MODEL FAMILY TREE
=================

When you're browsing CivitAI, you'll see models labeled with their "Base
Model" - stuff like SDXL 1.0, Pony, Illustrious, or NoobAI. Knowing what
these mean saves you headaches later.


SDXL 1.0 (The Foundation)
-------------------------

Stability AI's original SDXL release. Jack of all trades, master of none.
Handles lots of styles but doesn't nail any particular one. Some community
models build directly on this.


Pony Diffusion
--------------

Started as a cartoon/MLP-style fine-tune and grew its own ecosystem.

HEADS UP: Pony-based models often spit out noise or static on Apple
Silicon. If you're on a Mac, steer clear of Pony models.


Illustrious
-----------

Anime-focused fine-tune that became the backbone of tons of quality models.
Trained heavily on Danbooru data, so it speaks booru tags natively.

THIS IS OUR FAMILY. Bridgetoons, Cyberrealistic, Realism, Arthemy - all
Illustrious-based. They share DNA:

  - Understand Danbooru tags
  - Use clip_skip 2
  - Play nice with diffusers on Apple Silicon


NoobAI
------

A merge that combines Illustrious with other tweaks. Usually works fine,
might have quirks.


Compatibility Cheat Sheet
-------------------------

+-------------+------------------------------------------+
| Base Model  | Apple Silicon (MPS) Compatibility        |
+-------------+------------------------------------------+
| Illustrious | Solid - generally works well             |
| NoobAI      | Usually fine                             |
| SDXL 1.0    | Hit or miss - often black images         |
| Pony        | Nope - often noise/artifacts             |
+-------------+------------------------------------------+

Stick to Illustrious-based models and life gets easier.