.

I looked at:

Then I tried again...the best I got were overly complicated 3d object illusions.

Like this:

body {
  overflow: hidden;
  background: #333;
}

.wrapper {
  margin: 1em;
  animation-duration: 20s;
}

.planet,
.planet:before,
.planet:after {
  height: 300px;
  width: 300px;
  border-radius: 100vw;
  will-change: transform;
  margin: 0 auto;
}

.planet {
  box-shadow: inset 0px 0px 10px 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);
  position: relative;
}

.wrapper,
.planet,
.planet:before {
  animation-name: myrotate;
  animation-duration: 20s;
}

.wrapper,
.planet,
.planet:before,
.planet:after {
  animation-timing-function: linear;
  animation-iteration-count: infinite;
}

.planet:before,
.planet:after {
  content: '';
  position: absolute;
  top: 0;
  left: 0;
}

.planet:before {
  box-shadow: inset 20px 20px 100px 00px rgba(0, 0, 0, .5), 0px 0px 5px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, .1);
}

.planet:after {
  filter: saturate(2.5);
  background: linear-gradient(rgba(0, 0, 0, 1), transparent), url("https://i.stack.imgur.com/eDYPN.jpg");
  opacity: 0.3;
  box-shadow: inset -20px -20px 14px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, .2);
  animation-name: myopacity;
  animation-duration: 5000000s;
}

@keyframes myrotate {
  0% {
    transform: rotatez(0deg);
  }
  100% {
    transform: rotatez(360deg);
  }
}

@keyframes myopacity {
  0% {
    background-position: 0px;
    transform: rotatez(0deg);
  }
  50% {
    background-position: 100000000px;
  }
  100% {
    background-position: 0;
    transform: rotatez(-360deg);
  }
}
<div class="wrapper">
  <div class="planet"></div>
</div>

And this:

body {
  background: #131418;
}

.wrapper {
  margin: 1em;
  max-width: 100%;
  position: fixed;
  left: 50%;
  top: 50%;
  transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
}

.planet,
.planet:before,
.planet:after {
  height: 500px;
  width: 500px;
  max-height: 30vw;
  max-width: 30vw;
  border-radius: 100vw;
  will-change: transform;
}

.planet {
  box-shadow: inset 0px 0px 100px 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, .5);
  position: relative;
  float: left;
  margin: 0 2em;
}

.planet,
.planet:before,
.planet:after {
  animation-name: myrotate;
  animation-duration: 10s;
}

.wrapper,
.planet,
.planet:before,
.planet:after {
  animation-timing-function: linear;
  animation-iteration-count: infinite;
}

.planet:before,
.planet:after {
  content: '';
  position: absolute;
  top: 0;
  left: 0;
}

.planet:before {
  box-shadow: inset 50px 100px 50px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, .5), 0 0 50px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, .25);
  background-image: -webkit-radial-gradient( top, circle cover, #ffffff 0%, #000000 80%);
  opacity: .5;
}

.planet:after {
  opacity: .3;
  background-image: -webkit-radial-gradient( bottom, circle, #ffffff 0%, #000000 -200%);
  box-shadow: inset 0px 0px 100px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, .5);
}

@keyframes myrotate {
  0% {
    transform: rotatez(0deg);
  }
  100% {
    transform: rotatez(-360deg);
  }
}

.bg {
  background: wheat;
}
<div class="wrapper">
  <div class="planet bg"></div>
</div>

Which are okay until you try to actually rotate them on either the x-axis or the y-axis like the cube in my first example...here's what happens then: (simplified example)

.sphere {
  background: black;
  width: 300px;
  height: 300px;
  border-radius: 100vw;
  animation: myrotate 10s linear infinite
}

@keyframes myrotate {
  0% {
    transform: rotate3d(0, 0, 0, 0);
  }
  100% {
    transform: rotate3d(0, 1, 0, 360deg);
  }
}
<div class="sphere"></div>

All you get is a flat 2d object - which is expeceted considering that it's what the element is

The closest thing I found is the following shape created in a tutorial by Timo Korinth

@-webkit-keyframes animateWorld {
  0% {
    -webkit-transform: rotateY(0deg) rotateX(0deg) rotateZ(0deg);
  }
  50% {
    -webkit-transform: rotateY(360deg) rotateX(180deg) rotateZ(180deg);
  }
  100% {
    -webkit-transform: rotateY(720deg) rotateX(360deg) rotateZ(360deg);
  }
}

html {
  background: #FFFFFF;
}

. world {
  -webkit-perspective: 1000px;
}

.cube {
  margin-left: auto;
  margin-right: auto;
  position: relative;
  width: 200px;
  height: 200px;
  -webkit-transform-style: preserve-3d;
  -webkit-animation-name: animateWorld;
  -webkit-animation-duration: 10s;
  -webkit-animation-iteration-count: infinite;
  -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear;
}

.circle {
  position: absolute;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  border: 2px dashed #009BC2;
  border-radius: 50%;
  opacity: 0.8;
  background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);
}

.zero {
  -webkit-transform: rotateX(90deg);
}

.two {
  -webkit-transform: rotateY(45deg);
}

.three {
  -webkit-transform: rotateY(90deg);
}

.four {
  -webkit-transform: rotateY(135deg);
}

.five {
  width: 173px;
  height: 173px;
  margin: 14px;
  -webkit-transform: rotateX(90deg) translateZ(50px);
}

.six {
  width: 173px;
  height: 173px;
  margin: 14px;
  -webkit-transform: rotateX(90deg) translateZ(-50px);
}
<div class="world">
  <div class="cube">
    <div class="circle zero"></div>
    <div class="circle one"></div>
    <div class="circle two"></div>
    <div class="circle three"></div>
    <div class="circle four"></div>
    <div class="circle five"></div>
    <div class="circle six"></div>
  </div>
</div>

So here's my

Question:

How do I create an actual 3 dimensional sphere with pure CSS? More specifically, one that is covered - not just a frame - and doesn't involve hundreds of html elements.

Notes:

  1. Three dimensional spheres have height, width and depth - just like the cube in my first example snippet
  2. I don't need any physics and there's no need for any user-interaction. Just an animated spinning sphere.

Additional resources:

  1. Paul Hayes - A sphere built with CSS 3D transforms (demo)
  2. 3d (2d illusion) Earth with Rotating Animation with CSS
  3. Interactive CSS sphere
css-animations css-shapes css-transforms css
8 Answers
user_165101780
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