Made by Mechanical Means
5 hours ago
- The author redesigned their homepage without writing or running code locally, using only Claude Opus 5.5 and cloud-based tools like Blender (via Python), FFmpeg, and Playwright.
- The project involved around 60 parallel threads coordinated by a single Claude project, which managed tasks, shared memory, and files across threads in the cloud.
- Claude generated 3D models (e.g., VHS tapes, a 90s desk, retro PC), baked light maps using Cycles, and synthesized soundtracks by composing scores and building a synthesizer engine in Python.
- The author created a CGI parody of a Werner Herzog documentary with a penguin, using Blender to render 2,787 frames and ElevenLabs for voiceover.
- Quality assurance was handled by adversarial agents that tested the site in headless browsers and wrote findings to a shared folder, ensuring code quality without the author reading any code.
- The process allowed for iterative feedback from a phone or bike, with Claude publishing private preview pages for review.
- The author acknowledges parallels to historical critiques of new technologies (e.g., photography), defending AI-assisted creativity as valid despite lacking traditional 3D modeling skills.