figure-compose

name	figure-compose
description	This skill should be used when the user asks to "combine figures", "make a figure panel", "arrange subfigures", "create a composite figure", or needs to lay out multiple SVGs/PDFs into a grid for a paper figure.

Multi-Panel Figure Composition

Lay out multiple SVGs or Typst sub-diagrams into a grid using Typst's #grid(). Produces a single numbered figure with subfigure labels (a), (b), (c)...

Two-Panel Grid (most common)

#figure(
  grid(
    columns: 2,
    gutter: 8mm,
    [
      #image("figures/early-fusion.svg", width: 100%)
      #align(center)[*(a)* Early fusion]
    ],
    [
      #image("figures/late-fusion.svg", width: 100%)
      #align(center)[*(b)* Late fusion]
    ],
  ),
  caption: [Fusion strategies. *(a)* Early fusion concatenates modalities at the input. *(b)* Late fusion combines predictions at the output.],
) <fig:fusion>

Three-Panel Grid

#figure(
  grid(
    columns: 3,
    gutter: 6mm,
    [#image("figures/arch-bigru.svg") #align(center)[*(a)*]],
    [#image("figures/arch-bimamba.svg") #align(center)[*(b)*]],
    [#image("figures/arch-transformer.svg") #align(center)[*(c)*]],
  ),
  caption: [Encoder architectures: *(a)* BiGRU, *(b)* BiMamba (causal), *(c)* Transformer.],
) <fig:encoders>

Mixed: fletcher + SVG Side by Side

#figure(
  grid(
    columns: 2,
    gutter: 10mm,
    align: horizon,
    figure(
      ml-diagram(
        data-in((0,0), [Input]),
        edge("-|>"),
        encoder((1,0), [Encoder]),
        edge("-|>"),
        ctc-head((2,0), [CTC]),
      ),
      caption: none,
    ),
    image("figures/ctc-trellis.svg", width: 100%),
  ),
  caption: [*(a)* CTC pipeline (left) and *(b)* CTC trellis lattice (right).],
) <fig:ctc>

Asymmetric Columns

For panels with different natural widths, use fractional units:

grid(
  columns: (2fr, 1fr),    // left panel is twice as wide
  gutter: 8mm,
  image("figures/wide-arch.svg"),
  image("figures/detail.svg"),
)

Subfigure Label Styles

Preferred: bold *(a)* inline below each panel.

Alternative for formal publications (no separate subfigure support in Typst):

#let subfig(body, label) = stack(
  body,
  v(2mm),
  align(center, text(8pt)[#label]),
)

#subfig(image("figures/a.svg"), "(a) Early fusion")

Gutter Guidelines

Layout	Gutter
2-column tight	6mm
2-column standard	8–10mm
3-column	5–6mm
Mixed types (diagram + SVG)	10–12mm

Caption Writing Rules

1. Mention all panels by label: "(a) ..., (b) ..."
2. State what the reader should conclude, not just what is shown
3. Keep under 2 sentences; details go in the body text