Key Takeaways

  • Claire Vo built Claire's Typewriter, an interactive 3D web application with mechanical physics and ambient audio, using single-shot code generation in Anthropic's Fable 5.2.
  • The build was prompted after seeing Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch release a 3D record player that reads vinyl grooves from public domain images.
  • Vo found Fable 5.2 faster than Opus 5.5, with clear edges in 3D rendering, video animation, and system architecture.
  • The model falls short on unassisted web design and standalone image generation, requiring human direction for visual layout.
  • The working application includes sandglass timers, typewriter correction fluid mechanics, oil lamp styling, and a Y2K terminal with green and amber screens that prints to a dot matrix printer.

Guillermo Rauch's Vinyl Player Sparked the Build

Claire Vo was a Claude skeptic until Anthropic released Fable 5.2. Her turnaround started when Guillermo Rauch, the CEO of Vercel, shared a project that caught her attention online. “GMO at Verscell um I saw yesterday made this amazing um 3D record player that plays public domain images with the grooves,” (play from 17:57) Vo said. “It's so beautiful. I'm obsessed with it.” (play from 18:10)

Seeing Rauch turn flat images into playable 3D vinyl records pushed Vo to test what Fable 5.2 could generate without manual scaffolding. She wanted to build a skeuomorphic writing instrument from scratch. The result was Claire's Typewriter, an interactive 3D rendered typing environment built directly inside the browser.

Rather than assembling standard UI components, Vo asked the model to write the mechanical physics for striking keys, feeding paper, and managing ink. “And I would like to introduce you to Claire's typewriter,” (play from 18:23) Vo said. “So this is a fully functioning 3D rendered typewriter.” (play from 18:28) The model produced the keyboard mechanics in a single pass. Vo noted: “And this truly one shot by Fable the keyboard. I've done some tweaks. I've kept giving it new features.” (play from 21:56)

Fable 5.2 Wins on Physics and Struggles on Raw Web Design

Vo tested Fable 5.2 against Opus 5.5 to see where the speed and reasoning trade-offs landed. While Opus 5.5 remained capable, Fable 5.2 delivered higher generation speeds alongside surprising strengths in 3D rendering, video animation, and technical architecture. In her testing, the model handled flat-pack furniture assembly from uploaded photos, generated animated marketing clips, and rendered complex browser physics engines.

For the typewriter, Vo kept layering tactile elements on top of the original single-shot keyboard. She added working correction fluid mechanics, sandglass timers that track writing sprints, and background ambient audio. She also built swappable environmental themes, moving from a desk lit by an oil lamp to a vintage computing setup.

“And then my favorite one, I can do a Y2K computer and I can change it between a green and amber screen,” (play from 20:52) Vo said. “And if you go back and I say, I love this thing. I can print the page and it will print it on my doc matrix printer.” (play from 20:59)

The system is not flawless. Vo pointed out that Fable 5.2 drops in quality when asked to handle unassisted web design or generate native images without clear parameters. When left to design standard web layouts on its own, it produces generic, clunky interfaces. Its power lies in executing defined mechanical logic and rendering 3D interactive assets rather than inventing visual branding.

“This has been my AGI moment,” (play from 22:09) Vo said. “I lost it when I saw this. I think it is so cool. It's helped me be so creative and it's just something I could never imagine being able to do before and I was able to do with Fable 52.” (play from 22:11)

What to Do With This

Stop using frontier models to generate generic landing pages from open-ended prompts, because unassisted web styling is where they produce their blandest work. Instead, give the model a constrained physical metaphor with explicit mechanics, such as a mechanical key switch, a paper carriage, or a record needle. Ask for the core interactive loop in a single prompt, verify the physics engine works, and only then layer secondary features like audio toggles and terminal themes.