From 3D Art to Code
Hello everyone!
My name is Anton, I'm a former 3D artist who found a new passion in web development. After more than a decade in the 3D world, I transitioned to coding, using my creativity to build web applications. Today, I design and develop web tools for this website to make life easier for a wide range of people, from professional content creators to home cooks.
Curious? Let me tell you more!
RenderSnail Story
My Beginnings
Back in 2008, I co-founded RenderStuff.com, a platform offering 3D models, CG tutorials, and other CG and 3D art-related resources. As I dove deeper into coding, I added the Tools section, publishing there handy utilities for the CG community.
The Birth of Snail
However, my passion evolved towards building broader web applications. I realized tools like the Recipe Scaler & Cost Calculator felt out of place on a 3D-centric site. So I decide to separate the Tools section into a standalone website. This sparked the idea for RenderSnail.com.
Why a Snail?
Why a snail, and what exactly does it "render"? It all comes down to a perfect coincidence!
With decades of web history behind us, most meaningful domain names have already been claimed. But sometimes, the right idea is just waiting to be discovered. The word "snail" shares a striking visual resemblance to "stuff" in its spelling, making it a natural evolution from RenderStuff to RenderSnail, while keeping the exact connection between both related websites with the render word. The "render" word has a lot of very contextual meaning. In 3D graphics, "render" is a verb that means to create a 3D image from 2D information. And in the context of web development, "render" is a verb that means to create a visual representation of a website or web page. So, let's think of it as the snail "renders" web tools for you on this website.
And as a bonus, the polygonal cube logo from RenderStuff became a perfect fit as a snail’s shell. The result? A unique name and a memorable logo character 🐌 that unexpectedly ties everything together!
Sister Sites
While the logo's color shifted from yellow to blue, a family resemblance remains. RenderStuff's orange polygon cube evolved into RenderSnail's distinct blue shell diamond.
Now, both sites function as related projects. RenderStuff still maintains a "Tools" section, primarily linking to RenderSnail. The exception is the 360 Panorama tool, which stays on RenderStuff due to its close ties with the Rendering 360° Panorama Tutorial.
Purpose of RenderSnail
RenderSnail is an independent project where I design and publish practical web apps — or as I prefer to call them, online tools — to help with everyday tasks, whether for work, creativity, or daily problem-solving. My goal is to create tools that are useful, fast, and easy to access.
The site is supported by advertising, which helps keep the tools free to use. It also lets me improve existing features and experiment with new ideas. Right now, I balance RenderSnail with other work, but I hope to make it my full-time focus in the future.
In many ways, this site is also my portfolio — a place to share what I build and how I think about solving problems on the web.
Thanks for stopping by
I hope this gave you a clearer sense of what RenderSnail is about.
If you found something useful here, I hope you'll come back and use the tools whenever they can save you time, simplify your tasks, or make your work a bit easier. That’s exactly what they’re made for.
I am glad you here!