Build a balloon-camel simulator for an LED Burning Man totem
Author used ChatGPT for reference images and Claude Code to build a Go balloon physics simulator with a web frontend, with Claude looping on screenshots and camera control.
Done with Claude Code
What they did
The author used ChatGPT to generate reference images and prompts, then had Claude Code build a Go physics simulation of balloons streaming geometry to a web frontend. Step one was nearly one-shot; step two added multiple balloons with twists. Claude-in-Chrome positioned the camel and took screenshots, used an HTTP camera endpoint, and watched a web comment box through Claude Code's monitoring feature.
How it went
The simulator worked and exported models, but the result looked like a cross between a poop emoji and an alien dildo, not Koons-like. The author switched to learning Fusion360 Forms with a balloon-dog tutorial.
Worth knowing
The simulator is hard-wired to dromedary camel topology; generalizing it was left undone, and pure physics doesn't produce Koons-style art without distorting the model.
Try it yourself with Claude Code
Help me build a simulator of [object or creature made of balloons or lights] for my [art project] with a web frontend. Use my reference images in [folder] and build a basic physics model, then take screenshots of the result, compare them to the references, and refine until it looks right. Finished means I can open the page locally, rotate the camera, and see the model respond. Check with me before installing new tools.
Source on HN - Aug 7, 2026
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