Validate YARS Rendering

This skill ensures that rendering and texture functionality works correctly by:

1. Running YARS with image export enabled to capture the first frame
2. Comparing the exported frame with the reference screenshot.png
3. Reporting any visual differences that might indicate rendering issues

Usage

Automatically invoked when:

• User asks to check visualization or rendering
• After graphics/texture changes
• When validating material or shader modifications
• To verify Ogre3D rendering is working correctly

Validation Steps

# Navigate to build directory
cd build

# Create frames directory for output
mkdir -p frames

# Run YARS with frame capture
# NOTE: Frame export requires setting frames directory in XML config
# or via __YARS_GET_FRAMES_DIRECTORY macro
# Frame capture auto-enables if directory is set (see SdlWindow.cpp:82-88)
timeout 60s ./bin/yars --xml ../xml/braitenberg.xml --iterations 10

# Expected output: frames/frame_00000001.png through frame_00000010.png

# Compare first frame with reference using ImageMagick
compare -metric RMSE frames/frame_00000001.png ../screenshot.png diff.png

# Or use visual diff
# open frames/frame_00000001.png
# open ../screenshot.png

Success Criteria

• ✅ YARS builds and runs without errors
• ✅ Frames are successfully exported to frames/ directory
• ✅ Exported images are valid PNG files
• ✅ Visual comparison shows matching rendering (textures, geometry, lighting)
• ✅ Pixel difference within acceptable threshold

Configuration Notes

Frame Export Setup (from SdlWindow.cpp):

• Auto-enables when __YARS_GET_FRAMES_DIRECTORY is set
• Exports to: {framesDir}/frame_{index:08d}.png
• Uses Ogre3D's RenderTexture::writeContentsToFile()

To Enable Frame Export:

1. Check XML config for frames directory setting
2. OR modify configuration to set frames output directory
3. Frames will be captured automatically each step

Known Limitations

• Need to determine exact XML config or command-line option for frames directory
• Reference screenshot.png may be from specific simulation state
• May need to match exact camera position/orientation
• Lighting and shadow settings affect visual comparison