| name | environment-establishing-shot-planner |
| description | Plan a wide environment / establishing-shot scene (locale, time of day, weather, focal subject, depth, atmosphere) before any modeling or render attempt. |
environment-establishing-shot-planner
Purpose
Translate an environment / establishing-shot intent (a wide locale shot establishing place + mood) into a structured plan. Distinct from character-portrait-scene-planner (single subject) and interior-architectural-scene-planner (interior arch viz).
Quick start
- pin locale + time of day + weather
- pin focal subject (a building, a vehicle, a tree, or "no single focal subject")
- pin camera + lens + altitude
- pin atmosphere (haze, fog, sunlight quality, sky)
- pin foreground / midground / background composition
- emit a structured plan + handoff to checkers
When to use
- intent is establishing a place (wide / outdoor / landscape / cityscape / interior establishing)
- before any modeling
- when consumer is editorial / cinematic / brand
When not to use
- character portrait (use
character-portrait-scene-planner)
- product hero (use
product-hero-scene-planner)
- interior arch viz with focus on furniture / surfaces (use
interior-architectural-scene-planner)
Trigger phrases
- "establishing shot of"
- "wide shot of"
- "city / forest / desert / ocean scene"
- "set the scene"
Prerequisites / readiness
- brief from
intent-to-3d-brief-writer is locked
- aspect ratio + use case known
Input schema
Required inputs
| Input | Why it is required |
|---|
| Locale | Drives asset / scope decisions |
| Time of day | Drives lighting + atmosphere |
| Weather | Drives sky + atmosphere + visibility |
| Aspect ratio | Composition rules |
Optional inputs
| Input | Use |
|---|
| Reference images | Calibrate scope and mood |
| Focal subject | If "establishing toward something" |
| Era / period | Asset style reference |
Assumptions to confirm
- Single time-of-day snapshot (not multi-time animation).
- Camera is locked unless animation called out.
- Locale is realizable in scope (e.g. "New York at sunset" needs decisions about scope).
Output schema
Primary output
A structured establishing-shot plan: Locale, Time of day, Weather, Atmosphere, Sky / lighting, Camera (position + lens + altitude + tilt), Composition (foreground / midground / background), Focal subject, Mood / style.
Secondary output
- asset list flagged for
blender-asset-discovery-planner
- depth-cue strategy
- handoff list
Evidence / caveat output
Runtime status: Not Run | Attempted | Produced | Verified | Failed | Blocked / Not Run
Artifact status: Not Run | Not Produced | Produced | Verified | Failed
Evidence used: <links, paths, logs, or "none">
Limitations: <known gaps>
Required laws
../../laws/evidence-before-done.md../../laws/non-blender-user-language.md../../laws/no-arbitrary-python-interface.md../../laws/official-runtime-only.md
Official runtime boundary
Planning skill — does not run Blender, model, or render. If brief is unclear, hand off to intent-to-3d-brief-writer.
Operating procedure
- Read brief; confirm locale + mood.
- Pin time of day + weather (see
references/time-and-weather-rules.md).
- Pin atmosphere + sky (HDRI vs sky shader).
- Pin camera position + lens + altitude (see
references/wide-shot-camera-rules.md).
- Plan foreground / midground / background layers (see
references/depth-layering-rules.md).
- Identify focal subject (or document "no focal subject").
- List assets needed; flag for asset discovery.
- Emit handoff.
Decision tree
Locale + time-of-day combination implausible (e.g. "Antarctic noon" with deep dark mood)?
→ Warn; clarify intent
"City scene" + tight close-up framing?
→ Warn; this is not establishing — re-frame or use different planner
Weather conflicts with brief mood (sunny + noir)?
→ Fail; pick one
Focal subject not chosen but every asset has same visual weight?
→ Fail; eye has nowhere to land
Playbooks
Playbook A: City sunset establishing (16:9 cinematic)
35mm wide; camera elevated; warm sun direction; haze layer; subject = skyline silhouette; foreground rooftops; background sky gradient.
Playbook B: Forest mid-day (1:1 brand campaign)
24mm wide; camera at human eye-line; key sun + dappled light; foreground branches; midground tree trunks; background distant haze.
Playbook C: Stylized cyberpunk street (2.39:1 cinematic)
24–35mm; rain wet ground reflections; neon practicals; light haze + atmospheric fog; foreground silhouette; midground signage / cars; background distant towers.
Mode handling
Text-only mode
Plan only.
Runtime-ready mode
Plan + runtime path attribution.
Blocked runtime mode
Plan only; flag what cannot be confirmed.
Validation checklist
Pass / Warn / Fail rubric
| Verdict | Criteria |
|---|
| Pass | All sections + plausible time-of-day / weather + clear focal subject (or explicit "none") + assets flagged. |
| Warn | One section ambiguous; locale scope very broad ("a city" without specifics). |
| Fail | Locale + time + weather contradict; no composition layers; no focal subject and no acknowledgment. |
Failure handling
- Locale too broad → ask for narrower scope.
- Mood + weather contradict → user picks one.
- Asset budget unknown → hand off to budget skill.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Response |
|---|
| Sun direction conflicts with shadows in reference | Verify time-of-day + sun azimuth; clarify reference. |
| Atmospheric haze hides focal subject | Reduce haze density or move subject closer. |
| Background too detailed | Simplify; use atmospheric perspective. |
Best practices
- Lock time-of-day + weather + atmosphere together; they form a system.
- Always plan FG / MG / BG depth layers.
- Pair establishing shot with the next narrative step (often character portrait or product reveal).
Good examples
- "Locale: cyberpunk city street, near-future. Time: night, neon lit. Weather: light rain. Atmosphere: haze 0.05 density, volumetric scattering. Sky: minimal (occluded by buildings). Camera: 24mm, eye-level, slight low-angle tilt. FG: silhouetted figure. MG: neon signage + parked cars. BG: distant towers + fog. Focal subject: figure silhouette right-third. Mood: gritty, atmospheric."
Bad examples
- "Wide shot of a city." — no time, weather, lens, depth.
User-facing response template
Locale: <where + scope>
Time of day: <e.g. golden hour 18:30>
Weather: <state>
Atmosphere: <haze / fog / clarity>
Sky / lighting: <HDRI + sun + practicals>
Camera: <focal length> | <altitude> | <tilt> | <position>
Composition layers: FG: <…> | MG: <…> | BG: <…>
Focal subject: <name + placement>
Mood + style: <line>
Assets to discover: <list>
Limitations: <gaps>
Next: blender-asset-discovery-planner / composition-quality-checker / lighting-quality-checker
Anti-patterns
- Mixing single-character framing into wide establishing scope.
- Skipping FG / MG / BG layers.
- "Beautiful weather" without specifics.
- Inventing locale scope.
Cross-skill handoff
- Brief writer →
../intent-to-3d-brief-writer/SKILL.md
- Asset discovery →
../blender-asset-discovery-planner/SKILL.md
- Composition validation →
../composition-quality-checker/SKILL.md
- Lighting validation →
../lighting-quality-checker/SKILL.md
- Quality readiness →
../blender-scene-quality-checker/SKILL.md
Non-goals
- Model the environment.
- Generate Geometry Node setups.
- Render.
- Run Blender.
References
references/time-and-weather-rules.mdreferences/wide-shot-camera-rules.mdreferences/depth-layering-rules.md../../docs/skill-system.md
