codepawl/2d-generalist

2D Generalist

Use this skill to design, animate, texture, and composite editorial motion graphics in the style of Vox (Atlas, By Design, Earworm, Missing Chapter) and Flat Pack FX across 2D, 2.5D, and 3D using tools already installed on the user's machine (or recommending free tools when missing).

Mode Routing

Mode	Scope (2D / 2.5D / 3D)	Primary Reference
audit	Check installed free 2D/3D tools vs optional downloads	references/2d-3d-toolchain-matrix.md
design	Visual hierarchy, asymmetric scale, Blueprint Aesthetic, palettes	references/vox-psychology-and-design.md
map	2D vector/satellite maps, 2.5D embossed/extruded layers, 3D terrain & KML routes	references/maps-and-geodata-2d-3d.md
chart-timeline	Pre-drawn ruler timelines, 2D/3D bar/line graphs, dot-matrix repeaters, waveforms	references/charts-timelines-and-data.md
archival-collage	Dual highlighters, newspaper zoom/flicker, torn borders, 2.5D parallax, 3D slide projector	references/archival-collage-and-camera.md

Before step 1, run the intent brief (references/intent-brief.md): fill purpose, format, subject, look and constraints from the request, ask only about what is missing (at most 4 questions, options with a recommended default), write brief.md, show a cheap preview before the first expensive step, and check the result against the brief before delivery. A piece that misses the user's goal is a failed piece.

End-to-End Workflow

1. Audit Toolchain (audit)
   • Run uv run --no-project python scripts/check_vox_toolchain.py to detect installed 2D/3D tools (Blender, DaVinci Resolve / Fusion, Remotion + Three.js/SVG, FFmpeg) and list 1-line free install commands (winget) for any missing optional tools (QGIS, Inkscape, Krita).
2. Establish Hierarchy & Surface (design)
   • Apply Asymmetric Scale Tension (one dominant anchor, generous off-white #F4F1EA or blueprint slate #1B222C negative space, connecting path). Perform the Look-Away / Look-Back Test before animating.
   • Build the 3 Pillars of Visual Authority: Surface (warm paper fibers + static grain), Ink (Multiply / Color Burn bleed + luma matte + roughen edges + 0.5–1.5px softness), and Life (Posterize Time at 8–12 fps for graphical elements or 2–4 fps background texture boil).
3. Generate Procedural Assets (scripts/generate_vox_assets.py)
   • Run uv run --no-project python scripts/generate_vox_assets.py to generate SVG filter definitions (dual-pass torn paper borders, ink bleed, crossed 45° halftone luma mattes, paper grain) and proportional ruler timeline layouts.
4. Build Scene in Chosen 2D / 2.5D / 3D Engine (map, chart-timeline, archival-collage)
   • Code / Web 2D & 3D: Remotion + SVG filters (<feTurbulence> + <feDisplacementMap>) + Three.js / React Three Fiber (35mm camera, DOF, Z-planes).
   • Node Compositor 2D & 2.5D: DaVinci Resolve Fusion (FastNoise + Displace, sRender repeaters, Paint trim strokes, ImagePlane3D + Camera3D).
   • Full 3D & 2D-in-3D: Blender 5.2 (Grease Pencil strokes with Noise/Build modifiers, Geometry Nodes proportional timelines/bar charts, 3D displaced terrain maps, Cycles/EEVEE 35mm Depth of Field + Compositor lens/grain pass).
5. Apply Finishing Pass & Validate (scripts/validate_vox_recipe.py)
   • Add subtle 35mm Depth of Field (or feathered adjustment-layer focus mask), radial Chromatic Aberration, Vignette, and Posterize Time cadence.
   • Run uv run --no-project python scripts/validate_vox_recipe.py --spec <recipe.json> to verify compliance with all Vox visual laws.

For any step done in Blender (geometry nodes, shaders, rigging, weight paint, NLA, bpy), load the use-3d-software skill for the exact nodes and current 5.x names. For the edit, captions, retime, transitions, grade and export in any editor (Resolve, CapCut, Premiere, Kdenlive, FFmpeg), load edit-video. Craft skills for single steps: draw-and-paint-art (drawing, figures, painting in Krita), paint-stylized-backgrounds (backgrounds, paint-over, parallax, moving foliage and water), animate-characters (character motion, frame by frame, cut-out) and rig-characters (cut-out puppets).

Core Vox Visual Laws (Non-Negotiable)

• No Sterile Digital Canvas: Never use pure #FFFFFF or #000000 backgrounds. Use warm paper (#F4F1EA), archival cream (#EFECE6), or blueprint slate (#1B222C) with static grain.
• Dual-Pass Torn Paper Borders: Cutouts on busy backgrounds require an off-white paper border (Simple Choker / morphological dilate) roughened with two passes: Pass 1 (Spiky / large scale scissor cuts) + Pass 2 (Roughen / fine paper fiber edge) + Hard Light fabric/paper texture clipped to the cutout.
• Print Citation Halftones: Apply crossed +45° / -45° halftone dot luma mattes (split into highlight and shadow mattes) dialed down to the threshold of perception (8%–18% opacity) so modern news cutouts feel printed and fact-checked.
• Pre-Drawn Ruler Timeline Law: Never space unequal time intervals evenly. Draw an evenly spaced ruler/tick scale first, then place events at their true proportional coordinates so clusters and gaps tell the story.
• Dual Highlighter Law:
  • Digital/Screen Text: Clean #FFE600 stroke, Multiply blend mode, stroke height shorter than letter cap-height (~75–85%), non-highlighted text dimmed to ~30% opacity.
  • Archival/Book Page: 3-pass roughened edges (horizontal marker streaks + border + rough edge) + Bulge turbulent displacement, placed in 3D space with a 35mm camera and shallow Depth of Field tracking the line.
• Camera Speed Graph: All 2D/3D camera pans and zooms must use a 35mm focal length equivalent, Null controller parenting, and a Continuous Bezier bell-curve speed graph (slow ease-in -> fast snap -> slow settle), never linear keyframes.

Scripts & References

• Toolchain audit: scripts/check_vox_toolchain.py
• Asset & SVG filter generator: scripts/generate_vox_assets.py
• Recipe validator: scripts/validate_vox_recipe.py
• Unit tests: scripts/test_vox_skill.py