# Random Cables **Random Cables** creates catenary or straight cables from selected faces in multiple selected mesh objects. The resulting curve objects representing the cables will be connected depending on how many face islands or groups are selected from these objects.

Here are the redo properties and what they do: ### Cable Type This has 2 options: **Catenary** and **Curve**. **Catenary** generates cables with a slack effect using the literal z axis as the ground for the slack direction. **Curve** will generate straight cables whose attitude and direction can be shaped by multiple properties including the normals saved using the [Normal Picker ](https://www.blenderguppy.com/add-ons/random-flow/functions/normal-picker)operator.

### Spline Type This has 2 options: **Bezier** and **Poly**. This only appears when using **Cable Type: Catenary** and allows you to switch between using **Bezier** or **Poly** type cables. **Bezier** curve has additional controls in its segment points for smoother transitions while **Poly** is more simplistic with just one control point per segment. ### Slack This appears when you use **Cable Type: Catenary**. This lets you set the minimum and maximum slack effect for the cables.

### Manual Offset This only appears when using **Cable Type: Curve**. This lets you offset the curve in the literal or global x, y and z axis.

### Normal Offset This has 2 properties: **Min** and **Max**. This allows you to set the minimum and maximum offset of the cables into the direction using the saved normal information using the [Normal Picker](https://www.blenderguppy.com/add-ons/random-flow/functions/normal-picker) operator.

### Noise This has 2 properties: **Noise** and **Wiggle**. **Noise** will offset the cables in random directions.

**Wiggle** will offset each segment of the cable/curve in random directions - the resolution can be controlled using the **Steps** property.

### Curve Seed This randomizes the slack effect for **Catenary**, noise and wiggle for **Curve** using a seed number.

### Cable Amount The number of cables that's going to be generated. Depending on the settings, this number only represents the total amount of cables that can be generated but can sometimes be less.

### Origin Seed This randomizes the location of the start and end points of the cables.

### Island Limit This has 3 options: **None**, **Limited** and **Full**. **None** has no effect. **Limited** will remove cables that are have start/end points on the same face island/group.

**Full** will connect cables only for 2 different face islands using the **Sort Method** property unless randomized.

{% hint style="info" %} *Using **Limited** and **Full** on a single face island will not generate cables since it needs separate face islands for their start and end points.* {% endhint %} ### Island Seed This randomizes which face islands will have the start/end points of the cables. The randomization will only happen when using Island Limit: Limited or Full and will randomize these end points between two face islands.

### Sort Method This has 4 options: **None**, **X**, **Y** and **Z**. This lets you determine the direction of how the face islands are sorted when connecting the cables allowing you to create the power line effect.

{% hint style="info" %} *In the image above, the cables are sorted in the z axis because in this particular instance the face islands are mostly going in the that direction.* {% endhint %} ### Margin This creates a margin from your face selection allowing you to bunch the cables much closer together or avoid generating cables from the edges of your face selection which ends up on a sharp angled edge.

### Offset This allows you to offset the cables towards or away from the face selection.

### Min Distance This lets you remove cables that doesn't meet the minimum distance or length. This is useful for clearing out very short cables when using **Island Limit: None**.

### Bevel This has 2 properties: **Radius** and **Resolution**. **Radius** determines the thickness of the cable.

**Resolution** controls the resolution of the cables making them rounder with higher numbers.

### Resolution U This allows you to control the amount of edge resolution running along the curve body.

### Steps This lets you control the segment point number or resolution of the curve making them smoother.

### Extrude This allows you to use the extrude effect to widen the curve body.

### Twist Mode This has 3 options: **Z-Up**, **Minimum** and **Tangent**. The default is set to **Minimum** but if you spot any weird twisting on the cables, you can try the other options to fix it. ### Twist Smooth Twist smoothing amount for tangents used by the **Twist Mode** property. {% hint style="info" %} *The twist properties are here only to correct if the cables/curves displays any weird twists and knots. Rarely does it happen though but they are exposed just in case.* {% endhint %} ### Tilt This lets you rotate the cable on its segments or handles.

{% hint style="info" %} *This can be used in combination with the **Extrude** property.* {% endhint %} ### Radius This lets you set the radius/thickness of each segment of the curve.

### Radius Seed This randomizes the radius of each curve segment using a seed number.

### Material Index The **Material Index** property lets the resulting cloth sim mesh inherit a material from the active or work mesh. The default value of -1 means it will use the active material in the work mesh if that material exists. Using 0 and above means you will be using the 1st material in the material stack when using 0, the 2nd material when using 1 and so forth. {% hint style="info" %} *Using a material stack number when that material does not exist will assign no material to the resulting panel cut mesh.* {% endhint %} ### Use Mirror Symmetrize the cables or use an applied version of the source mesh to generate asymmetrical results.

### Join Curves Creates a single object containing all the cable/curve instances or separate them as individual objects.

### No Overlap This removes generated cables that are overlapping or clipping visible objects in the scene. Be careful with processing overheads when dealing with a lot of cables and multiple objects for overlap detection.

{% hint style="info" %} *Hide objects you don't need for the overlap detection to speed up the process. This works differently from executing object collision in **Panel Cloth** which operates via selection.* {% endhint %} ### Overlap Self This allows the cable to overlap or clip other cables generated in the current operation. Turning this off will remove cables that are overlapping or clipping other cables.

{% hint style="warning" %} The will create even more processing overhead so be careful with the amount of cables before using it. {% endhint %}