feat(facades): 0.1.5 — hero detail, scene audit, material orphaning fixed (#32)

Merged PR #32: 0.1.5 — hero detail, scene audit, material orphaning fixed

Co-authored-by: Zwitschi <zwitschi82@gmail.com>

AGENTS.md

@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ Rules for `TODO.md`:
 - When **all** steps in a version section are done: write a short descriptive entry to `CHANGELOG.md`, remove the version section from `TODO.md`, and leave its goal in `ROADMAP.md`.
 - Release checks for each version are listed at the end of its `TODO.md` section; `Docs/release-checks.md` defines the checks themselves. If a check fails, do not tag the release; open a patch task in `TODO.md` and report the failing check in `CHANGELOG.md`.
 - Finish each milestone's release checks **before** expanding scope. Cut map size and simulation complexity before compromising the core walking/driving experience.
+- **Realism leads, performance is a floor.** When a realism improvement costs frame time, realism wins and the cost is paid — but 60 FPS at 1440p without frame generation must still be met at every release. If realism cannot fit the budget, reduce the realism scope deliberately and record it in `CHANGELOG.md`; never ship below the floor without the owner's approval. Walkability outranks realism in one direction only: a block the player falls through is not a demo.
 
 ## Git workflow
 

Art/blender/hero/hero-facade-2026-11-07.json

@@ -37,6 +37,15 @@
       ],
       "evidence": "6 columns at 4.96 m centres (sibling notes x measured frontage)"
     },
+    {
+      "object": "Hero_Flute_x120",
+      "dims_m": [
+        0.064,
+        0.064,
+        6.53
+      ],
+      "evidence": "photographs: fluted shafts; 20 grooves per column modelled as shallow cylinders in the shadow tone rather than boolean cut grooves"
+    },
     {
       "object": "Hero_ColumnBase_x6",
       "dims_m": [
@@ -104,10 +113,10 @@
       "object": "Hero_MottoBand",
       "dims_m": [
         22.75,
-        0.08,
+        0.1,
         0.85
       ],
-      "evidence": "photographs: motto panel above the colonnade"
+      "evidence": "photographs: motto panel above the colonnade, now an inset panel with a moulded surround rather than a flat stripe"
     },
     {
       "object": "Hero_Medallion_x2",

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -8,6 +8,42 @@ Format: [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/) style, versions follow [
 
 Nothing yet.
 
+## [0.1.5] — 2026-11-09
+
+Façade finishing. The kit gets the hero detail it was missing, and a class of silent defect is found and gated: the map had been rendering with **604 of 620 mesh actors unmaterialed** without a single error.
+
+### Added
+
+- **Scene audit** (`Tools/ue_audit_scene.py`): fails when any staged mesh has no material, when a frontage building is more than ±1 m off its verified footprint, or when two actors share a label. Wired into `Tools/render_screenshots.sh`, which now runs the whole staging chain in the correct order and stops on an audit failure.
+- **`Tools/ue_placement.py`**: one source of truth for staged positions and the verified frontage spans, with `span_error` / `describe_span_failure` validators.
+- **Hero fluting**: 20 grooves per column as shallow shadow-tone cylinders (120 pieces) rather than boolean cuts.
+- **Presence of references for the retail run**: `Art/reference/retail-neighbours/` (6800 Lee Drug and its neighbour). Local only, not committed.
+
+### Changed
+
+- **Motto band is a real recess** now — moulded surround 6 cm proud, panel 12 cm behind — instead of an 8 cm dark stripe. Hero: 148 parts / 3 044 tris → 271 / 5 492, still 14.50 m.
+- **Kit layout for wide and tall buildings**: bays are capped at 9 with the module widened (6922 was 13 bays across 65.8 m — a window every 4.96 m on a 37 m block), and the storey spread is derived from the available height so the top band always lands inside the volume.
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **604 of 620 mesh actors rendered untextured.** `ensure_material` deleted and recreated each site material on every run, orphaning every reference held by the kit pieces and the theatre trim; the map looked only slightly flat. Materials are now updated in place.
+- **The hero could be teleported 13 m east onto the wrong side of the boulevard.** `ue_hero_facade_import.py` carried its own copy of the pre-`0.1.0` hero position; running the importer alone moved the building, invisible in a render and visible only as a reference-score drop. Placement now has one definition and the import asserts the staged span (`span ok: X -14644..-12028`).
+- **53 duplicated kit actor labels** (both shop piers of a bay shared one name).
+
+### Verified
+
+- Scene audit: **0 failures** — every mesh materialed, all 7 verified spans within tolerance, no duplicate labels.
+- Packaged `-qaselftest`: walk, reset, pause/unpause, seam transect 1456 samples / 0 holes, wall probe 0/35, façade probe 0/9 — all PASS.
+- **1440p re-measured with the kit**: 2.76 ms average (**363 fps**), p99 3.64 ms, against `0.1.0`'s 2.42 ms (414 fps) — the 625 kit actors and 8 textures cost about 12 % and leave roughly six times the 60 fps floor. Series at `Docs/perf/0.1.5-kit-walk-frametimes.csv`.
+- 78 tool tests pass.
+
+### Known limitations
+
+- **Retail neighbours 6822 and 6806–6820 are not modelled**: Commons holds no usable reference for either, and substituting the El Capitan Theatre's photographs would misattribute their façades. Tracked in `TODO.md`.
+- Cornice dentil spacing, abacus and plinth dimensions remain recorded assumptions.
+- Textures are generated, not authored — no decals, signage text or weathering maps.
+- The vision pre-check stays advisory; it has rejected shots the owner approved.
+
 ## [0.1.4] — 2026-11-09
 
 Building façades. The block goes from flat extruded boxes with flat colours to coursed, textured surfaces assembled from a reusable module kit, and the El Capitan Theatre gets the marquee and blade sign that make it read as itself.
@@ -172,7 +208,8 @@ The first playable release: a walkable exterior demo of the **6840 Hollywood Blv
 - Kerb height (0.13 m as built vs 0.15 m assumed), kerb radii, driveway aprons and graded crossing ramps are deferred to `0.1.1`; crossing ramps are kerb flushes.
 - One block only; no vehicles, NPCs, audio, or settings UI yet.
 
-[Unreleased]: https://git.allucanget.biz/zwitschi/gig-line/compare/v0.1.4...main
+[Unreleased]: https://git.allucanget.biz/zwitschi/gig-line/compare/v0.1.5...main
+[0.1.5]: https://git.allucanget.biz/zwitschi/gig-line/releases/tag/v0.1.5
 [0.1.4]: https://git.allucanget.biz/zwitschi/gig-line/releases/tag/v0.1.4
 [0.1.3]: https://git.allucanget.biz/zwitschi/gig-line/releases/tag/v0.1.3
 [0.1.2]: https://git.allucanget.biz/zwitschi/gig-line/releases/tag/v0.1.2

Docs/Architecture/01_introduction_and_goals.md

@@ -20,11 +20,14 @@ Full requirements and progress are in [TODO.md](../../TODO.md); version directio
 
 | Priority | Quality Goal | Scenario |
 | --- | --- | --- |
-| 1 | **Performance efficiency** | 60 FPS at 2560×1440 on RTX 5070 Ti, documented preset, no frame generation |
-| 2 | **Terrain walkability** | Zero raycast holes across both sidewalks and the carriageway (84-sample transect passes) |
-| 3 | **Geographic fidelity** | Building placement, street scale, and façade identity match reference photography |
+| 1 | **Visual realism** | Renders read as the reference photographs: façade identity, proportion, material and light — judged side by side, shot against photo |
+| 2 | **Geographic fidelity** | Building placement and street scale match the measured data and the photographs |
+| 3 | **Terrain walkability** | Zero raycast holes across both sidewalks and the carriageway (84-sample transect passes) |
 | 4 | **Build reproducibility** | Fresh checkout + documented engine path produces a runnable Linux build |
 | 5 | **Provenance** | Every committed asset has recorded provenance |
+| 6 | **Performance efficiency** | 60 FPS at 2560×1440 on RTX 5070 Ti, documented preset, no frame generation |
+
+**How the order is used.** It decides trade-offs. When realism and performance disagree, realism wins and the cost is paid — but never by silently shipping a frame rate below the floor. The 60 FPS figure is a **budget that must still be met**, so the response to "realism costs too much frame time" is to cut the realism feature deliberately, record the cut, and keep the floor — not to let frames slip. Walkability outranks realism in one direction only: a beautiful block the player falls through is not a demo.
 
 ## Stakeholders
 

Docs/Architecture/04_solution_strategy.md

@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ All modelling and geographic processing live outside the game project in `Art/`,
 
 ## Quality achievement
 
-- **Performance**: dynamic-only lighting (no build step, no static shadow maps), world-space-noise materials (cheap procedural variation), minimal overdraw (simple street-level geometry).
+- **Realism first**: reference photography and measured data drive every façade decision; renders are compared against the photographs with `Tools/visual_loop.py`, and a façade is built from the shared 4.96 m module kit so the street wall reads consistently. Materials are authored in Unreal with world-aligned generated textures, and lighting is fixed daytime so a shot is comparable between runs.
+- **Performance as a budget, not a driver**: dynamic-only lighting (no build step, no static shadow maps), world-space-noise materials (cheap procedural variation), minimal overdraw for street-level geometry, and a 60 FPS at 1440p floor that every release must meet. It closes the quality list because it constrains how much realism fits, not what the block should look like.
 
 - **Walkability**: complex-as-simple collision on terrain (C++ helper forces the flag on the asset), block-all collision on every site mesh, swept transect QA verifies zero raycast holes.
 

Docs/Architecture/10_quality_requirements.md

@@ -2,24 +2,34 @@
 
 ## Quality Requirements Overview
 
-| Category | Requirement | Priority |
+Ordered by priority: realism first, performance last. The order decides design trade-offs; it does not license dropping a lower item silently (see the trade-off rule below the table).
+
+| Priority | Category | Requirement |
 | --- | --- | --- |
-| Performance efficiency | 60 FPS at 2560×1440, documented preset, no frame generation | 1 |
-| Reliability / Terrain | Zero raycast holes across sidewalks and carriageway (84-sample transect) | 1 |
-| Accuracy / Fidelity | Building placement matches reference photography within ~1 m | 2 |
-| Accuracy / Fidelity | Street scale (lane width, sidewalk width) within ~10 cm of measured profile | 2 |
-| Usability | WASD + mouse look, jump, reset (R), pause (Escape) — no tutorial needed | 2 |
-| Maintainability | Fresh checkout builds with documented engine installation | 2 |
-| Portability | Linux build packages and runs; Windows build ships | 3 |
+| 1 | Realism / Fidelity | Façade identity, proportion, material and lighting read like the reference photographs when compared side by side |
+| 2 | Realism / Fidelity | Building placement matches the measured footprints and the photographs (within ~1 m) |
+| 2 | Realism / Fidelity | Street scale (lane width, sidewalk width) within ~10 cm of the measured profile |
+| 3 | Reliability / Terrain | Zero raycast holes across sidewalks and carriageway (84-sample transect) |
+| 3 | Usability | WASD + mouse look, jump, reset (R), pause (Escape) — no tutorial needed |
+| 4 | Maintainability | Fresh checkout builds with the documented engine installation |
+| 4 | Portability | Linux build packages and runs; Windows build ships |
+| 5 | Provenance | Every committed asset has a recorded source and licence |
+| 6 | Performance efficiency | 60 FPS at 2560×1440, documented preset, no frame generation |
+
+**Trade-off rule.** Realism leads: when a realism improvement costs frame time, the improvement wins. Performance is still a **floor, not a preference** — 60 FPS at 1440p without frame generation must be met at every release. If realism cannot fit inside that budget, reduce the realism scope deliberately and record the reduction in `CHANGELOG.md`; never ship below the floor without the owner's explicit approval. Walkability outranks realism in one direction: a block the player falls through is not a demo, whatever it looks like.
 
 ## Quality Scenarios
 
 | ID | Source/Stimulus | Response | Metric |
 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
-| QS-1 | Player walks both sides of the demo | No fall-through, character stays at ground Z | 0 raycast holes in 84-sample transect |
-| QS-2 | Player holds W for 2 s on flat road | Character moves forward | ≥ 200 cm displacement, Z constant within ±5 cm |
-| QS-3 | Player presses R | Character teleports to spawn | < 100 cm from `StartLocation` |
-| QS-4 | Player presses Escape | Game pauses, cursor appears | `IsGamePaused()` = true |
-| QS-5 | Player presses Escape while paused | Game unpauses, cursor hides | `IsGamePaused()` = false |
-| QS-6 | Game runs on dev workstation at 1440p | Frame rate stable | ≥ 60 FPS, 99th percentile ≥ 55 FPS |
-| QS-7 | Fresh checkout + engine install | Build succeeds | Exit code 0, runnable binary produced |
+| QS-1 | Screenshot is compared against its reference photograph | The render reads as the same building | Similarity score and visual match confirmed by the owner; `Tools/visual_loop.py` reports the deltas |
+| QS-2 | A façade is placed from measured data | It sits on its verified footprint | World span probed against `Geo/verification/` within ~1 m |
+| QS-3 | Player walks both sides of the demo | No fall-through, character stays at ground Z | 0 raycast holes in 84-sample transect |
+| QS-4 | Player holds W for 2 s on flat road | Character moves forward | ≥ 200 cm displacement, Z constant within ±5 cm |
+| QS-5 | Player presses R | Character teleports to spawn | < 100 cm from `StartLocation` |
+| QS-6 | Player presses Escape | Game pauses, cursor appears | `IsGamePaused()` = true |
+| QS-7 | Player presses Escape while paused | Game unpauses, cursor hides | `IsGamePaused()` = false |
+| QS-8 | Fresh checkout + engine install | Build succeeds | Exit code 0, runnable binary produced |
+| QS-9 | Game runs on dev workstation at 1440p | Frame rate holds the floor | ≥ 60 FPS, 99th percentile ≥ 55 FPS |
+
+> QS-9 is last on purpose. Performance is a floor that every release must meet, not the goal that shapes the content: realism decides what gets built, the frame budget decides how much of it.

Docs/Architecture/architecture.md

@@ -27,11 +27,14 @@ Full requirements and progress are in [TODO.md](../../TODO.md); version directio
 
 | Priority | Quality Goal | Scenario |
 | --- | --- | --- |
-| 1 | **Performance efficiency** | 60 FPS at 2560×1440 on RTX 5070 Ti, documented preset, no frame generation |
-| 2 | **Terrain walkability** | Zero raycast holes across both sidewalks and the carriageway (84-sample transect passes) |
-| 3 | **Geographic fidelity** | Building placement, street scale, and façade identity match reference photography |
+| 1 | **Visual realism** | Renders read as the reference photographs: façade identity, proportion, material and light — judged side by side, shot against photo |
+| 2 | **Geographic fidelity** | Building placement and street scale match the measured data and the photographs |
+| 3 | **Terrain walkability** | Zero raycast holes across both sidewalks and the carriageway (84-sample transect passes) |
 | 4 | **Build reproducibility** | Fresh checkout + documented engine path produces a runnable Linux build |
 | 5 | **Provenance** | Every committed asset has recorded provenance |
+| 6 | **Performance efficiency** | 60 FPS at 2560×1440 on RTX 5070 Ti, documented preset, no frame generation |
+
+**How the order is used.** It decides trade-offs. When realism and performance disagree, realism wins and the cost is paid — but never by silently shipping a frame rate below the floor. The 60 FPS figure is a **budget that must still be met**, so the response to "realism costs too much frame time" is to cut the realism feature deliberately, record the cut, and keep the floor — not to let frames slip. Walkability outranks realism in one direction only: a beautiful block the player falls through is not a demo.
 
 ## Stakeholders
 
@@ -129,7 +132,9 @@ All modelling and geographic processing live outside the game project in `Art/`,
 
 ## Quality achievement
 
-- **Performance**: dynamic-only lighting (no build step, no static shadow maps), world-space-noise materials (cheap procedural variation), minimal overdraw (simple street-level geometry).
+- **Realism**: reference photography drives every façade decision, measured data fixes placement and scale, and renders are compared against the photographs (`Tools/visual_loop.py`, `Screenshots/README.md`). One module kit at the 4.96 m bay keeps the street wall coherent; materials are world-aligned and lit by a fixed daytime rig so a shot is comparable between runs.
+
+- **Performance holds the floor, it does not set the agenda**: dynamic-only lighting (no build step, no static shadow maps), cheap procedural materials, minimal overdraw for street-level geometry, and 60 FPS at 1440p as a budget every release must meet.
 
 - **Walkability**: complex-as-simple collision on terrain (C++ helper forces the flag on the asset), block-all collision on every site mesh, swept transect QA verifies zero raycast holes.
 
@@ -450,27 +455,37 @@ Rule: place a building only against a neighbour or street mesh, never in isolati
 
 ## Quality Requirements Overview
 
-| Category | Requirement | Priority |
+Ordered by priority: realism first, performance last. The order decides design trade-offs; it does not license dropping a lower item silently (see the trade-off rule below the table).
+
+| Priority | Category | Requirement |
 | --- | --- | --- |
-| Performance efficiency | 60 FPS at 2560×1440, documented preset, no frame generation | 1 |
-| Reliability / Terrain | Zero raycast holes across sidewalks and carriageway (84-sample transect) | 1 |
-| Accuracy / Fidelity | Building placement matches reference photography within ~1 m | 2 |
-| Accuracy / Fidelity | Street scale (lane width, sidewalk width) within ~10 cm of measured profile | 2 |
-| Usability | WASD + mouse look, jump, reset (R), pause (Escape) — no tutorial needed | 2 |
-| Maintainability | Fresh checkout builds with documented engine installation | 2 |
-| Portability | Linux build packages and runs; Windows build ships | 3 |
+| 1 | Realism / Fidelity | Façade identity, proportion, material and lighting read like the reference photographs when compared side by side |
+| 2 | Realism / Fidelity | Building placement matches the measured footprints and the photographs (within ~1 m) |
+| 2 | Realism / Fidelity | Street scale (lane width, sidewalk width) within ~10 cm of the measured profile |
+| 3 | Reliability / Terrain | Zero raycast holes across sidewalks and carriageway (84-sample transect) |
+| 3 | Usability | WASD + mouse look, jump, reset (R), pause (Escape) — no tutorial needed |
+| 4 | Maintainability | Fresh checkout builds with the documented engine installation |
+| 4 | Portability | Linux build packages and runs; Windows build ships |
+| 5 | Provenance | Every committed asset has a recorded source and licence |
+| 6 | Performance efficiency | 60 FPS at 2560×1440, documented preset, no frame generation |
+
+**Trade-off rule.** Realism leads: when a realism improvement costs frame time, the improvement wins. Performance is still a **floor, not a preference** — 60 FPS at 1440p without frame generation must be met at every release. If realism cannot fit inside that budget, reduce the realism scope deliberately and record the reduction in `CHANGELOG.md`; never ship below the floor without the owner's explicit approval. Walkability outranks realism in one direction: a block the player falls through is not a demo, whatever it looks like.
 
 ## Quality Scenarios
 
 | ID | Source/Stimulus | Response | Metric |
 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
-| QS-1 | Player walks both sides of the demo | No fall-through, character stays at ground Z | 0 raycast holes in 84-sample transect |
-| QS-2 | Player holds W for 2 s on flat road | Character moves forward | ≥ 200 cm displacement, Z constant within ±5 cm |
-| QS-3 | Player presses R | Character teleports to spawn | < 100 cm from `StartLocation` |
-| QS-4 | Player presses Escape | Game pauses, cursor appears | `IsGamePaused()` = true |
-| QS-5 | Player presses Escape while paused | Game unpauses, cursor hides | `IsGamePaused()` = false |
-| QS-6 | Game runs on dev workstation at 1440p | Frame rate stable | ≥ 60 FPS, 99th percentile ≥ 55 FPS |
-| QS-7 | Fresh checkout + engine install | Build succeeds | Exit code 0, runnable binary produced |
+| QS-1 | Screenshot is compared against its reference photograph | The render reads as the same building | Similarity score and visual match confirmed by the owner; `Tools/visual_loop.py` reports the deltas |
+| QS-2 | A façade is placed from measured data | It sits on its verified footprint | World span probed against `Geo/verification/` within ~1 m |
+| QS-3 | Player walks both sides of the demo | No fall-through, character stays at ground Z | 0 raycast holes in 84-sample transect |
+| QS-4 | Player holds W for 2 s on flat road | Character moves forward | ≥ 200 cm displacement, Z constant within ±5 cm |
+| QS-5 | Player presses R | Character teleports to spawn | < 100 cm from `StartLocation` |
+| QS-6 | Player presses Escape | Game pauses, cursor appears | `IsGamePaused()` = true |
+| QS-7 | Player presses Escape while paused | Game unpauses, cursor hides | `IsGamePaused()` = false |
+| QS-8 | Fresh checkout + engine install | Build succeeds | Exit code 0, runnable binary produced |
+| QS-9 | Game runs on dev workstation at 1440p | Frame rate holds the floor | ≥ 60 FPS, 99th percentile ≥ 55 FPS |
+
+> QS-9 is last on purpose. Performance is a floor that every release must meet, not the goal that shapes the content: realism decides what gets built, the frame budget decides how much of it.
 
 # Risks and Technical Debts
 

Docs/build.md

@@ -86,8 +86,13 @@ The hero block and the demo level are built by a fixed sequence. Each step write
 | North import | `Tools/ue_import_north_buildings.py` | `/Game/Hollywood/North/*` |
 | Hero import | `Tools/ue_hero_facade_import.py` | `/Game/Hollywood/ElCapitan/SM_HeroFacade` |
 | Demo map | `Tools/ue_build_demo_map.py` | `/Game/Hollywood/DemoMap` |
+| Façade kit assembly | `Tools/ue_apply_facade_kit.py` | kit actors in `DemoMap` |
+| Theatre trim | `Tools/ue_stage_theatre_trim.py` | marquee + blade sign actors |
+| Scene audit | `Tools/ue_audit_scene.py` | materials, placement spans, labels (gate) |
 | Review shots | `Tools/ue_build_review_map.py` + `Tools/render_screenshots.sh` | `Screenshots/` |
 
+**Order matters.** `ue_build_demo_map.py` rebuilds the site materials, so any actor staged by another tool must be (re)staged _after_ it, or it keeps a reference to a material that no longer exists — that is how 604 actors once ended up untethered from their materials while the map only looked slightly flat. `Tools/render_screenshots.sh` runs the full chain in the right order and gates on `ue_audit_scene.py`.
+
 Every Blender exporter calls [`Tools/fbx_export_preset.py`](../Tools/fbx_export_preset.py) (`ue_metric_v1` / `ue_character_v1`) instead of repeating the FBX argument block — one place for the scale conversion, the axis mapping and `mesh_smooth_type="FACE"` (without which every Unreal import warns about missing smoothing groups and round geometry arrives faceted).
 
 Two rules that the pipeline enforces rather than documents:

Docs/perf/0.1.5-kit-walk-frametimes.csv

@@ -0,0 +1,728 @@
+frame,ms
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Docs/release-checks.md

@@ -13,7 +13,19 @@ Record results in the table at the end of this file, with the date, the exact bu
 3. **Licensing.** Every new asset has provenance in `THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md`, or is recorded as unresolved and kept out of the build.
 4. **Version discipline.** Patch releases contain fixes, optimisation, docs, or tuning only — no new scope.
 
-## Performance check
+## `0.1.0` checks
+
+1. **Realism first.** Building placement, street width, sidewalk depth, material read and site identity match the reference photography. Compare side by side and note every deliberate deviation. "Looks right" is not evidence.
+2. Player traverses both the south-side frontage and the north-side frontage of the demo without falling through geometry, including the designated crossing. Walk the route twice: once normally, once with collision debug visualisation enabled.
+3. No blocking collision, no invisible walls, no gaps at sidewalk/road seams.
+4. Fresh checkout builds against the documented external engine installation.
+5. Linux build packaged and launched; controls documented in `Docs/` and shown in-game.
+6. **Performance last.** 60 FPS at 1440p per the performance check below — a floor every release meets, not the goal that shapes the content.
+7. Tag `v0.1.0`, write the `CHANGELOG.md` entry, then remove the completed section from `TODO.md` (its goal stays in `ROADMAP.md`).
+
+## Performance check (last)
+
+Performance is the **last** check on purpose: realism leads the design and the frame budget only decides how much of it fits. It is still a floor — a release is not tagged below 60 FPS at 1440p without the owner's explicit approval.
 
 Measured at 1440p on the development workstation: Bazzite, Ryzen 7 7700X, 64 GB RAM, RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB.
 
@@ -22,16 +34,6 @@ Measured at 1440p on the development workstation: Bazzite, Ryzen 7 7700X, 64 GB
 - Target: 60 FPS at 1440p without frame generation.
 - Capture a frame-time graph over a fixed traversal route, not a single sample. State the route.
 
-## `0.1.0` checks
-
-1. Player traverses both the south-side frontage and the north-side frontage of the demo without falling through geometry, including the designated crossing. Walk the route twice: once normally, once with collision debug visualisation enabled.
-2. Building placement, street width, sidewalk depth, and site identity match the reference photography. Compare side by side and note every deliberate deviation. "Looks right" is not evidence.
-3. No blocking collision, no invisible walls, no gaps at sidewalk/road seams.
-4. 60 FPS at 1440p per the performance check above.
-5. Fresh checkout builds against the documented external engine installation.
-6. Linux build packaged and launched; controls documented in `Docs/` and shown in-game.
-7. Tag `v0.1.0`, write the `CHANGELOG.md` entry, then remove the completed section from `TODO.md` (its goal stays in `ROADMAP.md`).
-
 ## Check-record template
 
 | Version | Check | Result | Evidence | Date |
@@ -125,6 +127,22 @@ Run on the packaged build (`GigLineQA`, Development, Vulkan SM5) with `-qaselfte
 
 Committed frame-time series: `Docs/perf/0.1.0-walk-frametimes.csv`.
 
+### `0.1.5` re-measure with the façade kit in the map
+
+Same route, same preset, packaged Development build, **2560×1440**:
+
+| Metric  |           `0.1.0` | `0.1.5` (kit + textures) |
+| ------- | ----------------: | -----------------------: |
+| Average | 2.42 ms (414 fps) |    **2.76 ms (363 fps)** |
+| p50     |           2.38 ms |                  2.73 ms |
+| p95     |           2.71 ms |                  3.17 ms |
+| p99     |           3.01 ms |                  3.64 ms |
+| Max     |           4.00 ms |                  4.62 ms |
+
+The **625 kit actors and 8 generated textures cost about 12 %** of frame time and still leave **363 fps average, p99 3.64 ms** — roughly six times the 60 fps floor. Frame-time series: `Docs/perf/0.1.5-kit-walk-frametimes.csv`.
+
+**Measurement trap, again:** runs that reported ~105 fps were two game instances overlapping (a previous launch had not exited). Confirm a single instance (`pgrep -af Binaries/Linux/GigLine`) before trusting a figure — 363 fps reproduced twice on a clean run.
+
 ## `0.1.0` — Fresh checkout build — record (2026-11-08)
 
 Followed the documented steps in [`Docs/build.md`](build.md) exactly, into a clean directory with no prior state:

MEMORY.md

@@ -420,3 +420,106 @@ Scope: facts and traps that cost time to establish. Planned work lives in [TODO.
 - Owner reviewed the four demo captures locally and approved the set. Signoff recorded in `Docs/reviews/0.1.4-review.md` (7/7 items) and in the per-shot `Approved` column of `Screenshots/README.md`.
 - The three geometry items that `0.1.4` did not finish — retail neighbours from their own references, hero fluting/motto band, blockout cleaning — move to a new **`0.1.5` Façade finishing** patch rather than growing this one, plus a much-needed **1440p performance re-measure** (625 kit actors have never been measured; `0.1.0` measured 414 fps).
 - Decision recorded because it sets a precedent: finish and sign off a version when its _stated_ scope is done, and carry leftover scope into the next patch — do not let a patch accumulate unmeasured geometry.
+
+## 2026-11-09 — quality priority flipped: realism first, performance last
+
+- Owner decision: realism leads; performance closes the quality list. Applied in
+  `Docs/Architecture/01_introduction_and_goals.md`, `10_quality_requirements.md`,
+  `04_solution_strategy.md`, the combined `architecture.md`, `Docs/release-checks.md`
+  (performance section now last, with the reason), `ROADMAP.md` (a "Quality priority"
+  section) and `AGENTS.md` (the tie-break rule next to the scope-cutting rule).
+- Ordering used: 1 visual realism, 2 geographic fidelity, 3 walkability/usability,
+  4 build reproducibility/portability, 5 provenance, 6 performance.
+- **Both revisions carry the same guard so the order cannot be used as an excuse:**
+  performance is a *floor*, not a preference — 60 FPS at 1440p without frame
+  generation must be met at every release, and if realism cannot fit, the realism
+  scope is cut deliberately and recorded in `CHANGELOG.md`, never the frame rate.
+  Walkability outranks realism in one direction: a block the player falls through is
+  not a demo.
+
+## 2026-11-09 — 0.1.5 start: retail reference + kit layout maths
+
+- Commons holds exactly **one** usable reference for the retail run:
+  `Art/reference/retail-neighbours/01-lee-drug-and-neighbor.jpg` (Gb321, CC BY-SA
+  4.0, 1920×953) — 6800 Lee Drug **and** its neighbour at street level, shopfronts
+  and parapets visible (vision pre-check: yes). Nothing for 6822 or 6806–6820, so
+  those two façades still have no reference and stay blocked.
+- **Kit layout was wrong for tall/wide buildings**, not just ugly: bays were
+  `round(width / 496)`, so 6922 (65.8 m wide, 37.1 m tall) got **13 bays** — a
+  window every 4.96 m across the whole frontage — and the storey count came out at
+  11 × 310 cm = 34.1 m against a 35.7 m window zone, leaving bare wall under the
+  cornice. Fixed: `MAX_BAYS = 9` (module widens instead of subdividing), and the
+  storey spread is derived from the available height (`usable / storeys`) so the top
+  band always lands inside the building. Result: 6922 9 × 11, theatre 8 × 6,
+  6806 7 × 3, 6800 4 × 3, TCL 9 × 5.
+
+## 2026-11-09 — hero fluting + motto band; and a silent placement divergence
+
+- Fluting: 20 grooves per column as thin shadow-tone cylinders set into the shaft
+  (120 pieces) rather than boolean cuts — the eye reads them in silhouette and
+  grazing light, booleans would cost far more for that. Motto band is now a real
+  recess: surround 6 cm proud, panel 12 cm behind (was an 8 cm dark stripe).
+  Hero 148 parts/3 044 tris -> 271/5 492, still 14.50 m.
+- **The real find:** `ue_hero_facade_import.py` had its own hero position
+  `(-12024.5, -1450, 0)` — the pre-`0.1.0` value, before the frontage placement fix
+  moved the hero to `(-13336, +1307)`. Running the importer on its own therefore
+  teleported the hero **13 m east and onto the north side of the boulevard**, and
+  nothing complained: a displaced building still renders. The only symptom was the
+  reference score dropping 0.69 -> 0.56 with the 3x3 composition correlation
+  flipping +0.54 -> -0.08.
+- Fix: `Tools/ue_placement.py` is now the single source of truth (hero position,
+  verified frontage spans, `span_error`/`describe_span_failure`). Both
+  `ue_hero_facade_import.py` and `ue_build_demo_map.py` import it, the import asserts
+  the staged span and logs `PLACEMENT ERROR` when it does not match, and tests assert
+  the stale literal cannot come back. Spawn-view score back to **0.72** (best yet).
+- Lesson to keep: **duplicated placement constants drift silently.** The metric that
+  caught it was the composition correlation, not a visual review.
+
+## 2026-11-09 — 1440p re-measured with the kit: 363 fps, ~12% cost
+
+- 2560×1440, Epic preset, TSR, VSync off, no frame generation: **2.76 ms average
+  (363 fps)**, p50 2.73, p95 3.17, p99 3.64, max 4.62 — against `0.1.0`'s 2.42 ms
+  (414 fps). The 625 kit actors + 8 generated textures cost about **12 %** and leave
+  ~6× the 60 fps floor.
+- **Variance trap confirmed a third time:** runs reporting ~105 fps (9.5 ms) were
+  two overlapping game instances — an earlier launch had not exited. `pgrep -af
+  Binaries/Linux/GigLine` should show one wrapper + one binary; 363 fps reproduced
+  twice on a clean run. Always count instances before believing a perf number.
+- Series committed at `Docs/perf/0.1.5-kit-walk-frametimes.csv`; comparison table in
+  `Docs/release-checks.md`.
+
+## 2026-11-09 — 604 unmaterialed actors: material rebuild was delete+recreate
+
+- The "blockout cleaning pass" turned out to need **material and placement hygiene,
+  not more geometry**. `Tools/ue_audit_scene.py` (new) found **604 of 620 mesh actors
+  with no material**: kit pieces and theatre trim all untextured.
+- **Cause:** `ensure_material` in `ue_build_demo_map.py` deleted and recreated each
+  `/Game/Hollywood/Site/M_*` asset every run ("so a look change cannot be masked by a
+  stale asset"). That orphane every reference: actors staged by other tools pointed at
+  deleted assets and fell back to the default material. The map looked only *slightly*
+  flat — no error, no warning.
+- **Fix:** update the material **in place** — load it, `MaterialEditingLibrary.
+  delete_all_material_expressions(mat)`, rebuild the graph, recompile, save. Note
+  `Material.expressions` is protected from Python; use the library's deleter.
+- **Ordering rule now documented and enforced:** the demo builder rebuilds materials,
+  so kit and theatre staging must run *after* it. `render_screenshots.sh` now runs
+  demo map → kit assembly → theatre trim → scene audit → shot cameras → capture, and
+  **fails on a non-zero audit count**.
+- Second find: 53 duplicated kit labels (both shop piers of a bay shared one name).
+- Scene audit after the fixes: **0 failures** (all materialed, all spans verified, no
+  duplicate labels). Packaged QA still PASS; spawn-view reference score 0.72.
+
+## 2026-11-09 — v0.1.5 released
+
+- All actionable `0.1.5` work is done: hero fluting + recessed motto band, kit layout
+  for wide/tall buildings, placement single-source-of-truth, 1440p re-measure
+  (363 fps), and the material/placement hygiene that the "blockout cleaning" task
+  actually needed (604 unmaterialed actors, 53 duplicate labels) with a new scene
+  audit gate.
+- Only item carried forward is the **retail frontage (6822 / 6806–6820 / 6800)**,
+  blocked because Commons holds no usable reference for two of the three buildings
+  and substituting the theatre's photographs would misattribute the façades. It now
+  lives in a `0.1.6` Retail frontage patch.
+- Precedent applied again: tag when the stated scope is done, carry blocked scope
+  into the next patch rather than letting a release wait indefinitely on missing
+  reference photography.

ROADMAP.md

@@ -2,9 +2,13 @@
 
 Development roadmap for this project: milestone goals, scope, decisions, and release gates. Actionable tasks, claims, and progress marks live in [TODO.md](TODO.md).
 
+## Quality priority
+
+**Realism leads; performance is a floor.** Façade identity, proportion, material and light are judged against the reference photographs and drive design decisions. Performance closes the quality list: 60 FPS at 1440p without frame generation is a budget every release must meet, and if realism cannot fit inside it the realism scope is cut deliberately and recorded — never the frame rate.
+
 ## Status at a glance — 2026-11-08 15:30
 
-Workstation, geo pipeline, and engine validation are done. The art pipeline has a first blockout, terrain, and street in metres, in one shared coordinate frame. **Project bootstrap is complete**: `Game/GigLine` builds, packages, and both content-acceptance tests (static-mesh scale, MPFB skeletal character) pass. **`v0.1.0` released 2026-11-08**: the walkable demo, hero façade, verified block frontage, first-person controls, ODbL attribution, and every release check pass (traversal, placement, collision, 60 fps at 1440p, fresh-checkout build, packaged build with controls). Next: the `0.1.1`–`0.1.4` patch series (collision detail, scale/façade corrections, packaging fixes, real building façades), then `0.2.0` (player body, third-person camera, animation).
+Workstation, geo pipeline, and engine validation are done. The art pipeline has a first blockout, terrain, and street in metres, in one shared coordinate frame. **Project bootstrap is complete**: `Game/GigLine` builds, packages, and both content-acceptance tests (static-mesh scale, MPFB skeletal character) pass. **`v0.1.0` released 2026-11-08**: the walkable demo, hero façade, verified block frontage, first-person controls, ODbL attribution, and every release check pass (traversal, placement, collision, 60 fps at 1440p, fresh-checkout build, packaged build with controls). Next: the `0.1.1`–`0.1.4` patch series (collision detail, scale/façade corrections, packaging fixes, real building façades), **Next:** `0.1.6` retail frontage (6822, 6806–6820, 6800 — blocked on reference photography for two of the three), then `0.2.0` (player body, third-person camera, animation).
 
 | Area | State |
 | --- | --- |

TODO.md

@@ -9,19 +9,15 @@ Actionable task list for this project. This file is the single, central place fo
 - When all steps in a version section are done: write a `CHANGELOG.md` entry, then remove the version section from this file.
 - Release gate: a version is tagged only on the owner's explicit go-ahead once its release checks pass, not automatically when the checkboxes close.
 
-## 0.1.5 — Façade finishing (patch)
+## 0.1.6 — Retail frontage (patch)
 
-Suggested blender skills: **references** (reference-image-match against the photographs), **historical-worlds** / **archviz** (1920s Hollywood Blvd neoclassical detail), **materials** and **lookdev** for the remaining surface work.
-
-The `0.1.4` kit, materials and theatre trim are signed off; these are the geometry items that were carried forward rather than grown inside that patch.
+Suggested blender skills: **references** (reference-image-match), **archviz**, **historical-worlds** for the 1920s–1990s retail mix on this run.
 
 ### Patch tasks
 
-- [ ] **Retail neighbours (6822 Budget, 6806–6820, 6800 Lee Drug) from their own references.** The 18-frame set is the El Capitan Theatre, so it cannot stand in for these façades. Fetch or shoot per-building references first, then model the shopfront line and upper storeys rather than relying on the kit alone.
-- [ ] **Hero façade: fluting and the motto band as geometry.** The colonnade is plain cylinders and the motto/medallions are flat panels; both are legible in the reference photography.
-- [ ] **Blosm blockout cleaning pass.** Roofs and facades remain untextured volumes and the `setupScript` styles stay unused; with the kit carrying the elevations, this is now cleanup rather than a second façade system.
-- [ ] **Re-measure 1440p performance** with 625 kit actors and 8 generated textures in the map. `0.1.0` measured 414 fps average, so there is headroom, but it has not been re-run since.
-- [ ] Tag `v0.1.5` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.
+- [ ] **Model 6822 Budget, 6806–6820 and 6800 Lee Drug from their own references.** `Art/reference/retail-neighbours/` holds 6800 and its neighbour (Gb321, CC BY-SA 4.0); Commons has nothing usable for 6822 or 6806–6820, so those two need photography before they can be modelled honestly. Do not substitute the El Capitan Theatre's 18-frame set — it would misattribute the façades.
+- [ ] Review every façade change with `Tools/render_screenshots.sh --verify` before tagging.
+- [ ] Tag `v0.1.6` and write `CHANGELOG.md` entry; then remove this section.
 
 ## 0.2.0 — MPFB player body, third-person camera, basic animation (weeks 7–9)
 

Tools/README.md

@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ Geographic tools live in [`Geo/tools/`](../Geo/README.md) and the Blender-side b
 | `ue_stage_theatre_trim.py` | Imports the trim to `/Game/Hollywood/Theatre` and stages one actor per piece in the DemoMap with site materials; clears a previous run first. |
 | `ue_apply_facade_kit.py` | Lays the kit over a building's street face from its own bounding box: bay count = round(width / 4.96), storeys from the height, shopfronts on the ground floor, windows above, pilasters on bay boundaries, cornice and parapet at the top. Clears a previous application first; unique labels per building. |
 | `generate_facade_textures.py` | Deterministic stdlib PNG generator for the facade maps (`T_StoneAshlar`, `T_Stucco`, `T_Asphalt`, `T_Concrete`, each `_BC` base colour + `_R` roughness). Pure-zlib writer, hash-based value noise, identical bytes on every run; `--size` and `--out` (`/tmp/gigline/textures` by default). `ue_build_demo_map.py` imports them into `/Game/Hollywood/Textures` and samples them world-aligned. |
+| `ue_audit_scene.py` | Gate on the DemoMap: no unmaterialed actor, every verified frontage span within tolerance (`ue_placement`), no duplicate actor labels. Writes `/tmp/gigline/scene-audit.txt`; `render_screenshots.sh --verify` fails on a non-zero failure count. Catches the class of defect that still renders plausibly. |
+| `ue_placement.py` | Single source of truth for where staged actors belong in the DemoMap (hero position, verified frontage spans) plus `span_error`/`describe_span_failure` validators. Exists because the hero position was written twice and drifted — the importer kept the pre-`0.1.0` value and moved the hero 13 m east onto the wrong side of the boulevard. No `unreal` import, so it is unit-tested. |
 | `ue_common.py` | Shared helpers for the Unreal commandlet scripts: `make_writable()` clears the read-only bit an LFS `.umap` checks out with (otherwise `save_map()` returns False silently), and `require_saved()` makes that failure explicit. |
 | `fbx_export_preset.py` | The **single** FBX export preset (`ue_metric_v1` / `ue_character_v1`): metres→centimetres via `FBX_SCALE_NONE`, axis mapping east +X / north −Y / up +Z, `mesh_smooth_type="FACE"` (smoothing groups survive the import). Every Blender exporter imports it instead of copying the argument block; `preset_kwargs()` is bpy-free and unit-tested. |
 | `sibling_asset_audit.py` | Reads the sibling project's prop library from GLB headers into `Art/props/reuse-manifest.json`; copies nothing |

Tools/hero_facade_build.py

@@ -174,6 +174,20 @@ def build():
         cap_z0 = HEIGHT - ENTABLATURE_H - PARAPET_H - CAPITAL_H
         cylinder(f"Hero_Column_{i + 1}", x, -0.55, shaft_z0, cap_z0,
                  COLUMN_D / 2.0, stone)
+
+        # Fluting: 20 shallow grooves around the shaft, as the photographs show on
+        # the colonnade. Each flute is a thin cylinder set into the shaft surface;
+        # modelling them as grooves would need booleans on 6 columns for detail the
+        # eye reads only in silhouette and grazing light, so they are added mass in
+        # the *shadow* direction instead — cheap, and it breaks the flat highlight.
+        flutes = 20
+        flute_r = 0.032
+        for f in range(flutes):
+            ang = (2.0 * math.pi * f) / flutes
+            fx = x + (COLUMN_D / 2.0 - flute_r * 0.4) * math.cos(ang)
+            fy = -0.55 + (COLUMN_D / 2.0 - flute_r * 0.4) * math.sin(ang)
+            cylinder(f"Hero_Flute_{i + 1}_{f + 1}", fx, fy, shaft_z0 + 0.05,
+                     cap_z0 - 0.05, flute_r, stone_dark, vertices=6)
         # Capital block, then the square abacus that carries the architrave.
         # The abacus takes the top 0.14 m of the capital zone so the colonnade
         # still ends at HEIGHT - ENTABLATURE_H - PARAPET_H (proportion unchanged).
@@ -185,6 +199,9 @@ def build():
              1.30, 1.30, abacus_h, stone)
     note("Hero_Column_x6", (COLUMN_D, COLUMN_D, HEIGHT - ENTABLATURE_H - PARAPET_H - PEDESTAL_H),
          f"6 columns at {COLUMN_BAY} m centres (sibling notes x measured frontage)")
+    note("Hero_Flute_x120", (0.064, 0.064, cap_z0 - shaft_z0),
+         "photographs: fluted shafts; 20 grooves per column modelled as shallow "
+         "cylinders in the shadow tone rather than boolean cut grooves")
     note("Hero_ColumnBase_x6", (1.36, 1.36, 0.22),
          "assumption: Ionic base moulding; photographs show a wider base at the shaft foot")
     note("Hero_Abacus_x6", (1.30, 1.30, 0.14),
@@ -223,10 +240,22 @@ def build():
          FRONTAGE_W, 1.2, PARAPET_H, stone)
     note("Hero_Parapet", (FRONTAGE_W, 1.2, PARAPET_H), "assumption: parapet carries the motto band")
 
-    # Motto band: a recessed panel across the parapet, as the photographs show.
-    cube("Hero_MottoBand", 0.0, -1.32, HEIGHT - PARAPET_H / 2.0,
-         FRONTAGE_W - 3.0, 0.08, 0.85, stone_dark)
-    note("Hero_MottoBand", (FRONTAGE_W - 3.0, 0.08, 0.85), "photographs: motto panel above the colonnade")
+    # Motto band: a recessed panel across the parapet with a moulded surround, as
+    # the photographs show. The panel was a 8 cm stripe of dark stone; it is now a
+    # real recess — surround frame standing 6 cm proud, panel set 12 cm behind it —
+    # so it reads as an inscription panel from the street instead of a paint line.
+    motto_z = HEIGHT - PARAPET_H / 2.0
+    motto_w = FRONTAGE_W - 3.0
+    for x_off in (-(motto_w / 2.0 + 0.16), (motto_w / 2.0 + 0.16)):
+        cube(f"Hero_MottoSurround_v{int(x_off > 0)}", x_off, -1.13, motto_z,
+             0.32, 0.26, 1.15, stone)
+    for z_off in (-0.575, 0.575):
+        cube(f"Hero_MottoSurround_h{int(z_off > 0)}", 0.0, -1.13, motto_z + z_off,
+             motto_w + 0.64, 0.26, 0.32, stone)
+    cube("Hero_MottoBand", 0.0, -1.06, motto_z, motto_w, 0.10, 0.85, stone_dark)
+    note("Hero_MottoBand", (motto_w, 0.10, 0.85),
+         "photographs: motto panel above the colonnade, now an inset panel with a "
+         "moulded surround rather than a flat stripe")
 
     # Medallions either side of the inscription: discs on the parapet face, not
     # pancakes on the coping (see disc_on_wall).

Tools/render_screenshots.sh

@@ -20,18 +20,29 @@ PROJ="$REPO/Game/GigLine/GigLine.uproject"
 VERIFY="no"
 [ "${1:-}" = "--verify" ] && VERIFY="yes"
 
-echo "== 1/3 stage the demo shot cameras =="
-cd "$ENGINE"
-./Engine/Binaries/Linux/UnrealEditor-Cmd "$PROJ" \
-  -run=pythonscript -script="$REPO/Tools/ue_build_review_map.py" \
-  -nullrhi -unattended -nopause -stdout
+run_cmdlet() {
+  local script="$1" label="$2"
+  echo "== $label =="
+  ( cd "$ENGINE" && ./Engine/Binaries/Linux/UnrealEditor-Cmd "$PROJ" \
+      -run=pythonscript -script="$REPO/Tools/$script" \
+      -nullrhi -unattended -nopause -stdout )
+}
+
+# Order matters. The demo builder rebuilds the site materials, so any actor staged
+# by another tool must be (re)staged after it or it keeps a reference to a material
+# that no longer exists - that is how 604 actors ended up untextured once.
+run_cmdlet ue_build_demo_map.py "1/5 rebuild the demo map (materials, site, frontage)"
+run_cmdlet ue_apply_facade_kit.py "2/5 assemble the facade kit"
+run_cmdlet ue_stage_theatre_trim.py "3/5 stage the theatre trim"
+run_cmdlet ue_audit_scene.py "4/6 audit the scene (materials, placement, labels)"
+run_cmdlet ue_build_review_map.py "5/6 stage the demo shot cameras"
 tail -3 /tmp/ue-review-map-result.txt 2>/dev/null || true
 
-echo "== 2/3 capture the demo map =="
+echo "== 6/6 capture the demo map =="
 ./Engine/Binaries/Linux/UnrealEditor-Cmd "$PROJ" /Game/Hollywood/DemoMap \
   -game -windowed -ResX=1920 -ResY=1080 -nopause -nosplash -stdout
 
-echo "== 3/3 collect the demo screenshots =="
+echo "== collect the demo screenshots =="
 mkdir -p "$REPO/Screenshots/demo"
 rm -f "$REPO"/Screenshots/demo/review-*.png
 found=0
@@ -47,6 +58,14 @@ done
 [ "$found" = "1" ] || { echo "ERROR: no demo screenshots found"; exit 1; }
 ls -1 "$REPO/Screenshots/demo"
 
+# The scene audit is a gate: a wrong-material or misplaced actor is exactly the
+# kind of failure that still renders plausibly.
+if grep -q "failure(s) ==" /tmp/gigline/scene-audit.txt 2>/dev/null; then
+  grep -E "FAIL|failure\(s\)" /tmp/gigline/scene-audit.txt | tail -5
+  grep -q "== 0 failure(s) ==" /tmp/gigline/scene-audit.txt || {
+    echo "ERROR: scene audit failed — see /tmp/gigline/scene-audit.txt"; exit 1; }
+fi
+
 if [ "$VERIFY" = "yes" ]; then
   echo "== verify: does each shot show what it should? =="
   cd "$REPO"

Tools/tests/test_ue_placement.py

@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+"""Tests for Tools/ue_placement.py — the single source of truth for placement.
+
+A regression test for a real bug: `ue_hero_facade_import.py` carried its own hero
+position (the pre-0.1.0 one) while `ue_build_demo_map.py` staged the verified one.
+Running the importer moved the hero 13 m east and onto the north side of the
+boulevard, and nothing complained because a displaced building still renders.
+"""
+
+import os
+import sys
+import unittest
+
+ROOT = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", ".."))
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(ROOT, "Tools"))
+
+import ue_placement  # noqa: E402
+
+
+class HeroPlacementTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_hero_actor_name(self):
+        self.assertEqual(ue_placement.HERO_ACTOR, "Hero_Facade")
+
+    def test_hero_location_is_the_verified_building_line(self):
+        x, y, z = ue_placement.HERO_LOCATION_CM
+        self.assertEqual((x, y, z), (-13336.0, 1307.0, 0.0))
+        # North is -Y in Unreal, so the hero on the south side must have Y > 0.
+        self.assertGreater(y, 0.0, "hero must be on the south side (Y > 0)")
+
+    def test_hero_span_is_verified(self):
+        # The mesh spans -1308..+1308 cm in X about its origin.
+        lo = ue_placement.HERO_LOCATION_CM[0] - 1308.0
+        hi = ue_placement.HERO_LOCATION_CM[0] + 1308.0
+        exp_min, exp_max, ok = ue_placement.span_error("hero", lo, hi)
+        self.assertTrue(ok)
+        # The mesh spans exactly the verified footprint, so the two agree.
+        self.assertAlmostEqual(exp_min, lo, delta=ue_placement.SPAN_TOLERANCE_CM)
+        self.assertAlmostEqual(exp_max, hi, delta=ue_placement.SPAN_TOLERANCE_CM)
+
+
+class SpanValidatorTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_misplaced_hero_is_reported(self):
+        # The exact failure observed: the stale import position put the hero here.
+        lo, hi = -13332.0, -10716.0
+        exp_min, exp_max, ok = ue_placement.span_error("hero", lo, hi)
+        self.assertFalse(ok)
+        message = ue_placement.describe_span_failure("hero", lo, hi)
+        self.assertIn("does not match the verified", message)
+        self.assertIn(f"{exp_min:.0f}", message)
+
+    def test_correct_span_reports_nothing(self):
+        self.assertEqual(ue_placement.describe_span_failure("hero", -14644, -12028), "")
+
+    def test_within_tolerance_passes(self):
+        # 99 cm off is inside the ±100 cm tolerance.
+        self.assertTrue(ue_placement.span_error("6922", -24276 + 99, -17700 - 99)[2])
+
+    def test_outside_tolerance_fails(self):
+        self.assertFalse(ue_placement.span_error("6922", -24276 + 101, -17700)[2])
+
+    def test_unknown_building_raises(self):
+        with self.assertRaises(KeyError):
+            ue_placement.span_error("no-such-building", 0, 0)
+
+    def test_every_frontage_span_is_ordered(self):
+        for name, (lo, hi) in ue_placement.FRONTAGE_SPANS_CM.items():
+            self.assertLess(lo, hi, f"{name} span is inverted")
+
+
+class SingleSourceOfTruthTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    """The import script and the demo builder must not carry their own literals."""
+
+    def test_import_script_uses_the_shared_constant(self):
+        src = open(os.path.join(ROOT, "Tools", "ue_hero_facade_import.py"),
+                   encoding="utf-8").read()
+        self.assertIn("ue_placement.HERO_LOCATION_CM", src)
+        self.assertNotIn("(-12024.5, -1450.0, 0.0)", src,
+                         "the stale pre-0.1.0 hero position must not come back")
+
+    def test_demo_builder_uses_the_shared_constant(self):
+        src = open(os.path.join(ROOT, "Tools", "ue_build_demo_map.py"),
+                   encoding="utf-8").read()
+        self.assertIn("ue_placement.HERO_LOCATION_CM", src)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()

Tools/ue_apply_facade_kit.py

@@ -123,12 +123,28 @@ def apply_to_actor(actor, kit, materials=None, prefix=None):
             f"({width / 100:.1f} x {height / 100:.1f} m)")
         return 0
 
+    # Bays: the kit module is one window bay (4.96 m). A very wide building gets a
+    # bay count that keeps the rhythm readable rather than one window per 4.96 m of
+    # frontage — 6922 is 65.8 m wide, which is 13 bays, giving a window every 4.96 m
+    # across a 37 m tall block: the rhythm reads as a wall of glass, not a building.
+    # Above MAX_BAYS the module is widened instead, so the bay count stays legible.
+    MAX_BAYS = 9
     bays = max(1, int(round(width / BAY_CM)))
+    if bays > MAX_BAYS:
+        bays = MAX_BAYS
     bay_w = width / bays                      # actual bay width for this building
     # Street face: the frontage runs along X, and the street is at smaller Y.
     face_y = mn.y
     base_z = mn.z
-    storeys = max(1, int((height - SHOP_FLOOR_CM) // STOREY_CM))
+    # Storeys never overrun the volume: cap the count so the top band (cornice +
+    # parapet, 145 cm) always lands inside the building.
+    storeys = max(1, int((height - SHOP_FLOOR_CM - 145.0) // STOREY_CM) + 1)
+    top_z = base_z + height
+    # Windows above the shopfront, spread over the available height rather than
+    # assumed to be exactly STOREY_CM apart, so a 37 m block does not leave a gap
+    # of bare wall under the cornice.
+    usable = max(0.0, (top_z - 145.0) - (base_z + SHOP_FLOOR_CM))
+    storey_step = (usable / storeys) if storeys else STOREY_CM
 
     def kit_material(name):
         if materials is None:
@@ -140,11 +156,13 @@ def apply_to_actor(actor, kit, materials=None, prefix=None):
     for bay in range(bays):
         cx = mn.x + bay_w * (bay + 0.5)
         # ground floor: shopfront
-        for piece, dx in (("Kit_ShopPier_L", -bay_w / 2 + 30.0),
-                          ("Kit_ShopPier_R", bay_w / 2 - 30.0)):
+        for piece, dx, side in (("Kit_ShopPier_L", -bay_w / 2 + 30.0, "L"),
+                                ("Kit_ShopPier_R", bay_w / 2 - 30.0, "R")):
             if piece in kit:
+                # The side belongs in the label: both piers of a bay shared one
+                # label, which left 53 ambiguous pairs in the outliner.
                 if _spawn(kit[piece], unreal.Vector(cx + dx, face_y, base_z),
-                          f"{prefix}shop_pier_{bay}", kit_material(piece)):
+                          f"{prefix}shop_pier_{side}_{bay}", kit_material(piece)):
                     placed += 1
         if "Kit_ShopGlass" in kit:
             if _spawn(kit["Kit_ShopGlass"], unreal.Vector(cx, face_y, base_z),
@@ -153,7 +171,7 @@ def apply_to_actor(actor, kit, materials=None, prefix=None):
         # upper storeys: window bays
         for storey in range(storeys):
             if "Kit_WindowBay" in kit:
-                z = base_z + SHOP_FLOOR_CM + STOREY_CM * storey + 65.0
+                z = base_z + SHOP_FLOOR_CM + storey_step * storey + 65.0
                 if _spawn(kit["Kit_WindowBay"], unreal.Vector(cx, face_y, z),
                           f"{prefix}window_{bay}_{storey}", kit_material("Kit_WindowBay")):
                     placed += 1

Tools/ue_audit_scene.py

@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Audit the DemoMap for staged actors that would render wrong.
+
+Checks that are cheap and catch the failures this project actually had:
+
+1. **No unmaterialed actors.** 604 actors once rendered with the default material
+   because the demo builder deleted and recreated the site materials, orphaning
+   every reference; the map looked merely "a bit flat".
+2. **Placement spans.** Each verified frontage building is probed against
+   `Tools/ue_placement.py`; a building 13 m off its footprint still renders fine,
+   which is exactly why it needs a number, not an eye.
+3. **No duplicate actor labels.** Two buildings' kit pieces sharing a label made
+   the outliner ambiguous and hid one of them.
+
+    UnrealEditor-Cmd <uproject> -run=pythonscript \
+        -script=Tools/ue_audit_scene.py -nullrhi -unattended -nopause -stdout
+
+Result file: `/tmp/gigline/scene-audit.txt`. Exit code from the commandlet is
+always 0, so **read the file** — `visual_loop.py --verify` does not depend on it.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import collections
+import os
+import sys
+
+import unreal
+
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+import ue_placement  # noqa: E402
+
+MAP = "/Game/Hollywood/DemoMap"
+RESULT = "/tmp/gigline/scene-audit.txt"
+
+lines: list[str] = []
+failures = 0
+
+
+def log(message: str) -> None:
+    lines.append(message)
+    print(message)
+
+
+def fail(message: str) -> None:
+    global failures
+    failures += 1
+    log("FAIL " + message)
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    if not unreal.EditorLevelLibrary.load_level(MAP):
+        log(f"could not load {MAP}")
+        return
+
+    actors = unreal.EditorLevelLibrary.get_all_level_actors()
+
+    # 1. materials
+    unmaterialed = []
+    for actor in actors:
+        comp = actor.get_component_by_class(unreal.StaticMeshComponent)
+        if not comp or not comp.static_mesh:
+            continue
+        if comp.get_material(0) is None:
+            unmaterialed.append(actor.get_actor_label())
+    log(f"mesh actors: {sum(1 for a in actors if a.get_component_by_class(unreal.StaticMeshComponent))}")
+    if unmaterialed:
+        fail(f"{len(unmaterialed)} actor(s) with no material, e.g. {unmaterialed[:6]}")
+    else:
+        log("OK   every staged mesh has a material")
+
+    # 2. placement spans
+    for actor in actors:
+        label = actor.get_actor_label()
+        key = None
+        if label.startswith("Frontage_SM_"):
+            name = label[len("Frontage_SM_"):]
+            key = {"Hollywood_6922": "6922", "Hollywood_6902": "6902",
+                   "ElCapitanTheatre": "6838", "Budget_6822": "6822",
+                   "Hollywood_6806": "6806", "LeeDrug_6800": "6800"}.get(name)
+        elif label == ue_placement.HERO_ACTOR:
+            key = "hero"
+        if not key:
+            continue
+        origin, extent = actor.get_actor_bounds(False)
+        lo, hi = origin.x - extent.x, origin.x + extent.x
+        problem = ue_placement.describe_span_failure(key, lo, hi)
+        if problem:
+            fail(problem)
+        else:
+            log(f"OK   {key}: X {lo:.0f}..{hi:.0f}")
+
+    # 3. duplicate labels
+    counts = collections.Counter(a.get_actor_label() for a in actors)
+    duplicates = {k: v for k, v in counts.items() if v > 1}
+    if duplicates:
+        sample = list(duplicates.items())[:6]
+        fail(f"{len(duplicates)} duplicated actor label(s), e.g. {sample}")
+    else:
+        log("OK   no duplicate actor labels")
+
+    log(f"== {failures} failure(s) ==")
+
+
+try:
+    main()
+except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 - surface in the result file
+    import traceback
+    log(f"FAILED: {type(exc).__name__}: {exc}")
+    log(traceback.format_exc())
+
+os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(RESULT), exist_ok=True)
+with open(RESULT, "w", encoding="utf-8") as handle:
+    handle.write("\n".join(lines) + "\n")

Tools/ue_build_demo_map.py

@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ import unreal
 MAP = "/Game/Hollywood/DemoMap"
 # Repository root, so the texture generator can be invoked by path.
 ROOT = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), ".."))
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+import ue_placement  # noqa: E402
 RESULT = "/tmp/gigline/demo-map.txt"
 lines = []
 
@@ -116,14 +118,23 @@ def ensure_material(mat_name, spec, textures=None):
     does not read as one flat specular value.
     """
     path = f"/Game/Hollywood/Site/{mat_name}"
-    if unreal.EditorAssetLibrary.does_asset_exist(path):
-        # Rebuilt every run so a look change cannot be masked by a stale asset.
-        unreal.EditorAssetLibrary.delete_asset(path)
-
-    mat = unreal.AssetToolsHelpers.get_asset_tools().create_asset(
-        mat_name, "/Game/Hollywood/Site", unreal.Material, unreal.MaterialFactoryNew())
     lib = unreal.MaterialEditingLibrary
 
+    # Update the existing material IN PLACE rather than deleting and recreating it.
+    # Deleting the asset to force a look rebuild silently orphaned every reference:
+    # after one demo-builder run, all 598 kit actors and the theatre trim pointed at
+    # deleted materials and rendered with the default one (604 actors with no
+    # material), while the map itself looked merely "a bit flat".
+    mat = unreal.EditorAssetLibrary.load_asset(path)
+    if mat is None:
+        mat = unreal.AssetToolsHelpers.get_asset_tools().create_asset(
+            mat_name, "/Game/Hollywood/Site", unreal.Material, unreal.MaterialFactoryNew())
+    else:
+        # Clear the old graph so a removed node cannot survive a look change.
+        # `Material.expressions` is protected from Python, so use the editing
+        # library's own deleter rather than reading the array.
+        lib.delete_all_material_expressions(mat)
+
     def node(cls):
         return lib.create_material_expression(mat, cls)
 
@@ -401,7 +412,7 @@ def build():
     # the NORTH side of the street, which only looked right while it stood alone.
     hero = unreal.EditorAssetLibrary.load_asset("/Game/Hollywood/ElCapitan/SM_HeroFacade")
     if hero:
-        actor = spawn(unreal.StaticMeshActor, unreal.Vector(-13336.0, 1307.0, 0.0), "Hero_Facade")
+        actor = spawn(unreal.StaticMeshActor, unreal.Vector(*ue_placement.HERO_LOCATION_CM), ue_placement.HERO_ACTOR)
         if actor:
             actor.static_mesh_component.set_static_mesh(hero)
             actor.static_mesh_component.set_mobility(unreal.ComponentMobility.STATIC)

Tools/ue_hero_facade_import.py

@@ -19,14 +19,19 @@ import unreal
 
 sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
 import ue_common  # noqa: E402
+import ue_placement  # noqa: E402
 
 FBX = "/tmp/gigline/hero-facade.fbx"
 DEST = "/Game/Hollywood/ElCapitan"
-ACTOR_LABEL = "Hero_Facade"
+ACTOR_LABEL = ue_placement.HERO_ACTOR
 LEVEL = "/Game/Hollywood/DemoMap"
 
 # Unreal centimetres: south-east corner of the façade, on the building line.
-PLACEMENT_CM = (-12024.5, -1450.0, 0.0)
+# Placement lives in Tools/ue_placement.py. It used to be a literal here, and it
+# drifted from ue_build_demo_map.py: this file kept the pre-0.1.0 position
+# (-12024.5, -1450) while the builder staged (-13336, 1307), so running the importer
+# on its own moved the hero 13 m east and onto the north side of the boulevard.
+PLACEMENT_CM = ue_placement.HERO_LOCATION_CM
 
 RESULT = "/tmp/gigline/hero-facade-import.txt"
 lines = []
@@ -118,6 +123,17 @@ def measure_and_place():
     comp.set_static_mesh(asset)
     comp.set_mobility(unreal.ComponentMobility.STATIC)
     log(f"placed {ACTOR_LABEL} at {PLACEMENT_CM} (cm) on {LEVEL}")
+
+    # Prove it landed on its verified footprint, not merely that it spawned.
+    box = asset.get_bounding_box() if asset else None
+    if box:
+        lo = box.min.x + PLACEMENT_CM[0]
+        hi = box.max.x + PLACEMENT_CM[0]
+        problem = ue_placement.describe_span_failure("hero", lo, hi)
+        if problem:
+            log(f"PLACEMENT ERROR: {problem}")
+        else:
+            log(f"span ok: X {lo:.0f}..{hi:.0f}")
     _make_map_writable(LEVEL)
     saved = unreal.EditorLoadingAndSavingUtils.save_map(
         unreal.EditorLevelLibrary.get_editor_world(), LEVEL)

Tools/ue_placement.py

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Single source of truth for where staged actors belong in the DemoMap.
+
+This exists because the same value was written in two places and they drifted:
+`ue_hero_facade_import.py` kept the pre-`0.1.0` position `(-12024.5, -1450)` while
+`ue_build_demo_map.py` staged the hero at `(-13336, 1307)`. Running the importer on
+its own therefore moved the hero **13 m east and onto the north side of the
+boulevard** — and nothing complained, because a displaced building still renders.
+
+The values are Unreal centimetres, absolute world space. Every one of them is
+verified against `Geo/verification/2026-11-06-el-capitan-block.md` and probed by
+`Tools/visual_loop.py --verify` (via the demo screenshot expectations) and by the
+world-span probes recorded in `MEMORY.md`.
+
+Keep this file boring: constants and one validator, no `unreal` import, so it can
+be unit-tested on the host.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+# The hero façade sits INSIDE the frontage gap between 6902 (ends at -17749) and
+# the El Capitan Theatre (starts at -12082), so its actor origin is the measured
+# building line. The mesh is authored with its front plane 7 cm ahead of the actor
+# origin, which is why the X here is the frontage centre and Y is the building line.
+HERO_ACTOR = "Hero_Facade"
+HERO_LOCATION_CM = (-13336.0, 1307.0, 0.0)
+
+# Tolerance for the span probe: the verified footprints are within ~1 m.
+SPAN_TOLERANCE_CM = 100.0
+
+# Expected world span per frontage actor (min X, max X), from the block
+# verification notes. Used to prove a staged building is on its own footprint
+# rather than merely present.
+FRONTAGE_SPANS_CM = {
+    "6922": (-24276.0, -17700.0),
+    "6902": (-17749.0, -14591.0),
+    "hero": (-14644.0, -12028.0),
+    "6838": (-12082.0, -8210.0),
+    "6822": (-7854.0, -7252.0),
+    "6806": (-6608.0, -3307.0),
+    "6800": (-3320.0, -1437.0),
+}
+
+
+def span_error(name: str, observed_min: float, observed_max: float):
+    """Return (expected_min, expected_max, ok) for an observed building span.
+
+    `name` is a key of `FRONTAGE_SPANS_CM`; `ok` is False when either edge is more
+    than `SPAN_TOLERANCE_CM` from the verified value.
+    """
+    if name not in FRONTAGE_SPANS_CM:
+        raise KeyError(f"unknown building {name!r}; known: {sorted(FRONTAGE_SPANS_CM)}")
+    exp_min, exp_max = FRONTAGE_SPANS_CM[name]
+    ok = (abs(observed_min - exp_min) <= SPAN_TOLERANCE_CM
+          and abs(observed_max - exp_max) <= SPAN_TOLERANCE_CM)
+    return exp_min, exp_max, ok
+
+
+def describe_span_failure(name: str, observed_min: float, observed_max: float) -> str:
+    """A one-line message for a misplaced building, or "" when it is correct."""
+    exp_min, exp_max, ok = span_error(name, observed_min, observed_max)
+    if ok:
+        return ""
+    return (f"{name}: span X {observed_min:.0f}..{observed_max:.0f} does not match the "
+            f"verified {exp_min:.0f}..{exp_max:.0f} (±{SPAN_TOLERANCE_CM:.0f} cm)")