/scientific-schematics

name: scientific-schematics
description: Create publication-quality scientific diagrams using Nano Banana Pro AI with smart iterative refinement. Uses Gemini 3 Pro for quality review. Only regenerates if quality is below threshold for your document type. Specialized in neural network architectures, system diagrams, flowcharts, biological pathways, and complex scientific visualizations.
allowed-tools: [Read, Write, Edit, Bash]
license: MIT license
metadata:
    skill-author: K-Dense Inc.

Scientific Schematics and Diagrams

Overview

Scientific schematics and diagrams transform complex concepts into clear visual representations for publication. **This skill uses Nano Banana Pro AI for diagram generation with Gemini 3 Pro quality review.**

**How it works:**

• Describe your diagram in natural language
• Nano Banana Pro generates publication-quality images automatically
• **Gemini 3 Pro reviews quality** against document-type thresholds
• **Smart iteration**: Only regenerates if quality is below threshold
• Publication-ready output in minutes
• No coding, templates, or manual drawing required

**Quality Thresholds by Document Type:** | Document Type | Threshold | Description | |---------------|-----------|-------------| | journal | 8.5/10 | Nature, Science, peer-reviewed journals | | conference | 8.0/10 | Conference papers | | thesis | 8.0/10 | Dissertations, theses | | grant | 8.0/10 | Grant proposals | | preprint | 7.5/10 | arXiv, bioRxiv, etc. | | report | 7.5/10 | Technical reports | | poster | 7.0/10 | Academic posters | | presentation | 6.5/10 | Slides, talks | | default | 7.5/10 | General purpose |

**Simply describe what you want, and Nano Banana Pro creates it.** All diagrams are stored in the figures/ subfolder and referenced in papers/posters.

Quick Start: Generate Any Diagram

Create any scientific diagram by simply describing it. Nano Banana Pro handles everything automatically with **smart iteration**:

# Generate for journal paper (highest quality threshold: 8.5/10)
python scripts/generate_schematic.py "CONSORT participant flow diagram with 500 screened, 150 excluded, 350 randomized" -o figures/consort.png --doc-type journal

# Generate for presentation (lower threshold: 6.5/10 - faster)
python scripts/generate_schematic.py "Transformer encoder-decoder architecture showing multi-head attention" -o figures/transformer.png --doc-type presentation

# Generate for poster (moderate threshold: 7.0/10)
python scripts/generate_schematic.py "MAPK signaling pathway from EGFR to gene transcription" -o figures/mapk_pathway.png --doc-type poster

# Custom max iterations (max 2)
python scripts/generate_schematic.py "Complex circuit diagram with op-amp, resistors, and capacitors" -o figures/circuit.png --iterations 2 --doc-type journal

**What happens behind the scenes:** 1. **Generation 1**: Nano Banana Pro creates initial image following scientific diagram best practices 2. **Review 1**: **Gemini 3 Pro** evaluates quality against document-type threshold 3. **Decision**: If quality >= threshold → **DONE** (no more iterations needed!) 4. **If below threshold**: Improved prompt based on critique, regenerate 5. **Repeat**: Until quality meets threshold OR max iterations reached

**Smart Iteration Benefits:**

• ✅ Saves API calls if first generation is good enough
• ✅ Higher quality standards for journal papers
• ✅ Faster turnaround for presentations/posters
• ✅ Appropriate quality for each use case

**Output**: Versioned images plus a detailed review log with quality scores, critiques, and early-stop information.

Configuration

Set your OpenRouter API key:

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY='your_api_key_here'

Get an API key at: https://openrouter.ai/keys

AI Generation Best Practices

**Effective Prompts for Scientific Diagrams:**

✓ **Good prompts** (specific, detailed):

• "CONSORT flowchart showing participant flow from screening (n=500) through randomization to final analysis"
• "Transformer neural network architecture with encoder stack on left, decoder stack on right, showing multi-head attention and cross-attention connections"
• "Biological signaling cascade: EGFR receptor → RAS → RAF → MEK → ERK → nucleus, with phosphorylation steps labeled"
• "Block diagram of IoT system: sensors → microcontroller → WiFi module → cloud server → mobile app"

✗ **Avoid vague prompts**:

• "Make a flowchart" (too generic)
• "Neural network" (which type? what components?)
• "Pathway diagram" (which pathway? what molecules?)

**Key elements to include:**

• **Type**: Flowchart, architecture diagram, pathway, circuit, etc.
• **Components**: Specific elements to include
• **Flow/Direction**: How elements connect (left-to-right, top-to-bottom)
• **Labels**: Key annotations or text to include
• **Style**: Any specific visual requirements

**Scientific Quality Guidelines** (automatically applied):

• Clean white/light background
• High contrast for readability
• Clear, readable labels (minimum 10pt)
• Professional typography (sans-serif fonts)
• Colorblind-friendly colors (Okabe-Ito palette)
• Proper spacing to prevent crowding
• Scale bars, legends, axes where appropriate

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be used when:

• Creating neural network architecture diagrams (Transformers, CNNs, RNNs, etc.)
• Illustrating system architectures and data flow diagrams
• Drawing methodology flowcharts for study design (CONSORT, PRISMA)
• Visualizing algorithm workflows and processing pipelines
• Creating circuit diagrams and electrical schematics
• Depicting biological pathways and molecular interactions
• Generating network topologies and hierarchical structures
• Illustrating conceptual frameworks and theoretical models
• Designing block diagrams for technical papers

How to Use This Skill

**Simply describe your diagram in natural language.** Nano Banana Pro generates it automatically:

python scripts/generate_schematic.py "your diagram description" -o outpu