fix: gallery quality audit pass two — restage the seven pre-#61 examples and codify the visual style

AGENTS.md

@@ -31,7 +31,8 @@ The content base (counts are CI-enforced against README.md and the manifest):
   API contract with deterministic checks, exit non-zero on failure, and
   optionally render a still via `--output`. Each is executed headless on
   Blender 4.5 LTS and 5.1 by `blender-smoke.yml`; its render ships in the
-  site gallery. Anatomy and authoring rules: copy `examples/bmesh-gear/`.
+  site gallery. Anatomy and authoring rules: copy `examples/bmesh-gear/`;
+  the render look is specified in `docs/VISUAL-STYLE.md`.
 
 ## Repository structure
 

CLAUDE.md

@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ gallery's source of truth. When authoring a new one, copy the anatomy of
 wire all of: gallery.json entry, `.cursor-plugin/plugin.json` examples array (CI-gated),
 a `blender-smoke.yml` step, a README gallery row, hero webp (1280×720) in
 `docs/gallery/assets/` + preview webp (1200×675), then run `python scripts/build_gallery.py`.
+Renders must conform to the gallery look spec at `docs/VISUAL-STYLE.md`.
 
 ## Development Workflow
 

README.md

@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ that actually runs. Browse them in the
 <table>
 <tr>
 <td width="46%" valign="middle">
-<a href="examples/swatch-grid/"><img src="examples/swatch-grid/preview.webp" alt="Swatch grid: a row of six shaded spheres - gold and copper metals, red and blue plastics, an emissive orange, and a matte white - on a reflective studio floor, rendered with EEVEE" /></a>
+<a href="examples/swatch-grid/"><img src="examples/swatch-grid/preview.webp" alt="Swatch grid: a three-by-two grid of shaded spheres - polished gold and brushed copper metals, red and blue plastics, an emissive orange, and a matte white - against a dark studio backdrop, rendered with EEVEE" /></a>
 </td>
 <td valign="middle">
 
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ verts = 72, faces = 54, and `Set Material` carries the lime accent.
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td width="46%" valign="middle">
-<a href="examples/shape-key-blend/"><img src="examples/shape-key-blend/preview.webp" alt="Shape-key blend: a violet truncated pyramid on a dark studio floor, lifted and flared by a relative Tall shape key at value 0.5" /></a>
+<a href="examples/shape-key-blend/"><img src="examples/shape-key-blend/preview.webp" alt="Shape-key blend: three violet blocks on a dark studio floor showing a relative Tall shape key at values 0, 0.25, and 0.5 - plain cube to lifted, flared truncated pyramid, left to right" /></a>
 </td>
 <td valign="middle">
 

docs/VISUAL-STYLE.md

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+# Gallery Visual Style
+
+The spec for every example render that ships in the gallery. New examples must
+conform; deviations are defects. Calibration references: `armature-bend`,
+`color-attribute-wheel`, `grease-pencil-rosette`, `compositor-glare`,
+`damped-track-aim`, `parent-inverse-orrery`.
+
+## The look in one sentence
+
+A dark staged studio — near-black floor and back wall, one shaped warm key, a
+warm light pool raking the backdrop — with a saturated hero subject filling
+the frame.
+
+## Color management
+
+- `scene.view_settings.view_transform = 'Standard'`, always, with a comment.
+  AgX (the 4.x/5.x default) desaturates hero materials toward pastel and
+  lifts the stage toward grey — the washed look of the pre-audit gallery
+  traces to renders that never set a transform.
+- Standard does not compress highlights: tune light energies so nothing
+  clips. If a region reads pure white at full size, the key is too hot.
+
+## Stage
+
+- Floor: 30-unit `create_grid` plane. Wall: a copy at `y ≈ 7–9`, rotated 90°
+  about X. Both share one Principled material:
+  `Base Color (0.03, 0.032, 0.037)`, `Roughness 0.7`.
+- World background: `(0.02, 0.021, 0.025)`.
+- The floor/wall seam is acceptable only where it falls into shadow; never
+  let it cross the subject.
+
+## Lighting (all AREA lights)
+
+- **Key** — warm white `(1.0, 0.96, 0.9)`, upper left, ~`(-4, -5, 6)`,
+  size 4–6, 300–700 W depending on subject albedo. It must shape: visible
+  falloff across the subject, a readable cast shadow.
+- **Fill** — cool `(0.75, 0.85, 1.0)`, low right, size ~9, ~100 W. Just
+  enough that shadow sides stay legible; if the image looks flat, the fill
+  is too strong.
+- **Rim** — cool `(0.6, 0.78, 1.0)`, behind, 200–400 W, to lift silhouettes
+  off the backdrop.
+- **Wedge** — the signature: warm `(1.0, 0.76, 0.5)`, 200–500 W, size 5–7,
+  raking the back wall so a soft pool of light sits behind the subject.
+  Place it **between the subject and the wall**. A grazing area light draws
+  a hard terminator line across any flat surface it skims — if a stray
+  bright band crosses the subject, a light is grazing it.
+
+## Materials
+
+- Hero materials are designed, never Principled defaults: saturated base
+  colors, roughness chosen (0.3–0.6 glossy, 0.7+ matte), optional faint
+  emission (~0.1) when the subject carries color data that must read exactly.
+- Surfaces that display flat color data (attribute fills, pixel buffers) go
+  fully matte: `Specular IOR Level = 0`, otherwise the wall/floor horizon
+  reflects as a line across the face.
+
+## Framing
+
+- The subject fills roughly 70–90 % of the frame in at least one axis.
+  Nothing that matters may touch or cross the frame edge; no featureless
+  quadrant of empty wall or floor.
+- Camera: 45–55 mm lens, slightly above subject height, aimed with a
+  `TRACK_TO` constraint at an empty on the subject — a chosen angle, not the
+  default. Flat subjects present toward the camera (lean or tilt them);
+  progressions read left to right.
+- The image must still read in under a second at thumbnail scale, and it
+  must witness the API: if the contract failed, the render should visibly
+  break.
+
+## Output
+
+- Render 1280×720 PNG (`taa_render_samples`/`cycles.samples` 32–64).
+- Gallery assets: hero webp 1280×720 and preview webp 1200×675, quality 85
+  (load the PNG in Blender, `save(filepath=..., quality=85)`, `scale()` for
+  the preview — this preserves pixels without re-applying color management).
+- After touching any example: `python scripts/build_gallery.py`, and update
+  the README gallery-row alt text if the composition changed.

docs/gallery/color-attribute-wheel/index.html

@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ <h1>color-attribute-wheel</h1>
       <img src="../assets/color-attribute-wheel-hero.webp" alt="color-attribute-wheel render" width="1280" height="720" />
     </button>
     <p class="zoom-hint">Rendered headless by the example itself — click to zoom.</p>
-    <div class="callout"><span class="tag">witnesses</span> CORNER-domain attributes are sized to loop count, not vertex count; the check asserts that, that active_color points at it, and that the Attribute node is actually linked to Base Color, not just present.</div>
+    <div class="callout"><span class="tag">witnesses</span> CORNER-domain attributes are sized to loop count, not vertex count; the check asserts the sizing, that active_color points at it, and that the Attribute node is actually linked to Base Color, not just present.</div>
     <div class="runline">
       <pre id="runCmd">blender --background --python examples/color-attribute-wheel/color_attribute_wheel.py --</pre>
       <button class="copy-btn" id="copyRun" type="button">Copy</button>

docs/gallery/curve-bevel-arc/index.html

@@ -335,8 +335,8 @@ <h2>Source</h2>
     fmat = bpy.data.materials.new(<span class="s">&quot;Studio&quot;</span>)
     fmat.use_nodes = <span class="k">True</span>
     fb = fmat.node_tree.nodes[<span class="s">&quot;Principled BSDF&quot;</span>]
-    fb.inputs[<span class="s">&quot;Base Color&quot;</span>].default_value = (<span class="n">0.055</span>, <span class="n">0.06</span>, <span class="n">0.07</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>)
-    fb.inputs[<span class="s">&quot;Roughness&quot;</span>].default_value = <span class="n">0.5</span>
+    fb.inputs[<span class="s">&quot;Base Color&quot;</span>].default_value = (<span class="n">0.03</span>, <span class="n">0.032</span>, <span class="n">0.037</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>)
+    fb.inputs[<span class="s">&quot;Roughness&quot;</span>].default_value = <span class="n">0.7</span>
     floor_me.materials.append(fmat)
     floor = bpy.data.objects.new(<span class="s">&quot;Floor&quot;</span>, floor_me)
     scene.collection.objects.link(floor)
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ <h2>Source</h2>
 
     world = bpy.data.worlds.new(<span class="s">&quot;World&quot;</span>)
     world.use_nodes = <span class="k">True</span>
-    world.node_tree.nodes[<span class="s">&quot;Background&quot;</span>].inputs[<span class="s">&quot;Color&quot;</span>].default_value = (<span class="n">0.008</span>, <span class="n">0.009</span>, <span class="n">0.012</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>)
+    world.node_tree.nodes[<span class="s">&quot;Background&quot;</span>].inputs[<span class="s">&quot;Color&quot;</span>].default_value = (<span class="n">0.02</span>, <span class="n">0.021</span>, <span class="n">0.025</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>)
     scene.world = world
 
     aim = bpy.data.objects.new(<span class="s">&quot;Aim&quot;</span>, <span class="k">None</span>)
@@ -367,14 +367,23 @@ <h2>Source</h2>
         lc.track_axis = <span class="s">&#x27;TRACK_NEGATIVE_Z&#x27;</span>
         lc.up_axis = <span class="s">&#x27;UP_Y&#x27;</span>
 
-    light(<span class="s">&quot;Key&quot;</span>, (-<span class="n">3.5</span>, -<span class="n">4.5</span>, <span class="n">5.5</span>), <span class="n">1500.0</span>, <span class="n">6.0</span>, (<span class="n">1.0</span>, <span class="n">0.98</span>, <span class="n">0.94</span>))
-    light(<span class="s">&quot;Fill&quot;</span>, (<span class="n">5.0</span>, -<span class="n">3.5</span>, <span class="n">2.5</span>), <span class="n">340.0</span>, <span class="n">8.0</span>, (<span class="n">0.8</span>, <span class="n">0.87</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>))
-    light(<span class="s">&quot;Rim&quot;</span>, (<span class="n">1.5</span>, <span class="n">4.5</span>, <span class="n">2.0</span>), <span class="n">480.0</span>, <span class="n">4.0</span>, (<span class="n">1.0</span>, <span class="n">0.75</span>, <span class="n">0.45</span>))
+    <span class="c"># warm shaped key, faint cool fill, warm wedge on the back wall</span>
+    <span class="c"># (docs/VISUAL-STYLE.md)</span>
+    light(<span class="s">&quot;Key&quot;</span>, (-<span class="n">3.5</span>, -<span class="n">4.5</span>, <span class="n">5.5</span>), <span class="n">550.0</span>, <span class="n">4.5</span>, (<span class="n">1.0</span>, <span class="n">0.96</span>, <span class="n">0.9</span>))
+    light(<span class="s">&quot;Fill&quot;</span>, (<span class="n">5.0</span>, -<span class="n">3.5</span>, <span class="n">2.5</span>), <span class="n">110.0</span>, <span class="n">8.0</span>, (<span class="n">0.75</span>, <span class="n">0.85</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>))
+    wedge = bpy.data.lights.new(<span class="s">&quot;Wedge&quot;</span>, <span class="s">&#x27;AREA&#x27;</span>)
+    wedge.energy = <span class="n">380.0</span>
+    wedge.size = <span class="n">6.0</span>
+    wedge.color = (<span class="n">1.0</span>, <span class="n">0.76</span>, <span class="n">0.5</span>)
+    wob = bpy.data.objects.new(<span class="s">&quot;Wedge&quot;</span>, wedge)
+    wob.location = (<span class="n">2.5</span>, <span class="n">5.5</span>, <span class="n">4.0</span>)
+    wob.rotation_euler = (math.radians(-<span class="n">68</span>), <span class="n">0.0</span>, math.radians(<span class="n">190</span>))
+    scene.collection.objects.link(wob)
 
     cam_data = bpy.data.cameras.new(<span class="s">&quot;Cam&quot;</span>)
     cam_data.lens = <span class="n">50.0</span>
     cam = bpy.data.objects.new(<span class="s">&quot;Cam&quot;</span>, cam_data)
-    cam.location = (<span class="n">3.0</span>, -<span class="n">4.2</span>, <span class="n">2.6</span>)
+    cam.location = (<span class="n">2.4</span>, -<span class="n">3.4</span>, <span class="n">1.7</span>)
     scene.collection.objects.link(cam)
     scene.camera = cam
     track = cam.constraints.new(<span class="s">&#x27;TRACK_TO&#x27;</span>)
@@ -394,6 +403,8 @@ <h2>Source</h2>
     scene.render.resolution_y = <span class="n">720</span>
     scene.render.image_settings.file_format = <span class="s">&#x27;PNG&#x27;</span>
     scene.render.filepath = path
+    <span class="c"># AgX would wash the rose tube toward salmon (docs/VISUAL-STYLE.md)</span>
+    scene.view_settings.view_transform = <span class="s">&#x27;Standard&#x27;</span>
     bpy.ops.render.render(write_still=<span class="k">True</span>)
     <span class="k">return</span> os.path.exists(path) <span class="k">and</span> os.path.getsize(path) &gt; <span class="n">0</span>
 

docs/gallery/depsgraph-export/index.html

@@ -314,20 +314,20 @@ <h2>Source</h2>
         bm.to_mesh(floor_me)
     <span class="k">finally</span>:
         bm.free()
-    floor_me.materials.append(principled(<span class="s">&quot;Studio&quot;</span>, (<span class="n">0.24</span>, <span class="n">0.24</span>, <span class="n">0.25</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>), <span class="n">0.0</span>, <span class="n">0.6</span>))
+    floor_me.materials.append(principled(<span class="s">&quot;Studio&quot;</span>, (<span class="n">0.03</span>, <span class="n">0.032</span>, <span class="n">0.037</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>), <span class="n">0.0</span>, <span class="n">0.7</span>))
     floor = bpy.data.objects.new(<span class="s">&quot;Floor&quot;</span>, floor_me)
     scene.collection.objects.link(floor)
     wall = bpy.data.objects.new(<span class="s">&quot;Wall&quot;</span>, floor_me.copy())
     wall.data.materials.clear()
-    wall.data.materials.append(principled(<span class="s">&quot;Wall&quot;</span>, (<span class="n">0.045</span>, <span class="n">0.05</span>, <span class="n">0.055</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>), <span class="n">0.0</span>, <span class="n">0.6</span>))
+    wall.data.materials.append(principled(<span class="s">&quot;Wall&quot;</span>, (<span class="n">0.03</span>, <span class="n">0.032</span>, <span class="n">0.037</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>), <span class="n">0.0</span>, <span class="n">0.7</span>))
     wall.location = (<span class="n">0.0</span>, <span class="n">9.0</span>, <span class="n">0.0</span>)
     wall.rotation_euler = (math.pi / <span class="n">2</span>, <span class="n">0.0</span>, <span class="n">0.0</span>)
     scene.collection.objects.link(wall)
 
     world = bpy.data.worlds.new(<span class="s">&quot;World&quot;</span>)
     world.use_nodes = <span class="k">True</span>
     world.node_tree.nodes[<span class="s">&quot;Background&quot;</span>].inputs[<span class="s">&quot;Color&quot;</span>].default_value = \
-        (<span class="n">0.035</span>, <span class="n">0.04</span>, <span class="n">0.05</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>)
+        (<span class="n">0.02</span>, <span class="n">0.021</span>, <span class="n">0.025</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>)
     scene.world = world
 
     <span class="k">def</span> light(name, loc, energy, size, col, rot):
@@ -338,9 +338,11 @@ <h2>Source</h2>
         ob.rotation_euler = tuple(math.radians(a) <span class="k">for</span> a <span class="k">in</span> rot)
         scene.collection.objects.link(ob)
 
-    light(<span class="s">&quot;Key&quot;</span>, (-<span class="n">4.0</span>, -<span class="n">5.0</span>, <span class="n">6.0</span>), <span class="n">1000.0</span>, <span class="n">8.0</span>, (<span class="n">1.0</span>, <span class="n">0.99</span>, <span class="n">0.96</span>), (<span class="n">46</span>, <span class="n">0</span>, -<span class="n">35</span>))
-    light(<span class="s">&quot;Fill&quot;</span>, (<span class="n">5.0</span>, -<span class="n">3.5</span>, <span class="n">3.0</span>), <span class="n">350.0</span>, <span class="n">9.0</span>, (<span class="n">0.85</span>, <span class="n">0.9</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>), (<span class="n">62</span>, <span class="n">0</span>, <span class="n">50</span>))
-    light(<span class="s">&quot;Rim&quot;</span>, (<span class="n">1.5</span>, <span class="n">5.0</span>, <span class="n">4.0</span>), <span class="n">120.0</span>, <span class="n">6.0</span>, (<span class="n">1.0</span>, <span class="n">0.85</span>, <span class="n">0.65</span>), (-<span class="n">70</span>, <span class="n">0</span>, <span class="n">165</span>))
+    <span class="c"># warm shaped key, faint cool fill, warm wedge on the back wall</span>
+    <span class="c"># (docs/VISUAL-STYLE.md)</span>
+    light(<span class="s">&quot;Key&quot;</span>, (-<span class="n">4.0</span>, -<span class="n">5.0</span>, <span class="n">6.0</span>), <span class="n">650.0</span>, <span class="n">5.0</span>, (<span class="n">1.0</span>, <span class="n">0.96</span>, <span class="n">0.9</span>), (<span class="n">46</span>, <span class="n">0</span>, -<span class="n">35</span>))
+    light(<span class="s">&quot;Fill&quot;</span>, (<span class="n">5.0</span>, -<span class="n">3.5</span>, <span class="n">3.0</span>), <span class="n">120.0</span>, <span class="n">9.0</span>, (<span class="n">0.75</span>, <span class="n">0.85</span>, <span class="n">1.0</span>), (<span class="n">62</span>, <span class="n">0</span>, <span class="n">50</span>))
+    light(<span class="s">&quot;Wedge&quot;</span>, (<span class="n">2.5</span>, <span class="n">5.5</span>, <span class="n">4.0</span>), <span class="n">380.0</span>, <span class="n">6.0</span>, (<span class="n">1.0</span>, <span class="n">0.76</span>, <span class="n">0.5</span>), (-<span class="n">68</span>, <span class="n">0</span>, <span class="n">190</span>))
 
     cam_data = bpy.data.cameras.new(<span class="s">&quot;Cam&quot;</span>)
     cam_data.lens = <span class="n">42.0</span>
@@ -362,6 +364,9 @@ <h2>Source</h2>
     scene.render.resolution_y = <span class="n">720</span>
     scene.render.image_settings.file_format = <span class="s">&#x27;PNG&#x27;</span>
     scene.render.filepath = path
+    <span class="c"># AgX would flatten the graphite-vs-green contrast this still hinges on</span>
+    <span class="c"># (docs/VISUAL-STYLE.md)</span>
+    scene.view_settings.view_transform = <span class="s">&#x27;Standard&#x27;</span>
     bpy.ops.render.render(write_still=<span class="k">True</span>)
     <span class="k">return</span> os.path.exists(path) <span class="k">and</span> os.path.getsize(path) &gt; <span class="n">0</span>