Visual direction board · asset-first rebuild

Beat the concept by making the cab real.

The next version must stop reading as a blockout. The winning direction is a dense operator-cab hero scene with authored assets, textured materials, realistic station infrastructure, and only minimal overlay UI.

Priority 01

Cab-first hero asset

Windshield, console, master controller, seat, button banks, radio, screens, labels, scuffs, rubber, metal, screen glow.

GLBPBRDiegetic UI

Priority 02

Hiawatha station approach

One dense corridor beats a long empty route: platform canopy, tactile strip, stop marker, catenary, signals, train ahead, city context.

station kitroute detail

Priority 03

Material story

Concrete, rail steel, asphalt, glass, worn cab plastic, rubber handles, emissive displays, grime overlays, roughness variation.

texturesnormal maps

Priority 04

Cinematic renderer

ACES tone mapping, tuned shadows, interior screen glow, exterior sun, atmospheric haze, wet/night preset, no flat toy lighting.

HDRIshadowsbloom-safe

Priority 05

Integrated operator UI

Kill the giant title card in driving mode. Speed, signal, doors, faults, and route status move onto cab displays.

canvas texturesminimal HUD

Priority 06

Licensed source stack

Use known CC0/open assets where possible. Keep provenance in the repo. Anything attribution-required gets tracked before use.

CC0 preferredlicense notes

Initial sourced assets and libraries

Need	Candidate	License / status	Use
Transit vehicle base	Eclair / Quaternius Public Transport GLB Pack	Page states Quaternius source is CC0; free download; GLB convenience pack.	Use as train/tram reference or exterior vehicle until a bespoke LRT model is authored.
Train modular parts	Quaternius Modular Train Pack via Poly Pizza	Search result states free for personal/commercial; verify exact page before embedding.	Candidate for exterior train cars and rail-side scene dressing.
Textures / HDRI	Poly Haven textures + license	Poly Haven license page states assets are CC0.	Concrete, asphalt, metal, platform, rail, and HDRI/environment lighting references.
Existing repo assets	`/apps/forgelab/public/models/*.glb`	Already present locally; provenance to verify before external/client use.	Immediate rebuild can use city-buildings, street lamps, walking people, dumpster, cones, and city props for density.
Cab interior	Custom authored mesh + canvas-textured displays first; sourced real cab model only if license is clean.	No clean LRT cab GLB confirmed yet. Sketchfab cab result is CC Attribution, not preferred.	Build bespoke cab geometry with textured panels now; replace with authored Blender asset later.