Technical diary

D080 rebirthadoptedGenomeDecision28 Jun 2026

Stage Size - configurable NxN grid (2×2 / 3×3 / 4×4)

Add a Stage Size selector to the Object Collection panel (addon v0_49, generator v0_28). The user picks from three grid layouts before creating Generation 1: 2×2 Classic (4 stages), 3×3 Default (9 stages, the standard layout), or 4×4 Testing (16 stages). The hardcoded 3×3 stages list in the generator is replaced by a build_stage_grid(n) function that computes positions dynamically. Each stage keeps the same physical size; only the grid footprint changes. The grid size is stored in the scene property gaad_grid_size and recorded in the generation JSON (world.stage_grid, world.stage_count). The selector is hidden once Gen 1 exists (same visibility rule as the primitive toggles).

D081 1994adoptedRecordsDecision28 Jun 2026

Generation Timer - record build_time_seconds in JSON and Design History Report

Add a high-resolution timer to the generator (v0_29) that records how long each generation takes to create, stored as build_time_seconds (2 decimal places) in the generation JSON. The Design History Report (v0_6) gains a BUILD TIME column showing the value for each generation. The 1994 GAAD had a timer where generations took approximately 5 minutes for a 2×2 grid; in Rebirth 2026 a 4×4 grid (16 stages) builds in roughly 6 seconds. Older generation JSON files without the field display a dash in the report. Uses time.perf_counter() for sub-millisecond accuracy.

D082 newadoptedUXDecision28 Jun 2026

Primary-action button highlight - Blender alert red, not GAAD Gold (platform limitation)

Highlight the primary Generate button using Blender's built-in alert state (layout.alert = True): Create First Generation glows on a fresh/reset world when primitives are ticked; Create Next Generation glows when a stage object is selected. The alert colour is red in Blender's default theme. GAAD Gold (#D9A441) was preferred but Blender's Python API provides no mechanism to set an arbitrary button colour - alert is the only highlight available and it uses the theme's fixed alert colour. Accepted as a platform limitation; red is Blender's native language for 'this button is live' and users already understand it. Added in addon v0_51.

D083 rebirthadoptedUXDecision28 Jun 2026

Panel redesign - Records becomes Development Reports; Reports section removed

Rename the panel's 'Records' collapsible section to 'Development Reports' for clearer language. The separate 'Reports' collapsible section is removed - Design Evolution Report moves above Reset GAAD Platform for quick access, and Release Notes moves into Development Reports. The scripts info box is renamed to 'Configuration' with a title and a 'Last Full Release' reference line.

D084 rebirthadoptedUXDecision28 Jun 2026

Allow Mutation toggle - checkbox instead of blue toggle button

Change the Allow Mutation to Other Types control from a full-width toggle button (toggle=True, which renders as a loud blue pill when on) to a standard checkbox. The checkbox is quieter and consistent with the Orthogonal Rotation Only checkbox above it. Slider colours are accepted as Blender standard (same territory as D082).

D085 rebirthadoptedGenomeDecision28 Jun 2026

5×5 grid added; grid labels tidied (2×2 Classic / 3×3 / 4×4 / 5×5)

Add a 5×5 grid option (25 stages) to the Stage Size selector. Drop the 'Default' and 'Testing' suffixes from the 3×3 and 4×4 labels - only 2×2 keeps its 'Classic' subtitle. The generator's build_stage_grid(n) already handles any N; changes are to the addon enum and the generator's _grid_size() validator.

D086 newadoptedBug FixDecision28 Jun 2026

Reset fix - stray objects when resetting from Design Evolution scene

Replace the selection-based object deletion in the Reset operator (bpy.ops.object.delete()) with bpy.data.objects.remove(obj, do_unlink=True). The old method only worked for objects in the active scene - when Reset was triggered from the Design Evolution scene, Generator scene objects could not be selected and survived as strays. The new method is scene-independent and also scans ALL scenes for stray GAAD objects.

D087 newadoptedVisualisationDecision28 Jun 2026

Viewport background set to GAAD brand dark (#0D0E11)

Set the Blender 3D viewport background colour to GAAD brand dark (#0D0E11 = Midnight) using shading.background_type='VIEWPORT' and a custom background_color. Applied on addon registration and on Create First Generation to catch viewports created after load.

D088 newadoptedRecordsDecision28 Jun 2026

Release Notes as styled HTML (same card feed as other records)

Generate gaad_releases.html from gaad_releases.json using the same modern card-feed template (gaad_html_modern.py) as all other record types. Added to generate_all_html.py pipeline. The addon's Release Notes button now opens the HTML (with release.txt fallback). Release Notes moved from the Reports section into Development Reports.

D089 newadoptedUIDecision28 Jun 2026

Scene backgrounds set to pure black

Changed the viewport and world background colour from Deep Teal (#1A535C in the generator) and brand dark (#0D0E11 in the addon) to pure black (#000000) across both scripts. The generator's world node and solid-mode viewport are now black; the addon sets the viewport background to black on load and on Create First Generation.

P036 MilestoneMoment28 Jun 2026

4×4 grid populated - 16 stages breeding at Generation 5

The configurable Stage Size feature (D080, F011) was tested with a 4×4 grid - 16 stages breeding simultaneously, reaching Generation 5 successfully. Miles's reaction: 'I did not think this would be at all possible in 1994.' The original 1994 GAAD ran a 2×2 grid where each generation took approximately 5 minutes to compute. In Rebirth 2026, 16 stages populate in roughly 6 seconds - a 200× increase in throughput on a 4× larger grid.

P037 MilestoneMoment28 Jun 2026

Panel redesign - Development Reports, Configuration, and 5×5 grid

The GAAD panel was redesigned in a single session: Records became Development Reports, the Reports section was removed, Design Evolution Report moved above Reset, scripts info became Configuration with a Last Full Release line, Allow Mutation became a quiet checkbox, grid labels were tidied, and a 5×5 grid (25 stages) was added. Release Notes were built as styled HTML and moved into Development Reports. The panel now has a clean hierarchy that separates actions (Generate, Reset, Explore) from reference material (Development Reports, Configuration).

F011 adoptedGenomeFeature28 Jun 2026

Stage Size - Configurable Grid Layout

A Stage Size selector in the Object Collection panel allowing the user to choose the grid layout before creating Generation 1. Three options: 2×2 Classic (4 stages), 3×3 Default (9 stages, the standard layout), and 4×4 Testing (16 stages). The generator builds the grid dynamically using a build_stage_grid(n) function. Each stage keeps the same physical size; only the grid footprint changes. Implemented in generator v0_28 and addon v0_49.

T005 highclosedGeneratorTicket28 Jun 2026

Reset GAAD Platform should delete Generations folder contents

Fixed in addon v0_50. The Reset operator (Step 7) now iterates the Generations/ folder and removes all files and subfolders via shutil.rmtree / os.remove. Errors are caught per-entry and printed to the console so one locked file does not block the rest of the cleanup.

Q020 ai_collaborationQuote28 Jun 2026

"In 1994 the computer couldn't keep up with the human. In 2026 the human can't keep up with the computer. That's the 1994 problem in reverse."

AI, after Miles joked 'the human can't keep up!' during a rapid-fire session where generations, records and bundles were shipping faster than he could test them. The 1994 GAAD took 5 minutes per 2×2 generation; Rebirth builds a 4×4 grid in 6 seconds.