cssplay.co.uk Paid content

ray.so turns a code snippet into a styled image you can export and share. Paste your code into the editor, pick a theme and window style, adjust the layout, then export the rendered result as an image. This works best for short snippets you want to post on social media, in docs, or in chat — not for long files, since the image grows with the code.

Before you start

• Have the code snippet ready to paste, and know which language it's in so the highlighting matches.
• Decide where the image will live (a post, a slide, a README). That tells you whether you want a background, a light or dark window, and how much padding.
• Keep the snippet short. A few dozen lines read well as an image; hundreds do not.

Step-by-step

1. Paste or type your code

Put the snippet into the editor. Check that the syntax highlighting matches your language — keywords, strings, and comments should be colored, not flat text. If the colors look wrong, the language isn't being detected correctly; adjust it before you style anything else, since the theme you pick later depends on it.

2. Choose a color theme

Pick from the available syntax color themes. This controls how the code itself is colored. Choose one with enough contrast that the code stays readable when the image is scaled down in a feed or a slide.

3. Toggle the window and background

• Dark or light window — switches the frame around your code between a dark and light appearance.
• Background — show or hide the colored background behind the window.

If you're posting on a light page, a light window with no background blends in; a dark window with a background stands out. Match this to where the image will appear.

4. Adjust padding, line numbers, and window controls

• Padding — the space around the code inside the frame. More padding gives a calmer, more presentable image; less padding fits more code.
• Line numbers — turn them on if you or your readers need to reference specific lines; turn them off for a cleaner look.
• Window controls — the traffic-light buttons on the frame. Keep them for a familiar editor look, or hide them for a more neutral image.

5. Export the image

Export the rendered snippet as an image and let the file download. Before you post it, open the downloaded file and check:

• The code isn't clipped at the edges.
• Highlighting is present and correct.
• The background is the one you intended (not blank or missing).
• Text is still legible at the size it will be displayed.

Common export problems and fixes

When this is the right tool

Use ray.so when you want a single, self-contained image of a short snippet that looks polished without design work. Skip it when the code is long, when readers need to copy and run it (share a gist or repo instead), or when you need the code to stay searchable and accessible as text.

CSSplay's Experiments are a long-running collection of interface and layout demos built almost entirely with CSS — no JavaScript or other programming languages in most cases. Created by Stu Nicholls, the site exists to show that CSS is more than "a simple mechanism for adding style" (the W3C definition it quotes and pushes back against). If you want to see what pure CSS can actually do — menus, slideshows, responsive layouts, 3D carousels — and study the code behind them, this is the resource to browse. The main caveat: many demos lean on newer CSS features, so check browser support before reusing them in production.

What the Experiments actually are

CSSplay is a demonstration site, not a framework or a library. Each experiment is a self-contained page showing one technique, usually with the CSS exposed so you can read and adapt it. The site's stated goal is twofold: help newcomers to CSS, and show experienced developers that CSS goes well beyond fonts, colors, and spacing.

The defining constraint is the point of the whole project — just CSS. Most demonstrations use no JavaScript or any other programming language. That makes the collection useful as a reference for what is achievable natively, and as a stress test of how far modern CSS has come.

What's covered

The demos are organized by theme rather than by difficulty. Current groupings include:

The pattern is worth noticing: alongside classic menu and layout techniques, there's a steady stream of experiments using very recent CSS — :has(), @container, clip-path, sibling-index(), corner-shape. That mix is what makes the site useful both to beginners and to people tracking cutting-edge CSS.

How to use the experiments in your own work

1. Pick a category that matches your task. If you need a navigation pattern, start with the Menus group; if you need a hero rotator, start with Slideshows.
2. Open the demo and read the CSS. The value is in the technique, not a drop-in component — expect to adapt selectors, sizing, and markup to your own structure.
3. Check the feature dependencies. Experiments built on :has(), @container, sibling-index(), or corner-shape will not work in older browsers. Confirm support for your target audience before shipping.
4. Start your document with a standards-compliant DOCTYPE. The site explicitly asks for this — it recommends using a standards-compliant !DOCTYPE as the first line of your (x)html, with a list of recommended DTDs linked from the site. Skipping this is a common reason demos render incorrectly when copied.
5. Verify in the browser, not just by reading. Pure-CSS techniques often depend on subtle interactions (focus, hover, checked state, container size), so test the actual behavior rather than assuming it from the source.

Common sticking points

• "It looks broken when I paste it in." Usually a DOCTYPE or markup-structure mismatch, or a missing wrapper element the CSS depends on.
• "The interaction doesn't work." Many demos rely on :focus-within, :checked, or @container queries — these need the right HTML structure and a browser that supports the feature.
• "Can I use this commercially?" The site mentions advertising and lists PayPal as a payment platform, but the input does not state licensing terms for the demos. Treat reuse terms as something to confirm on the site itself rather than assume.

Who this is for

CSSplay's Experiments suit two audiences: developers learning CSS who want concrete, readable examples of specific techniques, and experienced developers who want to see how far pure CSS can be pushed with current features. If you need a production-ready component with guaranteed cross-browser behavior, treat these as a starting reference and budget time for adaptation and testing.

DMZ Graphics is a one-person freelance studio — owner/operator Lewis Kirk — based in Columbia, South Carolina, offering web site development, prepress production, social media management, and bulk emailing for small to medium businesses and for print designers who need production help. It describes itself as "professional work at reasonable prices" and has been online since 1994, with the site last updated November 16, 2023. If you need an economical web presence or overflow production capacity rather than an agency team, it fits that profile; if you need a large multi-disciplinary agency with in-house staff across many specialties, it does not.

What DMZ Graphics actually does

The service list is short and specific, which makes it easy to check against your project:

The stated capability is web coding and prepress production processes, backed by "years of practical experience."

Who it's built for

Two audiences are named explicitly on the site:

• Small to medium businesses that want a professional web presence with an economical price tag.
• Print designers who get occasional web design requests from clients but don't have — or don't want — the coding skills, and who can use DMZ Graphics as a silent production partner. The same offer covers overflow production and large projects, freeing the designer for more creative work.

If you're a solo designer or a small business without an in-house developer or prepress operator, that's the fit. If you're an enterprise with procurement requirements or a need for ongoing multi-person teams, the site gives no indication of that scale.

How to engage

The site's structure points to a straightforward path:

1. Review the services pages (Web Design, Other Services) to confirm the work matches your project.
2. Look at Projects to judge relevant past work.
3. Use Contact to reach Lewis Kirk directly at 803.787.3450 or [email protected], or via the Facebook link listed.

There is no published pricing, quote form, or stated turnaround time on the site, so scope, budget, and schedule have to be settled in that direct conversation. The phrase "working within your budget" suggests budget is a discussion point rather than a fixed rate card.

What to check before hiring

Because the site publishes no rates, timelines, or contract terms, treat these as questions for the first contact:

• Budget fit — what a comparable web or prepress project has cost, and how change requests are handled.
• Project specifications — whether your requirements (page count, document length, file formats, platform) fall inside the stated web coding and prepress capabilities.
• Turnaround — delivery dates for web launches or print deadlines, since prepress work is usually tied to a press schedule.
• Email compliance — the "no spam allowed" line signals a permission-based approach; confirm how lists are sourced and how responses are tracked.
• Ongoing vs. one-off — social media management implies a recurring arrangement, while web and prepress work may be project-based. Clarify which model applies.

A reasonable next step is to send a short brief with your deliverables, deadline, and budget range, then ask for a quote and a sample of comparable work.

CSSplay is a long-running demonstration site by Stu Nicholls built around one constraint: most demos use only CSS, with no JavaScript or other programming language. It is useful if you want to see how far CSS alone can go, or if you need a working reference for a menu, layout, slideshow, or small interactive component without adding script. The site is aimed at both newcomers learning CSS and experienced developers looking for techniques they may not have considered.

What the site actually contains

The homepage describes CSSplay as "experiments with cascading style sheets" and states that most demonstrations are "JUST CSS, no javascript or any other programming language." The demos are organized into categories rather than presented as a single tutorial course.

The recent-demos list also shows newer CSS features being tested, including sibling-index(), sibling-count(), corner-shape, superellipse(), shape-outside, :if(), and height:calc-size(auto, size). That mix matters: some demos are practical patterns you can adapt today, while others are experiments with features that may have limited browser support.

Why it exists

The site quotes the W3C definition of CSS as "a simple mechanism for adding style (e.g. fonts, colors, spacing) to Web documents," then pushes back on the word "simple." Nicholls writes that CSS "can be very complicated" and that he created the site to help newcomers and to show experienced developers that CSS is "more than just a mechanism for styling your documents."

That framing explains the site's value. It is not documentation and not a course. It is a collection of solved problems, each demonstrating a technique you can inspect and reuse.

How to use it

1. Pick the category closest to your problem — menu, layout, slideshow, or a standalone component.
2. Open the demo and check the behavior you need: does it open on hover, click, or focus? Does it pause, resize, or respond to container size?
3. View the source to see the HTML structure and CSS rules. Because most demos avoid JavaScript, the logic lives entirely in selectors, pseudo-classes, and layout properties.
4. Copy the technique, not the whole page. Adapt class names and structure to your own markup.
5. Verify browser support before shipping, especially for demos using newer functions like :if(), sibling-index(), or corner-shape.

The site also emphasizes using a standards-compliant !DOCTYPE as the first line of your (x)html, and links to recommended DTDs. If you copy older demos, check that the doctype matches your document type, since quirks-mode rendering can change how the CSS behaves.

Who it suits

• CSS beginners get concrete, inspectable examples of what selectors and layout properties can do, without needing to read JavaScript.
• Experienced developers get a catalog of edge cases and modern-feature experiments, useful when you want a CSS-only solution instead of a script dependency.
• Anyone avoiding JavaScript for menus, slideshows, or small interactive elements will find directly relevant patterns.

Practical caveats

• "No JavaScript" does not automatically mean accessible or production-ready. Test keyboard navigation and screen-reader behavior on any menu or slideshow you adapt.
• Experimental demos may rely on features with partial browser support. Treat them as learning material until you confirm support in your target browsers.
• The site is a personal experiment collection, so naming and structure vary between demos. Expect to adapt rather than drop in.

CSSplay is listed on the w3c.org website, and the site includes an advertising information page for anyone interested in promoting there. For learning purposes, the most efficient approach is to start from the category that matches your current problem, read the source of one demo, and rebuild it in your own project rather than browsing the full list at once.

Cascadeur's site offers a free way to try the software and links to paid plans, but the public page does not spell out exactly what the free tier includes or where its limits sit. What it does confirm is the feature set — AI-assisted keyframe animation, AutoPosing, AutoPhysics, Ragdoll, Inbetweening, AI motion generation, rigging, retargeting, and UE Live Link — plus file compatibility with .FBX, .DAE, .GLB/.GLTF, and .USD. If you need a definitive free-vs-paid breakdown, treat the Plans page and the trial start as the two places to check, because the homepage itself doesn't publish export limits, watermark rules, or commercial-use terms.

What the public page actually tells you

The homepage positions Cascadeur as "the easiest way to animate" and invites you to "Try for free" or "Watch demo." It lists these capabilities without marking any as paid-only:

• Inbetweening — AI interpolation that generates motion between keyframes
• Ragdoll — procedural reactions to impacts, falls, and collisions
• AutoPosing — get natural poses by moving fewer control points
• Quadrupeds — rigging, AutoPosing, and one-click retargeting for four-legged animals
• AI Motion Generation — running, jumping, combat, acrobatics, idles, and more
• AutoPhysics — a character double showing a physically accurate result, for tuning secondary motion and inertia
• Rigging — drag-and-drop joints to auto-generate a rig for humanoids and quadrupeds
• Retargeting — copy/paste animation between characters regardless of skeleton or proportions
• UE Live Link — stream animation to Unreal Engine with real-time updates

It also names the solution areas: mocap cleanup, previz, animation editing, AI, video games, prototyping, and markerless mocap. Mocap cleanup is described as fixing foot sliding, knee pops, geometry penetration, poses via AutoPosing, weight via AutoPhysics, and edits via Animation Layers.

None of this is labeled "free" or "paid" on the page, so don't assume the list equals the free tier.

The two "free" paths are different things

The page shows two separate entry points, and mixing them up is the most common source of confusion:

The trial link points to cascadeur.com/plans#trial, which means trial terms live on the pricing page, not the homepage. If your decision depends on whether you can keep using it indefinitely at no cost, that answer has to come from the Plans page — the homepage doesn't provide it.

When the free route is likely enough

Based on the feature list alone, a free or trial route is worth starting with if you are:

• Learning the workflow — testing AutoPosing and Inbetweening on a simple humanoid before committing
• Evaluating mocap cleanup — checking whether the foot-sliding and knee-pop fixes fit your pipeline
• Prototyping — blocking previz or game animation without a production deadline
• Testing file compatibility — confirming your .FBX, .DAE, .GLB/.GLTF, or .USD assets import cleanly

When upgrading becomes the real question

Upgrade pressure usually comes from constraints the homepage doesn't state, so verify each against the Plans page before paying:

1. Export restrictions — if the free tier limits resolution, format, or adds a watermark, that alone can force an upgrade for client work.
2. Commercial use — confirm whether free-tier output can be used in shipped products. The page doesn't say.
3. Team or pipeline needs — UE Live Link and retargeting matter more in production; check whether they're gated.
4. Volume of work — a single test animation and a full game's combat set have very different tolerance for limits.

A concrete example: if you're cleaning up a markerless mocap take for a game prototype and the free route lets you fix foot sliding and apply AutoPhysics, you may never need to pay. If you're delivering that animation into a commercial build and the free tier restricts export or licensing, the upgrade decision is made for you by the terms, not the feature list.

How to decide without guessing

1. Open the Plans page and read the actual tier comparison — this is the only authoritative source in the material provided.
2. Start the trial and test the specific features your project needs: AutoPosing, AutoPhysics, Ragdoll, Inbetweening, retargeting, and UE Live Link.
3. Test an export end-to-end with your real file format (.FBX, .DAE, .GLB/.GLTF, or .USD) and inspect the output for watermarks or quality loss.
4. Check the commercial-use terms in writing before shipping anything.
5. Only then compare cost against the limits you actually hit.

The homepage is useful for understanding what Cascadeur does — AI-assisted keyframe animation for character work, mocap cleanup, and game pipelines. It is not a pricing document. For the free-vs-paid question specifically, the Plans page is the answer, and the trial is how you verify it against your own project.