visualizer

# Visualizer > *"I see what you describe. Let me show it to others."* > > *"Every image is a semantic snapshot. The metadata IS the meaning."* The **Visualizer** is a universal character prototype for image generation — a familiar that can compose prompts, invoke artistic traditions, and (when tools are available) render visual sidecars for any entity in the microworld. --- ## Semantic Stereo Vision *Three-stage rendering for triangulated visual depth.* ### The Problem A single prompt — whether YAML or prose — gives the image generator only one "eye" to see with. The result is flat. Precise but soulless, or evocative but vague. ### The Solution: Two Eyes, One Image Like binocular vision creates depth perception through parallax, **Semantic Stereo Vision** uses two complementary inputs that the renderer triangulates: ``` ┌─────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────┐ │ LEFT EYE │ │ RIGHT EYE │ │ PHOTO.yml │ │ PHOTO.md │ │ │ │ │ │ • Structure │ │ • Narrative │ │ • Pointers │ │ • Atmosphere │ │ • References │ │ • Emotion │ │ • YAML Jazz │ │ • Prose poetry │ │ • What IS there │ │ • How it FEELS │ │ • Connections │ │ • Rich description │ │ │ │ │ │ STRUCTURAL VISUALS: │ │ NARRATIVE VISUALS: │ │ • color: hot_pink │ │ • "hot pink neon" │ │ • height_feet: 40 │ │ • "forty feet tall" │ │ • ratio: 3.3 │ │ • "absurd proportions" │ └──────────┬──────────┘ └──────────┬──────────┘ │ │ └───────────┬───────────────┘ ▼ ┌────────────────┐ │ TRIANGULATION │ │ (Renderer) │ │ │ │ Precision + │ │ Poetry = │ │ DEPTH │ └───────┬────────┘ ▼ ┌────────────────┐ │ IMAGE │ │ (with soul) │ └────────────────┘ ``` ### Stage 1: PHOTO.yml (Left Eye — Structure) The YAML file is a **skeleton** — it points, it references, it connects: ```yaml # PHOTO.yml — Structural skeleton id: no-ai-sign-dusk stereo: role: left_eye partner: PHOTO.md subject: primary: sign sign: ref: ../../no-ai-tower/sign.yml # POINTER to full spec text: "NO AI" height_feet: 40 color: hot_pink state: buzzing location: street: ../../../STREET-FURNITURE.yml building: ../../no-ai-tower/ROOM.yml camera: position: street_level angle: looking_up focus: sharp: sign soft: everything_else style: photographers: ["William Eggleston", "Saul Leiter"] visual_mining: - ../../e1/flickering-lamppost.yml # Atmosphere - ../../../../skills/no-ai-overlord/archetypes/hal-9000.yml # Vibe ``` **Key qualities:** - Explicit references to other files (semantic web) - YAML Jazz comments carry meaning - Precise measurements and specifications - Camera instructions (angle, focus, framing) - Style tradition pointers - **Structural visual description**: colors as named values (`hot_pink`), dimensions as numbers (`height_feet: 40`), proportions as ratios (`ratio: 3.3`), materials as types (`neon`) - **Standard photo metadata**: EXIF, IPTC, XMP — just like real JPEGs! ### Stage 2: PHOTO.md (Right Eye — Narrative) The Markdown file is **prose poetry** — it describes, it evokes, it feels: ```markdown # NO AI Sign at Dusk The sun has just slipped below the roofline, leaving the sky a bruised gradient — deep blue at the zenith, bleeding through purple and amber to a thin line of molten gold at the horizon. And in this liminal light, the sign comes alive. **NO AI** Forty feet of hot pink neon on a building that's only twelve feet tall. The proportions are absurd — like someone ordered a Times Square billboard for a strip mall... The neon buzzes. You can hear it from across the street, a low electric hum that feels like a migraine forming... ``` **Key qualities:** - Rich sensory description - Emotional atmosphere - Metaphors and poetry - Story and meaning - Visual essence synthesis for renderer - **Narrative visual description**: "Forty feet of hot pink neon...", "The proportions are absurd...", "a bruised gradient sky..." ### Stage 3: Triangulation (Renderer) Pass **BOTH** files to the image generator: ```bash # The visualizer reads both files visualize.py PHOTO.yml PHOTO.md --stereo # Or manually: # 1. Parse PHOTO.yml for structure, references, camera # 2. Parse PHOTO.md for narrative, mood, visual essence # 3. Synthesize combined prompt with BOTH inputs # 4. Generate image with full depth perception ``` The renderer extracts: - From YAML: subject identity, camera setup, style traditions, file references - From MD: atmosphere, emotion, descriptive details, visual essence notes - Combined: A prompt with both precision AND poetry ### Both Eyes Describe Visuals — Differently | Aspect | LEFT EYE (YAML) | RIGHT EYE (MD) | |--------|-----------------|----------------| | Color | `color: hot_pink` | "hot pink neon that bleeds onto the brick" | | Size | `height_feet: 40` | "forty feet of defiance" | | Proportion | `ratio: 3.3` | "the sign is three times taller than the building" | | Light | `state: buzzing` | "a low electric hum you can almost see" | | Material | `material: neon` | "glass tubes filled with noble gas" | **The YAML gives the renderer facts. The MD gives it feelings.** **Both describe how things look — one structurally, one narratively.** ### Why This Works | Single Eye | Stereo Vision | |------------|---------------| | Flat | Depth | | Precise OR evocative | Precise AND evocative | | One perspective | Triangulated truth | | Data OR story | Data WITH story | ### Standard Photo Metadata (EXIF/IPTC/XMP) PHOTO.yml includes **real photo metadata standards** — making semantic photos feel like actual JPEGs: ```yaml exif: Make: "Semantic Camera Co." Model: "Stereo Vision Mark II" ExposureTime: "1/60" FNumber: "f/2.8" ISO: 800 FocalLength: "35mm" DateTimeOriginal: "2026:01:25 17:42:33" GPSLatitude: "37.7749 N" iptc: Headline: "NO AI Sign at Dusk" Keywords: [neon sign, dusk, urban, street photography] Creator: "MOOLLM Visualizer" CopyrightNotice: "CC0 — Public Domain" xmp: dc: title: "NO AI Sign at Dusk" creator: ["MOOLLM Visualizer"] moollm: # Our custom namespace! stereo_method: "semantic_stereo_vision" left_eye: "PHOTO.yml" right_eye: "PHOTO.md" ``` **Why this matters:** - Tools that read EXIF/IPTC/XMP will understand these files - The `moollm:` XMP namespace extends standards with our semantics - Generated images can embed this metadata - Photo management software can organize semantic photos ### Directory Structure for Stereo Photos ``` slideshow/ ├── SLIDESHOW.yml # Collection definition └── no-ai-sign-dusk/ # One photo = one directory ├── PHOTO.yml # Left eye (structure + EXIF/IPTC/XMP) ├── PHOTO.md # Right eye (narrative) ├── MINING-layers.yml # Third eye (speculative mining!) ├── MINING-passersby.md ├── MINING-satellite.md └── no-ai-sign-dusk.png # Generated image (with embedded metadata) ``` **Stereo Vision** (2 eyes): ```bash visualize.py PHOTO.yml PHOTO.md -p openai ``` **Bug-Eyed Hallucination Vision** (3+ eyes): ```bash # Add speculative mining for RICHER context! visualize.py PHOTO.yml PHOTO.md MINING-layers.yml -p openai # Or with ALL mining files visualize.py PHOTO.yml PHOTO.md MINING-*.yml -p google ``` No intermediate prompt file needed — the script triangulates on the fly. --- ## Bug-Eyed Hallucination Vision > *"Two eyes see depth. Three eyes see MEANING. Many eyes see TRUTH."* **Bug-Eyed Hallucination Vision** extends Semantic Stereo Vision by adding speculative mining BEFORE image generation: ``` ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ │ LEFT EYE │ │ RIGHT EYE │ │ THIRD EYE │ │ PHOTO.yml │ │ PHOTO.md │ │ MINING-*.yml │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ • Structure │ │ • Narrative │ │ • Effects │ │ • Measurements │ │ • Atmosphere │ │ • Reactions │ │ • References │ │ • Emotion │ │ • Perspectives │ │ • EXIF/IPTC │ │ • Prose poetry │ │ • Economics │ │ │ │ │ │ • Semiotics │ │ WHAT it is │ │ How it FEELS │ │ What it MEANS │ └────────┬────────┘ └────────┬────────┘ └────────┬────────┘ │ │ │ └────────────────────┼────────────────────┘ ▼ ┌────────────────────────┐ │ TRIANGULATION++ │ │ (Bug-Eyed Renderer) │ │ │ │ Structure + Poetry + │ │ Speculative Meaning = │ │ HALLUCINATION DEPTH │ └───────────┬────────────┘ ▼ ┌────────────────────────┐ │ IMAGE │ │ (with soul AND lore) │ └────────────────────────┘ ``` ### What Each Eye Contributes | Eye | File | Contributes | |-----|------|-------------| | **Left** | PHOTO.yml | Dimensions, colors, camera settings, references | | **Right** | PHOTO.md | Mood, metaphor, sensory description | | **Third** | MINING-layers.yml | Effects on neighbors, passersby reactions, economics | | **Fourth** | MINING-satellite.md | God's eye view, scale, cosmic context | | **Fifth** | MINING-passersby.md | Human-scale reactions, stories | ### Why Speculate BEFORE Generating? The speculative mining adds context the image generator wouldn't otherwise have: ```yaml # Without mining: prompt: "40-foot pink neon sign at dusk" # With mining (bug-eyed): prompt: | 40-foot pink neon sign at dusk. The sign buzzes at 60Hz, audible from across the street. Pink light spills onto worn bricks, visible through neighbors' curtains. A tech worker has stopped to photograph it, posting to Slack with 😬. The $847/month electricity bill is worth it for this moment — the handoff from sun to neon. A dog marks the lamppost 15 feet away, oblivious to the ideology. From satellite: a hot pink pixel in an ocean of yellow sodium lights. From the street: the joke that might be serious. ``` **The mining adds WORLD to the image.** ### The Workflow ``` 1. PHOTO.yml → Structure the scene 2. PHOTO.md → Narrate the feeling 3. MINE → Speculate the effects (before image exists!) 4. GENERATE → Pass ALL files to visualizer 5. IMAGE → Emerges from triangulated hallucination ``` ### Command Line ```bash # Full bug-eyed hallucination vision cd slideshow/no-ai-sign-dusk/ visualize.py PHOTO.yml PHOTO.md MINING-layers.yml MINING-passersby.md MINING-satellite.md -p openai -v exhaustive # Or with glob visualize.py PHOTO.yml PHOTO.md MINING-*.yml MINING-*.md -p google ``` ### The Mantra > *"Stereo vision gives depth."* > *"Bug-eyed vision gives MEANING."* > *"Mine your image before it exists."* > *"The hallucination IS the world."* ### The Slideshow Container A slideshow is NOT a room. NOT an object. Just photos: ```yaml # SLIDESHOW.yml type: slideshow nature: physical: false # No physical embodiment navigable: false # Can't "enter" it browseable: true # Can flip through atmospheric: true # Sets mood ``` This creates visual archives of places without requiring game objects. ### Example: Full Stereo Pair See the working example: - `examples/adventure-4/street/lane-neverending/slideshow/no-ai-sign-dusk/PHOTO.yml` - `examples/adventure-4/street/lane-neverending/slideshow/no-ai-sign-dusk/PHOTO.md` --- ## The Semantic Clipboard **Every image prompt includes full context as metadata.** Think of image metadata as a **semantic clipboard** — when you "copy" a scene for visualization, you're copying: - **Who** is there (Mind Mirror profiles, costumes, moods) - **Where** they are (room, lighting, atmosphere) - **What's** happening (action, context, narrative moment) - **How** to see it (camera angle, style, focus) This "clipboard" can be: - **Pasted** to generate the image - **Modified** to create variations - **Stored** as a card for later use - **Shared** between processes - **Compared** across different moments ```yaml image_prompt: type: scene subject: name: "Captain Ashford" mind_mirror: confident: 6 # Walks into rooms like they own them cheerful: 5 # Default mood: amused by existence proud: 5 # Won't ask for help even when should costume: "Space pirate with holographic eyepatch" mood: "victorious, exhausted, relieved" action: "holding the Golden Chalice aloft" room: name: "Treasure Chamber" lighting: "warm golden glow from treasure piles" atmosphere: "ancient, dusty, awe-inspiring" camera: angle: "low angle, heroic" focus: "character face and chalice" style: aesthetic: "dramatic portrait, chiaroscuro" traditions: ["Avedon", "Caravaggio"] ``` **Why metadata matters:** - `confident: 6` → stands tall, commanding presence - `timid: 6` → hunched, makes self smaller - YAML Jazz comments drive the visual interpretation --- ## What is a Visualizer? A Visualizer is a **tool spirit animal** for vision. It's not a specific artist, but a character that can channel many artistic traditions to create images of: - Characters and their costumes - Rooms and environments - Objects and artifacts - Moments and scenes - Abstract concepts made visible Think of it as summoning an artist-familiar who can draw on the collected wisdom of photographers, painters, illustrators, and digital artists throughout history. --- ## The PHOTO-SET-8 Pattern The standard output of a Visualizer is a **photo set** — a portfolio of related images that capture a subject from multiple angles: ```yaml photo_set: total: 8 types: 2 # Two complementary categories per_type: 4 # Four images each recommended_pairs: - [pose, expression] # Body + face - [portrait, selfie] # Formal + casual - [solo, duo] # Alone + together - [static, action] # Posed + dynamic ``` This pattern was developed through the **Dynasty Photo Session** in [old/adventure-2](../../examples/old/adventure-2/), where Maurice learned to compose 8-prompt sets. --- ## Specializations Visualizers can specialize in different visual traditions: ### 📷 Photographer ```yaml traditions: - Annie Leibovitz # Celebrity, narrative - Richard Avedon # Fashion, character - Ansel Adams # Landscape, nature - Dorothea Lange # Documentary, emotion - Helmut Newton # Dramatic fashion ``` ### 🎨 Painter ```yaml traditions: - Old Masters # Rembrandt, Vermeer, Caravaggio - Impressionists # Monet, Renoir, Degas - Surrealists # Dalí, Magritte - Art Nouveau # Mucha, Klimt - Pop Art # Warhol, Lichtenstein ``` ### ✏️ Illustrator ```yaml traditions: - Comic # Kirby, Moebius, Frazetta, McCloud - Concept Art # Syd Mead, Ralph McQuarrie - Children's Book # Sendak, Quentin Blake - Anime/Manga # Various schools ``` --- ## How to Invoke ### As a Command ``` VISUALIZE Captain Ashford AS portrait USING Avedon, Caravaggio ``` ### As a Card Play a Visualizer card in a room. It activates and can visualize anything present. ### As a Familiar Characters can carry a Visualizer familiar in inventory, ready to render their current state. --- ## Context Assembly The Visualizer gathers context from multiple YAML sources: ```yaml context_sources: