Title: Vinyl Selector — Interactive Hana Scene

Duration: 1 week

Live Link: https://my.spline.design/trackidoptimazided-JmVB4KT0olzB4leY5iYLYR4W-9U6/

Organization: Contra × Spline (Challenge)

Roles: Interaction Design, 3D Design

Tools: Spline Hana

Skills tags: Interaction Design, 3D Design, Spline Design, Motion Design, Creative Direction

Industry: Design Challenges

Result: 🏆 2nd Place — $1,500 Prize

The Spline Hana Challenge on Contra invited designers to create interactive scenes using Spline's new Hana material system — specifically the Liquid Glass effect. The goal was to push the boundaries of what's possible with real-time 3D interaction design in the browser.

The idea started with a clear vinyl record I picked up — an Overmono release. Transparent records have this beautiful quality where they catch light and change what you see underneath while they spin. That felt like the perfect match for Liquid Glass: a material that refracts, distorts, and reveals what's behind it.

I built an interactive turntable scene where you can:

Choose a record from a stack of vinyl covers

Choose a slipmat from three distinct designs (Technics classic, geometric, and psychedelic)

Hit play and watch the transparent record spin, seeing how the Hana "Liquid Glass" material distorts and refracts the slipmat underneath in real time

The interaction is tactile and playful — it feels like flipping through a crate of records and dropping one on the deck.

Why vinyl? The turntable metaphor gave the scene a natural interaction loop: browse → select → play → observe. It didn't need a tutorial or explanation — anyone who's seen a record player gets it immediately.

Material exploration: The Liquid Glass effect shines when there's something interesting underneath to distort. By letting users swap slipmats, each combination creates a different visual result — the same transparent record looks completely different depending on what's below it.

Attention to detail: The Technics-inspired turntable design, tonearm, pitch slider, and start/stop button were all modeled to feel familiar to anyone who's touched a deck. The record covers on the left are stacked and browsable, adding depth to the interaction.

2nd place out of all submissions in the Spline × Contra Hana Challenge, awarded $1,500. The piece was recognized alongside work from designers with an incredible level of craft — a reminder of how high the bar is in this community.

Live interactive scene: Open in Spline

Contra submission: View on Contra