Prioritize local reference collection and record the licence-free local-only override

MEMORY.md

@@ -4,6 +4,13 @@ Session memory for durable decisions, state, and gotchas. Keep concise, remove o
 
 ## Decisions
 
+- **Local-only reference override (2026-11-03, owner decision):** for development-only photo
+  research the licence gate does **not** apply. Downloads for this track live in `tmp/research/`
+  (gitignored) and may come from DuckDuckGo image search, street-view frames, neighbouring
+  properties and buildings across the street — never committed, never shipped, never used as a
+  committed asset. The moment a frame is promoted to `docs/screens/refs/<venue>/` it passes the
+  sidecar licence + privacy gate and `CREDITS.md`; the committed boards and the deferred Gaussian
+  splatting gate are unchanged. Tracked in `TODO.md` §3D model re-evaluation → A.
 - **Godot 4.7.2 `--import` gotcha (2026-11-03):** with a stale `.godot/` cache, `--import`
   (and `--editor --quit-after N`) scans new image files but never imports them — no `.import`
   files are created, and `preload()` of the new texture then fails to compile every dependent

TODO.md

@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ the real gaps, and fix only what the rankings justify. Evidence comes from three
 licensed real-location photos, generated concept boards, and build captures. This is an unversioned development track:
 it must not change the `npc_base` contract, the renderer or the 0.10.0 release candidate.
 
+Reference material is collected first (section A): local, gitignored, development-only photo
+research may use any source the owner authorises (DuckDuckGo image search, street-view frames,
+neighbouring properties, buildings across the street) **without the licence gate**. The licence
+and privacy gates still apply the moment a frame is promoted into `docs/screens/refs/` or any
+committed asset — local `tmp/research/` is the only licence-free zone.
+
 Scope: 8 library characters (`npc_casual`, `npc_jacket`, `npc_coat`, `npc_vest`, `npc_dress`,
 `npc_hoodie`, `npc_firefighter`, `npc_guard`), the frozen `npc_base` fallback, 18 gear pieces,
 20 library props, 6 generated props, and the three venue families.
@@ -27,7 +33,37 @@ explicitly accepted with a measurement; `inspect`/`audit`/`fit`/proportions, the
 and the capture gates are green; no runtime contract, dependency or release artifact changed
 except the rebuilt assets themselves.
 
-### A. Baseline, scorecard and routing
+### A. Local reference material collection (development-only, gitignored)
+
+*Owner override (2026-11-03):* for local, development-only photo research the licence gate does
+**not** apply. Anything downloaded for this track stays under `tmp/research/` (gitignored) and is
+never committed, shipped, or used as a committed asset. The moment a frame is promoted to
+`docs/screens/refs/<venue>/` it must pass the sidecar licence + privacy gate; local research is the
+licence-free zone only.
+
+- [ ] Add a DuckDuckGo image-search fetcher to the reference tooling (e.g. `tools/refboard.py
+      --source ddg` or a small `tools/refcollect.py`): query terms per venue, download the top
+      results into `tmp/research/<block>/` with a source-URL manifest, no licence filter, spaced
+      requests. This is local tooling only — no CI dependency.
+- [ ] Collect Hollywood block reference: El Capitan facade (day/night/close-up), the El Capitan
+      Theatre marquee + blade sign neighbour, the east retail neighbour, Ovation Hollywood and
+      other buildings across the boulevard, the Walk of Fame terrazzo and stars, and the premiere
+      staging/arrival area.
+- [ ] Collect Joke Shop / Comedy Store block reference: the black hall facade and signature
+      canopy, the side parking lot, the neighbouring hotel building and its parking ramp, the
+      hillside houses and palms directly behind the roofline, the buildings across Sunset
+      Boulevard, the entrance recess and door hardware, and any street-level context.
+- [ ] Collect street-view frames of both blocks (the owner allows street-view captures for local
+      reference): save the street-level facades, corners and opposite frontages into the same
+      `tmp/research/<block>/` folders with a note of the capture viewpoint.
+- [ ] Build a local contact sheet per block (`tmp/research/<block>/sheet.jpg`) from the collected
+      frames so the scorecard and the venue review can cite them; keep it in `tmp/` and never
+      commit it.
+- [ ] Record which local frames actually changed a decision in `docs/3d-model-review.md` or the
+      venue map doc, with the frame filename, but do not commit the image itself. If a frame is
+      promoted to the committed board, it goes through the normal sidecar gate and `CREDITS.md`.
+
+### B. Baseline, scorecard and routing
 
 - [x] Load `blender-director` plus the per-family specialists before touching geometry, and
       record the skill stack and the advice that changed a decision in `docs/3d-model-review.md`.
@@ -50,7 +86,7 @@ except the rebuilt assets themselves.
 - [ ] Review the scorecard with the project owner, rank the P0/P1 gaps and decide fix vs accept
       per item; record the decision and the reason in the review document.
 
-### B. Character re-evaluation (8 variants + fallback)
+### C. Character re-evaluation (8 variants + fallback)
 
 *Skill route: `character-artist`, `retopology`, `rigging`, `uv-workflow`, `texture-workflow`,
 `materials`, `hair-groom`, `asset-optimization`, `lookdev`, `qa-review`.*
@@ -87,7 +123,7 @@ except the rebuilt assets themselves.
       review sheet, and refresh the README character row.
 - [ ] `qa-review` sign-off: a ship/no-ship verdict per variant with accepted limits recorded.
 
-### C. Gear and prop re-evaluation
+### D. Gear and prop re-evaluation
 
 *Skill route: `prop-artist`, `hard-surface`, `vegetation-artist`, `materials`, `collision-proxy`,
 `lod-pipeline`, `qa-review`.*
@@ -112,7 +148,7 @@ except the rebuilt assets themselves.
       `docs/blender_previews/README.md` after the rebuilds.
 - [ ] Exit: a prop/gear capture sheet, budgets and collision checks pass with no unreviewed asset.
 
-### D. Venue and camera re-evaluation
+### E. Venue and camera re-evaluation
 
 *Skill route: `environment-artist`, `archviz`, `set-dressing`, `lighting`, `camera-cinematography`,
 `lookdev`, `rendering`, `qa-review`.*
@@ -137,7 +173,7 @@ except the rebuilt assets themselves.
 - [ ] Hooded/winter portrait: close the deferred close-up by staging a types 5–7 capture
       (`--portrait-type`) or adding a scenario spawn that provides one.
 
-### E. Reference images, concept boards and screenshots
+### F. Reference images, concept boards and screenshots
 
 *Skill route: `lookdev`, `lighting`, `environment-artist`, `qa-review`; tooling:
 `tools/scene_concepts.py`, `tools/screen_designs.py`, `tools/asset_pipeline.py`.*
@@ -160,8 +196,9 @@ and never ship a generated or downloaded image without provenance.
       canopy signature band) with a sidecar, linked from `docs/joke-shop-map.md` and credited in
       `CREDITS.md`. The CC BY-SA `The Comedy Store.jpg` from the old link list was deliberately not
       used; the public-domain frames cover the same evidence. (`docs/screens/refs/joke-shop/`.)
-- [ ] Fill the Joke Shop gaps: night canopy/sign, entrance recess, south-side neighbours, hillside
+- [ ] Find more pictures from the Comedy Store, the Sunset Boulevard block, collect at least five additional shots for reference; do not care about licensing, these images are only stored locally for reference and inference during development. Find pictures from the neighboring hotel building and the street surroundings.
-      house detail.
+- [ ] Fill the Joke Shop gaps: better visual representation of actual facade, parking lot to the side, neighboring hotel parking ramp and building, night canopy/sign, entrance recess, south-side neighbours, buildings across the street, hillside behind the building, hill detail.
+      house detail, neighbouring buildings, and any relevant street-level context.
 - [x] TV Studio: no separate board — the venue is the same El Capitan Entertainment Centre block as
       the Hollywood day shift, restaged for a late-night arrival. The Hollywood board covers both
       venues and the premiere-staging photo is the arrival evidence; the reuse is now stated in
@@ -173,7 +210,9 @@ and never ship a generated or downloaded image without provenance.
       redistributed unmodified for study only; the review is recorded in the sidecar.)
 - [ ] Remaining Hollywood gap: a licensed **night photograph of the hero facade and blade sign**
       (the night frame on the board is a different block, near Vine), plus a sidewalk-level shot of
-      the steps/door recess and the east retail neighbour. No Street View, no scraped social media.
+      the steps/door recess and the east retail neighbour. For the committed board the licence gate
+      stays (no unlicensed Street View or scraped social media); local-only copies of the same
+      viewpoints go through section A instead.
 - [ ] Generate one concept board per venue with `tools/scene_concepts.py generate` (palette, facade
       rhythm, lighting), keep raw output gitignored, commit only the selected board, and record the
       model, prompt and spend in the sidecar.
@@ -189,7 +228,7 @@ and never ship a generated or downloaded image without provenance.
 - [ ] Keep AI-generated images out of `assets/` until they are picked, cropped, credited and (for
       textures) audited; `CREDITS.md` and ADR-0015 still govern provenance.
 
-### F. Gates and documentation
+### G. Gates and documentation
 
 - [x] Add the measurable checks the review needs (texel density, weight/pose sanity, collider
       coverage, LOD/impostor check) as stdlib or GDScript gates where possible; CI stays offline.
@@ -368,9 +407,11 @@ facade evidence is still the 2009 CC BY frame. The 8 downloaded candidates are i
       change, only the purpose column.
 - [ ] Write a reference shot list per block: facade materials, windows, signage, rooflines,
       street furniture, curb cuts and lighting.
-- [ ] Download and catalogue reference images from Wikimedia Commons, local/own photography or
+- [ ] Download and catalogue **committed** reference images from Wikimedia Commons, local/own
-      other clearly licensed sources; record author, licence and attribution with the §E sidecar
+      photography or other clearly licensed sources; record author, licence and attribution with
-      template. Do not use unlicensed Street View or scraped commercial imagery.
+      the §F sidecar template. Local-only research that ignores licence limits (DuckDuckGo,
+      street-view frames, neighbours, across-street buildings) is collected under §A into
+      `tmp/research/` and is never committed.
 - [ ] Separate development-only references from shipped textures; commit only images with clear
       redistribution rights and keep the rest under `tmp/` or the ignored reference folders.
 - [ ] Build the per-block real-photo board under `docs/screens/refs/<block>/` using the sidecar