Paper Visualization

Capability Routing

This is a first-layer entry skill. Keep it loaded as the user-facing route; when a request needs a specialized capability below, resolve the debuffer repo root from .debuffer_skills/installed-skills-codex.txt (repo_root) when available, read the referenced library SKILL.md, then follow that skill. Do not copy the whole library skill into this file.

• /paper-figure: read ../library/paper/paper-figure/SKILL.md.
• /figure-spec: read ../library/paper/figure-spec/SKILL.md.
• /image-to-vector-ppt: read ../library/paper/image-to-vector-ppt/SKILL.md.
• /figure-table-audit: read ../library/paper/figure-table-audit/SKILL.md.
• /mermaid-diagram: read ../library/paper/mermaid-diagram/SKILL.md.
• /render-html: read ../library/paper/render-html/SKILL.md.
• /paper-illustration: read ../library/paper/paper-illustration/SKILL.md.
• /paper-figure-artifact-audit: read ../library/paper/paper-figure-artifact-audit/SKILL.md.

Route paper-figure work for: $ARGUMENTS

This is a lightweight orchestration skill. It does not replace the existing renderers. It decides which skill should own each figure and applies one shared publication rule set before any drawing starts.

Shared Rules

• Body-font lock: any visible text inside a figure must match the paper body font size unless the venue explicitly requires a documented exception.
• Vector first: prefer PDF / SVG / native LaTeX vector output over raster.
• No title inside figure: titles belong in captions, not inside the image.
• Reproducible artifacts: save the generating script/spec next to the output.
• Local-lightweight default: do not invent heavyweight GUI workflows when paper-figure, figure-spec, or template-backed LaTeX/matplotlib can do the job.

Default Routing

Choose the narrowest route that matches the requested figure:

1. Data plots and result figures
   Use /paper-figure. Typical cases: line/bar/scatter/heatmap/box plots, ablations, scaling curves, comparison tables, multi-panel result figures.
2. Architecture / workflow / system / pipeline diagrams
   Use /figure-spec first. Choose this when layout is structured and should stay deterministic, editable, and easy to revise.
3. Native LaTeX vector figures
   Stay in the project with PGFPlots/TikZ when:
   • the figure should inherit manuscript typography exactly,
   • the figure is best expressed as axis-based LaTeX graphics,
   • or the target venue is sensitive to font consistency. Prefer:
   • templates/figure/matplotlib_publication_style.py
   • templates/figure/pgfplots_bodyfont.tex
4. Qualitative concept illustrations
   Use /paper-illustration or /paper-illustration-image2 only when the figure is not naturally expressed as data plots or deterministic diagrams.
5. Simple temporary flowcharts
   Use /mermaid-diagram only for low-stakes drafts, planning, or quick visual communication. Do not treat Mermaid as the default for submission figures.
6. Submission-quality check
   After generation, run /figure-table-audit on the final figure set.

Triage Procedure

When a user asks for "paper figures" without enough detail:

1. Read PAPER_PLAN.md, paper/, figures/, and any existing figure plan.
2. Build a compact figure inventory:
   • figure id
   • purpose / claim supported
   • preferred route
   • status: existing / generate / revise / audit
3. Generate only the missing or weak figures first.
4. Audit before handing the figure set to /paper-write or /paper-writing.

Practical Defaults

• For plots, prefer the style habits adapted from MLNLP-World/Paper-Picture-Writing-Code, but normalized through templates/figure/matplotlib_publication_style.py.
• For PGFPlots/TikZ, import templates/figure/pgfplots_bodyfont.tex and keep the figure text size equal to manuscript body text.
• For architecture figures, prefer /figure-spec over ad hoc draw.io-style manual work unless the user explicitly asks for a manual editing workflow.

Output

Produce a compact decision record in the working notes or response:

Figure inventory:
- Fig 1: architecture overview -> /figure-spec -> generate
- Fig 2: main results bar chart -> /paper-figure -> generate
- Fig 3: ablation heatmap -> /paper-figure -> revise
- Table 1: benchmark comparison -> /paper-figure -> generate

Global rules:
- figure text size = paper body text size
- vector-first export
- final pass: /figure-table-audit

Completion Rule

Do not stop at "use skill X". Either:

• invoke the downstream skill immediately, or
• if the user asked only for process guidance, return the routed figure plan and the typography/export constraints.