diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 0e08a79..3fd846c 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -11,3 +11,4 @@ pipeline/.genprops/
 web/assets/models/
 pipeline/.peds_orig/
 pipeline/.props_orig/
+pipeline/.peds_r6/
diff --git a/docs/LANES/LANE_E_NOTES.md b/docs/LANES/LANE_E_NOTES.md
index 62f4a65..c28ac7c 100644
--- a/docs/LANES/LANE_E_NOTES.md
+++ b/docs/LANES/LANE_E_NOTES.md
@@ -1,5 +1,23 @@
 # LANE E — cross-lane notes
 
+## Round 7
+
+**→ Lane D (D1 — the flip gate): merged peds ready to validate.** `web/models/peds/*.glb` (19 rigs)
+are merged to **ONE draw each** (1 primitive + 1 atlased material) — fleet **92→19 draws**, at the
+24-rig near cap **116→24**. Method: Blender join + UV-pack + EMIT-bake all materials into one 1024
+atlas (`pipeline/merge_ped.py`). **Skinning + skeleton preserved** — 65 joints intact on all 19,
+`walk`/`idle` untouched, so clips retarget unchanged. I verified in the vendored GLTFLoader: all 19
+load as SkinnedMesh + bind walk; `man_suit` poses to byte-identical dims vs the original (skin
+deforms unchanged); `man_athletic` (3-mat) atlas eyeballed correct. Please do the full pass
+(silhouettes/materials/impostor bake/identity variety) + the **full-density draws/tris numbers** for
+F's flip. Pre-merge peds backed up (gitignored) at `pipeline/.peds_r6/` if you need a diff; per-ped
+in `pipeline/_peds_merge.json`. **If any ped's atlas/silhouette reads wrong, name it — I re-run that
+one** (per-ped `atlas` size is tunable; a couple with dense detail could go 2048).
+
+**E2 (GODVERSE stock pack) — building against C's schema** (their task 1). Proposed index fields
+below in case it helps C converge: `{id, title, artist, price, price_band, atlas, uv:[u0,v0,u1,v1]}`.
+Adjusting to C's LANE_C_NOTES contract when posted.
+
 ## Round 6
 
 **E1 done** — `publish.py` now merges into `_published.json` (no more R5 clobber); `--verify` +
diff --git a/pipeline/AUDIT.md b/pipeline/AUDIT.md
index 7e6dc47..bb51b6e 100644
--- a/pipeline/AUDIT.md
+++ b/pipeline/AUDIT.md
@@ -261,3 +261,21 @@ Both 3k tris, verified loading in the vendored GLTFLoader, published, `validate
 Provenance: MeshGod-generated (thriftgod_hero) — synthetic, web-ok. **Note:** also resolved Lane B's
 B3 ask — `novelty_record` (was 26.5k, spiking the busy view) is now 8k via the E1 bake. No speculative
 props added; further depot growth is available on request once C's dig / D's roster name concrete needs.
+
+## Round 7 — E1: ped sub-mesh merge to one draw (gates the roster flip)
+
+The 19 ped rigs carried **1–9 primitives / 1–3 materials each = 92 draws** for the fleet (≈116 at
+the 24-rig near cap) — the optimisation D's memo gates full-density roster on. `pipeline/merge_ped.py`
+(headless Blender) merges each ped to **ONE primitive + one atlased material**: join meshes → pack
+every material's UV islands into a non-overlapping atlas UV → **EMIT-bake each source material's
+base-colour into one 1024 atlas** (route base-colour→emission via the ORIGINAL uv so the atlas UV
+doesn't hijack the lookup) → single material. **Skinning + skeleton fully preserved** (65 joints
+intact on all 19, `JOINTS_0`/`WEIGHTS_0` kept; `walk`/`idle` untouched).
+
+Result: **fleet 92 → 19 draws (1/ped)**; at the 24-rig near cap **116 → 24 draws** (79% cut). Size
+5M → 4M. Verified in the vendored `GLTFLoader`: all 19 load with `isSkinnedMesh` + bind the shared
+`walk.glb` clip; `man_suit` (2-mat) poses to **byte-identical dimensions vs the original**
+(109.038 × 62.5) proving the skin deforms unchanged; `man_athletic` (3-mat, most complex atlas)
+eyeballed correct (skin/top/pants regions all right). Pre-merge decimated peds backed up (gitignored)
+in `pipeline/.peds_r6/`; per-ped in `pipeline/_peds_merge.json`. → **Lane D validates (D1)** —
+full silhouette/material/impostor/identity pass + full-density numbers — then **F flips the roster**.
diff --git a/pipeline/_peds_merge.json b/pipeline/_peds_merge.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..347d04d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pipeline/_peds_merge.json
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+{
+  "peds": [
+    {
+      "file": "comical_boy_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 121,
+      "size_after_kb": 125
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "comical_luchador_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 159,
+      "size_after_kb": 163
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "man_athletic_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 429,
+      "size_after_kb": 288
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "man_bouncer_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 183,
+      "size_after_kb": 187
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "man_casual_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 179,
+      "size_after_kb": 184
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "man_casual_02.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 203,
+      "size_after_kb": 200
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "man_casual_03.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 220,
+      "size_after_kb": 197
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "man_dj_streetwear_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 291,
+      "size_after_kb": 239
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "man_elder_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 200,
+      "size_after_kb": 203
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "man_grunge_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 402,
+      "size_after_kb": 277
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "man_soldier_ww2_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 326,
+      "size_after_kb": 244
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "man_suit_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 436,
+      "size_after_kb": 303
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "man_worker_hivis_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 463,
+      "size_after_kb": 279
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "woman_athleisure_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 395,
+      "size_after_kb": 267
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "woman_business_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 357,
+      "size_after_kb": 255
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "woman_casual_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 351,
+      "size_after_kb": 396
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "woman_casual_02.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 390,
+      "size_after_kb": 284
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "woman_chef_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 336,
+      "size_after_kb": 339
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "woman_smart_01.glb",
+      "size_before_kb": 397,
+      "size_after_kb": 251
+    }
+  ],
+  "fleet_draws_before": 92,
+  "fleet_draws_after": 19,
+  "near_cap_before": 116,
+  "near_cap_after": 24
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pipeline/batch_peds.json b/pipeline/batch_peds.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7ef8fc2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pipeline/batch_peds.json
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+[
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/comical_boy_01.glb",
+    "name": "comical_boy_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/comical_luchador_01.glb",
+    "name": "comical_luchador_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/man_athletic_01.glb",
+    "name": "man_athletic_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/man_bouncer_01.glb",
+    "name": "man_bouncer_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/man_casual_01.glb",
+    "name": "man_casual_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/man_casual_02.glb",
+    "name": "man_casual_02",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/man_casual_03.glb",
+    "name": "man_casual_03",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/man_dj_streetwear_01.glb",
+    "name": "man_dj_streetwear_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/man_elder_01.glb",
+    "name": "man_elder_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/man_grunge_01.glb",
+    "name": "man_grunge_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/man_soldier_ww2_01.glb",
+    "name": "man_soldier_ww2_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/man_suit_01.glb",
+    "name": "man_suit_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/man_worker_hivis_01.glb",
+    "name": "man_worker_hivis_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/woman_athleisure_01.glb",
+    "name": "woman_athleisure_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/woman_business_01.glb",
+    "name": "woman_business_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/woman_casual_01.glb",
+    "name": "woman_casual_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/woman_casual_02.glb",
+    "name": "woman_casual_02",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/woman_chef_01.glb",
+    "name": "woman_chef_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  },
+  {
+    "src": "pipeline/.peds_r6/woman_smart_01.glb",
+    "name": "woman_smart_01",
+    "atlas": 1024
+  }
+]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pipeline/merge_ped.py b/pipeline/merge_ped.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c966935
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pipeline/merge_ped.py
@@ -0,0 +1,169 @@
+"""Merge a skinned ped rig's sub-meshes to ONE draw: join meshes → pack all materials into a single
+atlas (bake) → one material → one primitive. Skinning (joints/weights) + skeleton are preserved, so
+the shared walk.glb/idle.glb clips still retarget. Round-7 E1 (gates D's full-density roster flip).
+
+    BL=/Applications/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/Blender
+    "$BL" --background --python merge_ped.py -- BATCH.json OUT_DIR
+
+BATCH.json = list of {"src": "web/models/peds/x.glb", "name": "x", "atlas": 1024}.
+Approach = the bake_lowpoly EMIT trick without the remesh: keep the mesh + armature, give it a
+packed atlas UV, route each source material's base-colour→emission via the ORIGINAL UV, bake EMIT
+into one atlas image, assign a single material. Falls back to material-merge-only (prims = #mats)
+if a ped has no textures to bake.
+"""
+import bpy, sys, os, json
+
+ARGV = sys.argv[sys.argv.index("--") + 1:]
+BATCH, OUT_DIR = ARGV[0], ARGV[1]
+os.makedirs(OUT_DIR, exist_ok=True)
+
+
+def wipe():
+    for o in list(bpy.data.objects):
+        bpy.data.objects.remove(o, do_unlink=True)
+    for coll in (bpy.data.meshes, bpy.data.materials, bpy.data.images, bpy.data.armatures):
+        for d in list(coll):
+            if d.users == 0:
+                coll.remove(d)
+
+
+def import_join(src):
+    bpy.ops.import_scene.gltf(filepath=src)
+    meshes = [o for o in bpy.data.objects if o.type == 'MESH']
+    bpy.ops.object.select_all(action='DESELECT')
+    for m in meshes:
+        m.select_set(True)
+    bpy.context.view_layer.objects.active = meshes[0]
+    if len(meshes) > 1:
+        bpy.ops.object.join()                      # keeps vertex groups (weights) + armature modifier
+    return bpy.context.view_layer.objects.active
+
+
+def route_basecolor_to_emission(obj, orig_uv):
+    """Each material: sample its base-colour texture via the ORIGINAL uv and feed Emission, so a
+    bake on the atlas UV captures albedo. Add an explicit UVMap node so the atlas UV (active during
+    bake) doesn't hijack the texture lookup."""
+    for m in obj.data.materials:
+        if not m or not m.use_nodes:
+            continue
+        nt = m.node_tree
+        b = nt.nodes.get("Principled BSDF")
+        if not b:
+            continue
+        uvn = nt.nodes.new("ShaderNodeUVMap"); uvn.uv_map = orig_uv
+        for n in nt.nodes:
+            if n.type == 'TEX_IMAGE':
+                nt.links.new(uvn.outputs["UV"], n.inputs["Vector"])
+        bc = b.inputs.get("Base Color")
+        ec = b.inputs.get("Emission Color") or b.inputs.get("Emission")
+        es = b.inputs.get("Emission Strength")
+        if ec is None:
+            continue
+        if bc and bc.is_linked:
+            nt.links.new(bc.links[0].from_socket, ec)
+        elif bc:
+            ec.default_value = bc.default_value
+        if es is not None:
+            es.default_value = 1.0
+
+
+def merge_one(spec):
+    wipe()
+    src = spec["src"] if os.path.isabs(spec["src"]) else os.path.join(os.getcwd(), spec["src"])
+    obj = import_join(src)
+    prim_before = "n/a"
+    mats_before = len(obj.data.materials)
+    has_tex = any(m and m.use_nodes and any(n.type == 'TEX_IMAGE' for n in m.node_tree.nodes)
+                  for m in obj.data.materials)
+    size = spec.get("atlas", 1024)
+
+    if mats_before <= 1 or not has_tex:
+        # already single-material (or untextured) — nothing to atlas; export as-is (1 primitive)
+        out = _export(obj, spec)
+        return {"name": spec["name"], "file": os.path.basename(out), "materials": mats_before,
+                "atlased": False, "note": "already single-material" if mats_before <= 1 else "untextured"}
+
+    orig_uv = obj.data.uv_layers.active.name
+    atlas_uv = obj.data.uv_layers.new(name="atlas").name
+    obj.data.uv_layers.active = obj.data.uv_layers[atlas_uv]
+    # pack every island of the atlas UV into non-overlapping 0-1 regions (separates the per-material
+    # islands so their baked pixels don't collide)
+    bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode='EDIT')
+    bpy.ops.mesh.select_all(action='SELECT')
+    bpy.ops.uv.select_all(action='SELECT')
+    try:
+        bpy.ops.uv.pack_islands(rotate=False, margin=0.003)
+    except TypeError:
+        bpy.ops.uv.pack_islands(margin=0.003)
+    bpy.ops.object.mode_set(mode='OBJECT')
+
+    route_basecolor_to_emission(obj, orig_uv)
+
+    img = bpy.data.images.new("ped_atlas", size, size)
+    for m in obj.data.materials:
+        if m and m.use_nodes:
+            tn = m.node_tree.nodes.new("ShaderNodeTexImage"); tn.image = img
+            m.node_tree.nodes.active = tn           # bake target per material
+
+    scn = bpy.context.scene
+    scn.render.engine = 'CYCLES'
+    try:
+        scn.cycles.device = 'GPU'
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+    scn.cycles.samples = 4
+    scn.render.bake.margin = max(4, size // 128)
+    scn.render.bake.use_selected_to_active = False
+    obj.data.uv_layers.active = obj.data.uv_layers[atlas_uv]
+    bpy.ops.object.select_all(action='DESELECT')
+    obj.select_set(True)
+    bpy.context.view_layer.objects.active = obj
+    bpy.ops.object.bake(type='EMIT', use_clear=True)
+
+    # single atlas material, atlas UV only
+    newmat = bpy.data.materials.new("ped_merged"); newmat.use_nodes = True
+    nt = newmat.node_tree
+    bsdf = nt.nodes.get("Principled BSDF")
+    tex = nt.nodes.new("ShaderNodeTexImage"); tex.image = img
+    nt.links.new(tex.outputs["Color"], bsdf.inputs["Base Color"])
+    obj.data.materials.clear()
+    obj.data.materials.append(newmat)
+    for uv in list(obj.data.uv_layers):
+        if uv.name != atlas_uv:
+            obj.data.uv_layers.remove(uv)
+
+    out = _export(obj, spec)
+    return {"name": spec["name"], "file": os.path.basename(out), "materials_before": mats_before,
+            "atlased": True, "atlas_px": size}
+
+
+def _export(obj, spec):
+    out = os.path.join(OUT_DIR, os.path.basename(spec["src"]))
+    bpy.ops.object.select_all(action='DESELECT')
+    obj.select_set(True)
+    # select the armature too so the skin exports
+    for o in bpy.data.objects:
+        if o.type == 'ARMATURE':
+            o.select_set(True)
+    bpy.ops.export_scene.gltf(filepath=out, export_format='GLB', use_selection=True,
+                              export_yup=True, export_skins=True, export_animations=False,
+                              export_image_format='WEBP', export_image_quality=90)
+    return out
+
+
+def main():
+    specs = json.load(open(BATCH))
+    results = []
+    for spec in specs:
+        try:
+            r = merge_one(spec)
+            results.append(r)
+            print(f"OK  {r['file']:32} atlased={r.get('atlased')} mats={r.get('materials_before', r.get('materials'))}")
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(f"ERR {spec.get('name')}: {e}")
+            results.append({"name": spec.get("name"), "error": str(e)})
+    json.dump({"results": results}, open(os.path.join(OUT_DIR, "_merge_results.json"), "w"), indent=2)
+    print(f"MERGE_DONE ok={sum('error' not in r for r in results)}/{len(specs)}")
+
+
+main()
diff --git a/web/models/peds/comical_boy_01.glb b/web/models/peds/comical_boy_01.glb
index 4be95ef..48360d9 100644
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/comical_luchador_01.glb b/web/models/peds/comical_luchador_01.glb
index f8db204..f273fd0 100644
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/man_athletic_01.glb b/web/models/peds/man_athletic_01.glb
index ca04c33..ffe7be7 100644
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/man_bouncer_01.glb b/web/models/peds/man_bouncer_01.glb
index 7050449..d9a9c87 100644
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/man_casual_01.glb b/web/models/peds/man_casual_01.glb
index 28250d9..731b672 100644
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/man_casual_02.glb b/web/models/peds/man_casual_02.glb
index 892ae50..f37c5df 100644
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/man_casual_03.glb b/web/models/peds/man_casual_03.glb
index fabbd5e..ffab16b 100644
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/man_dj_streetwear_01.glb b/web/models/peds/man_dj_streetwear_01.glb
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/man_elder_01.glb b/web/models/peds/man_elder_01.glb
index 9cf6e58..be33b77 100644
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/man_grunge_01.glb b/web/models/peds/man_grunge_01.glb
index a9514fd..d9b3058 100644
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/man_soldier_ww2_01.glb b/web/models/peds/man_soldier_ww2_01.glb
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/man_suit_01.glb b/web/models/peds/man_suit_01.glb
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/man_worker_hivis_01.glb b/web/models/peds/man_worker_hivis_01.glb
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/woman_athleisure_01.glb b/web/models/peds/woman_athleisure_01.glb
index 41d0416..ef83f23 100644
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diff --git a/web/models/peds/woman_business_01.glb b/web/models/peds/woman_business_01.glb
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