Bake library AO and lift environment textures

Phase 4 of the v0.6.0 graphics plan:

- tools/bake_ao.py bakes 256² AO maps for every Blender character/gear/prop
  (Cycles, existing UVs) next to each GLB; Materials.apply_ao() wires the red
  channel into character slots, gear, and props. Compatibility has no SSAO.
- Regenerated brick/concrete/asphalt at 1024² with OpenRouter, derived tangent
  normal maps via tools/make_normal_maps.py, and wired them through
  SurfaceMaterials.textured() without changing UV scales.
- Evaluated Forward+: boots on desktop Vulkan, but the renderer is project-wide
  and Web must stay GL Compatibility; v0.6.0 keeps Compatibility (decision in
  MEMORY/plan). A desktop-only override is deferred.
- Recaptured screenshots; compare 11 good / 0 bad. Fixed marquee text alignment.
- Tests: baked AO maps exist for all 46 assets; prop/character AO material
  checks; headless 222/222, Python 69/69, all smokes pass.
- Version 0.6.0; ADR-0013 accepted; README/architecture/blender-assets/plan and
  TODO/DONE updated.

TODO.md

@@ -64,13 +64,13 @@ Detailed plan: [`docs/plan-graphics-v0.6.md`](docs/plan-graphics-v0.6.md) · [AD
 - [x] Re-measure `smoke_npc_budget.gd`; tune `LOD_TIERS` if the skinned rig is heavier up close.
 - [x] Re-verify the focus-cone smoke (`smoke_focus_radial.gd`) and the movement smoke.
 
-### Phase 4 — Environment and lighting lift
+### Phase 4 — Environment and lighting lift ✅
 
-- [ ] Bake AO for the prop set through the Blender library (replacements above) or into the ORM/albedo maps behind the existing `WorldBuilder` contract; keep the procedural fallback.
-- [ ] Regenerate higher-resolution brick / concrete / asphalt textures via `asset_pipeline.py` with normal maps, keeping the current UV scales; apply the same map discipline to the library's street materials.
-- [ ] Evaluate a desktop-only Forward+ export preset (SSAO/SSIL/volumetrics); keep the Web preset on GL Compatibility with `thread_support=false`.
-- [ ] Record the renderer decision in an ADR addendum or `MEMORY.md`.
-- [ ] Regenerate `docs/screenshots/` with `capture_screenshots.gd` and run `screen_designs.py compare`.
+- [x] Bake AO for the prop set through the Blender library (replacements above) or into the ORM/albedo maps behind the existing `WorldBuilder` contract; keep the procedural fallback.
+- [x] Regenerate higher-resolution brick / concrete / asphalt textures via `asset_pipeline.py` with normal maps, keeping the current UV scales; apply the same map discipline to the library's street materials.
+- [x] Evaluate a desktop-only Forward+ export preset (SSAO/SSIL/volumetrics); keep the Web preset on GL Compatibility with `thread_support=false`.
+- [x] Record the renderer decision in an ADR addendum or `MEMORY.md`.
+- [x] Regenerate `docs/screenshots/` with `capture_screenshots.gd` and run `screen_designs.py compare`.
 
 ### Phase 5 — Verification and release
 
@@ -129,6 +129,101 @@ and scene visuals with those mockups — verified with
 - [ ] Run `screen_designs.py judge` and clear every `diff` verdict (target `match`/`review`).
 - [ ] Add the capture + compare step to CI or a repeatable smoke so drift is caught early.
 
+## Improve in-game pop-ups
+
+- [ ] Improve the visual appearance of in-game pop-ups (layout, button style, palette, icons, and text styling).
+
+## Realistic backgrounds, textures and scene references
+
+Goal: replace the outdated flat skyline backdrop (`assets/textures/skyline.png`, black boxes
+with dot windows) and the flat-looking surface tiles with AI-generated, more realistic
+backgrounds and textures. Add a larger set of example 3D scene images as art direction, and
+measure the in-game result against that target with the screenshot tools. Plan:
+[`PLAN.md` → Visual Quality Direction → Realism pass](PLAN.md#realism-pass).
+
+**Rule for every step: never overwrite an existing image.** New outputs get new paths. When a
+path is taken, the tools pick the next free `-vN` suffix. Raw AI output stays on disk under
+`assets/textures/ai/v2/raw/` (gitignored like the other raw AI folders). Processed game-ready
+candidates go to `assets/textures/ai/game_ready/v2/`, scene references to `docs/screens/concepts/`,
+and trial captures and reports to `docs/screens/realism/<run>/`.
+
+### Step 1 — Tooling (`tools/scene_concepts.py`)
+
+- [ ] Add a catalogue of prompts in three groups: `scene` (16:9 example 3D game frames),
+      `backdrop` (4:1 skyline panoramas with transparent sky), and `texture` (seamless PBR
+      surface tiles). Each entry has a name, prompt, role and target path.
+- [ ] `generate [--group] [--only] [--variants N]`: call the OpenRouter image API through
+      `generate_textures.generate_image` (key from the repo `.env`), save raw output, and never
+      overwrite (`next_free_path`). Print every file written.
+- [ ] `process`: turn raw backdrops into 2048×512 RGBA strips that tile horizontally (edge
+      crossfade, sky made fully transparent, hard alpha for the alpha-scissor material). Turn raw
+      textures into seamless 1024² tiles (`asset_pipeline.make_seamless`) plus a normal map
+      (`make_normal_maps.normal_map`). Skip outputs that already exist.
+- [ ] `audit`: run `asset_pipeline.audit_image` on the processed candidates (`backdrop` /
+      `tile` roles) and fail on any bad result.
+- [ ] `realism`: for each trial capture, report the Pillow detail metrics (edge density,
+      contrast, colour spread, saturation) next to the matching concept image. Optionally ask a
+      vision model (`google/gemini-2.5-flash-lite`) for 0–10 realism scores (lighting,
+      materials, texture detail, backdrop, overall) with concrete fixes. Write a new JSON +
+      Markdown report per run.
+- [ ] Unit tests (`tools/test_scene_concepts.py`): catalogue shape, the no-overwrite path
+      picker, backdrop/tile processing on synthetic images, metrics, and the judge payload/parse
+      (offline, no network).
+
+### Step 2 — Example 3D scene images
+
+- [ ] Generate 3D-game-style example frames for every venue and time of day: Hollywood entrance
+      (morning, golden hour, rainy night), boulevard skyline view (day, dusk), Joke Shop alley
+      (evening, close-up of the door), studio stage door (night arrival), sidewalk material
+      close-up, entrance steps and podium, crowd-control barrier line, and a responder arrival
+      wide shot.
+- [ ] Review the set and record the visual targets each frame sets (sky, haze, material detail,
+      backdrop depth) in the report.
+
+### Step 3 — Backgrounds (replace the outdated skyline)
+
+- [ ] Generate skyline panoramas for day, dusk and night (lit windows): Hollywood/Los Angeles
+      mid-rise blocks, palm silhouettes, the hills on the horizon, a transparent sky, and a
+      straight-on view, in several variants each.
+- [ ] Process them into `assets/textures/ai/game_ready/v2/skyline_{day,dusk,night}.png`,
+      seamless horizontally for the 3× UV repeat around the backdrop ring.
+
+### Step 4 — Textures
+
+- [ ] Generate higher-detail seamless tiles: red brick facade, granite/limestone facade
+      (studio), sidewalk concrete pavers with joints, asphalt with aggregate, wet night asphalt,
+      stone steps, striped awning canvas, and stucco wall.
+- [ ] Process them into 1024² game-ready tiles plus normal maps in
+      `assets/textures/ai/game_ready/v2/` and audit them.
+
+### Step 5 — In-game trial captures (no game-code change)
+
+- [ ] Add `src/test/capture_realism.gd`. It boots the Hollywood venue, captures a fixed shot
+      list (entrance day, boulevard/skyline day, boulevard night), and can swap textures at
+      runtime from `--skyline=` / `--brick=` / `--concrete=` / `--asphalt=` user arguments. The
+      swap finds materials by their current texture, so baseline and candidate frames use the
+      same camera. Writes to `user://screenshots/realism/<tag>/`.
+- [ ] Capture the baseline (current assets) and the candidate set (v2 skyline + textures), and
+      copy them into `docs/screens/realism/<run>/{baseline,candidate}/`.
+
+### Step 6 — Compare against the realistic target
+
+- [ ] Run `scene_concepts.py realism` on baseline and candidate. Record the metric deltas and the
+      vision scores, and note which candidate textures/backdrops win.
+- [ ] Note the remaining realism gaps (sky/fog, lighting, building geometry, NPC fidelity) as
+      follow-up tasks below.
+
+### Step 7 — Adopt the winners (after the in-flight normal-map/AO work is committed)
+
+- [ ] Point `WorldBuilder.T_SKYLINE` at the chosen v2 skyline (separate day/night textures through
+      `set_night_mode`), and retune `albedo_color` for the realistic strip.
+- [ ] Switch `materials.gd` / `world_builder.gd` surface preloads to the chosen v2 tiles + normal
+      maps, keeping the current UV scales. Update `test_materials.gd` / `test_world.gd`.
+- [ ] Regenerate `docs/screenshots/` with `capture_screenshots.gd`, then run
+      `screen_designs.py compare` + `judge` and `scene_concepts.py realism`. There must be no
+      `diff` verdict regressions, and realism scores must not drop.
+- [ ] Update `README.md` (tool usage + gallery), `MEMORY.md` and `docs/architecture.md`.
+
 ## Future ideas (optional, not scheduled)
 
 - [ ] Live 3D body-camera replay (the timeline is text-only today).