write-anim

# Animation review `web/shots/models/scripts/soldier-animation.mjs` poses a SINGLE model through an animation cycle — no sim — and writes a looping GIF you watch frame by frame. It answers "does this model's motion read right?", a different question from the sim's emergent behaviour ([write-vibe](../write-vibe/SKILL.md)) and the model's static look ([write-model-sheet](../write-model-sheet/SKILL.md)). Both vibe and anim emit GIFs, so it is tempting to reuse vibe for an asset's motion — **don't.** Vibe boots a matchup and advances *sim-seconds*; a pure motion loop has no sim. Pose the asset and advance only its clock, which is exactly what this harness does. **Review-only.** Unlike the static model sheet, anim writes the GIF directly — no `snapCheck`, no pixel gate. You re-run and *watch*; there is no baseline to diff. The GIFs are committed review artifacts (like the vibe timeline GIF). ## Run (units) 1. **Rebuild wasm first** — `bun run build:wasm` from `web/` (the harness loads the prebuilt wasm, never live Rust). 2. `node shots/models/scripts/soldier-animation.mjs` from `web/` films the representative class set (`[0, 3, 4, 6]`) through every cycle. `ONLY=3 …` picks classes; `ANGLE=front …` faces the camera (default is the 3/4 hero view). 3. Shared soldier GIFs land at `web/shots/models/shared/soldiers/anim/<id>-<class>-<anim>.gif`. Looping cycles run twice for a natural rhythm; `die` plays once (`once: true`). ## Authoring a cycle Each animation is a list of `{ frame, dt }` pose steps plus a GIF delay, in the `ANIMS` table in `shots/models/scripts/soldier-animation.mjs` — edit there to add a cycle or retime one. Walk/run/hit toggle discrete poses; attack/die step through a ladder. The encoder is the shared `shots/_gif.mjs`; the GIF rules every series follows (~200 ms/frame, surface it to the user) live in [write-vibe](../write-vibe/SKILL.md). A new class needs a `NAMES` entry in `shots/models/scripts/soldier-animation.mjs` (it labels the GIF), and the default run films only the representative set `[0, 3, 4, 6]` — so review a specific class with `ONLY=<id>`. It also needs a static model sheet — see [write-model-sheet](../write-model-sheet/SKILL.md). ## Beyond units Scenery and effect motion — a swaying tree, a banner, fire — is the same shape (one asset, no sim, a looping GIF) and belongs here when it is added. The harness enumerates the soldier roster today; a new model family needs its own poser wired into `soldier-animation.mjs`, not a vibe matchup. Animation artifacts follow model ownership: battle-only motion goes under `web/shots/models/battle/anim/`, campaign-only motion under `web/shots/models/campaign/anim/`, and reusable motion under `web/shots/models/shared/<family>/anim/`, such as `web/shots/models/shared/soldiers/anim/`. Pairs with [write-model-sheet](../write-model-sheet/SKILL.md) (the static twin), [write-vibe](../write-vibe/SKILL.md) (sim behaviour, and the shared GIF rules), and [aesthetics](../aesthetics/SKILL.md) (the look every model is judged against).