Random Panels

Random Panels is a more dedicated version of Random Loop Extrude when it comes to random panel generation. While it only creates only a single randomized mesh, it has a lot more features that lets you use it for all kinds of production like concept art, movies or games.

Most random operators work in the same way. Select faces then use the operator which can work both in edit or object mode. Presets will start with 0 subdivision or cuts so you won't immediately see results, carefully increase this to see patterns or random faces.

Figure 1

Figure 2

The redo UI has 2 pages to accommodate all the parameters involved to make all its features work.

The page 1 and page 2 are considered buttons so pressing them will activate the operator.

If the menu disappears and you're new to Blender, read this: Redo Panel

The Random Panels operator is the most advanced in the plugin and will be your most used tool. The other random operators can be used to layer their effects on top of the Random Panels results.

Solver

Setting	Function
Type	Determines what type of panel details to make or generate from. Inset will generate panel details from the selected faces nondestructively unless you use the merge panel toggle. Bevel will generate panel details from the selected faces destructively meaning the source mesh will be altered. Sharp will generate details from the marked sharp edges in the selected faces nondestructively. Depending on the type, the redo panel UI will change and some settings can only work for a particular type used.
Solver	The type of algorithm used to create the random patterns.
Path	This will only work when using the walk solver. Shortest will favor faces with shorter edges. Longest will favor faces with longer edges.

Panel

Setting	Function
Panel Amount	The amount of faces to be used for randomization from the selected faces. The invert icon/toggle reverses the order of how the faces are being removed. Enabling this will clear the larger panel islands first allowing you to create small face islands. The 3 dot icon/toggle removes the faces instead of leaving them flat and un-extruded.
Panel Size	This determines the amount of faces that a panel island or face group can have. The randomization will occur between the min and max values
Size Mode	Determines whether the Panel Size setting will use percentage or integer.
Inset Clear	When activated, will merge panel islands to its surrounding islands when using the Panel Amount slider. Useful for getting rid of smaller face islands without removing them.
Cut Method	Determines whether to cut the panel islands at edges with sharp face transitions or wrap around it. Cut will cut edges whose surrounding faces meets the sharpness threshold. Wrap will wrap around edges whose surrounding faces meets the sharpness threshold.
Cut Angle	Sharpness threshold for the Cut Method parameter.
Face Tags	Activates the face tagging feature. Faces are either immune, split or cleared from extrusion depending on the mask color used. The Invert Face Tags toggle will invert the face tag effect. The Sharpen Face Tags will sharpen the boundary edges of the mask which is useful when using the Mark Only feature.
Join Tris	Quadifies triangles from the face selection before randomizing them.
Panel Seed	Random seed value for the random panel's solver.

Subdivision

Setting	Function
Subdivision	Subdivides the original face selection to provide more faces for the randomization. This results to more details but can affect operator speed relative to number of faces and subdivision level used.
Pre Smoothing	Smooths the source mesh before any randomization is made.
Post Smoothing	Smooths the randomized result. This stacks to the Pre Smoothing Effect.

The Area Smooth toggle next to Pre Smoothing and Post Smoothing will allow you to smooth only the selected area of the source mesh.

Using the smoothing feature without Merge Panel enabled will shrink the random mesh into the source mesh. This is mainly used with Merge Panel on for organic greebling but will result to a destructive operation meaning all changes will be applied to the source mesh.

Extrude

Setting	Function
Thickness	The scale of the top faces of the panel islands or face groups. Using the Uniform Thickness toggle will use a single value without randomization.
Thickness Seed	Random seed value for the Thickness min/max setting.
Even Depth	When disabled will result to uneven depth increase - bloated effect at edges with sharp face transitions. This is useful for getting rid of the spiking geometry error. If you wish to avoid its effect and still get rid of the spikes, try increasing the Cut Angle for the Cut Method and playing around with the Panel Seed. Alternatively, you can also crease edges from the problematic area and enable the Crease Sharp feature to split these edges manually to avoid the spikes.
Depth	The extrusion height of the panel islands. Using the Uniform Thickness toggle will use a single value without randomization.
Depth Seed	Random Seed value for the Depth min/max setting.
Margin	Creates a margin between the panel islands.
Margin Proc	Determines if a panel island will have a margin or not. This is useful for creating variety in the look of the panel islands.
Margin Seed	Random seed value for the Margin Proc setting.
Offset	Offsets the random mesh towards or away from the source mesh.
Clear Faces	Clears faces from the panel islands for certain effects. Inner removes the top faces of the panel islands leaving only the border faces. Outer removes the border faces. These settings are used by the "floater mesh indent" and "floater mesh inner" to generate their effects.
Mark Only	Converts the panel islands as marked sharp edges instead using their border edges. New will create a new mesh with the marked sharp edges pattern. Merge will merge the effect to the source mesh. (destructive) This feature can used in combination with the Sharp type and the geonode feature to create nondestructive random panels that you can go back to and change anytime.

Notches

Setting	Function
Count	The possible number of notches that can generate on panel islands.
Size	The size of the notches determines by the number of adjacent faces.
Seed	Random seed value for the notch generation.

Notches are single faces added or removed from the borders of the panel islands or face groups. Their size depends of the size of the selected faces and subdivision used.

Skin (Unpublished as of writing)

Setting	Function
Use Skin	Create a new mesh where the panel cut edges are used with the skin modifier instead of generating panel islands.
Depth	The scale or thickness of the skin.
Offset	Offset from the source mesh. Works the same way as Extrude sections' Offset.
Resolution	The level of subdivision used for the skin. This adds a subsurf modifier below the skin modifier to increase its resolution.
Bevel Offset	Bevels offset or width of sharp corner verts.
Bevel Segments	The number of bevel segments
Bevel Profile	Bevel profile.
Bevel Threshold	The angle threshold to determine what vertices to bevel.
Root Seed	Randomizes the vertices used as root for each vertex island to generate the skin. This is also useful for getting rid of twisted geometry where a vertex was marked as root.
Smooth Shading	Smooth shades the resulting skin.
Clamp Overlap	Clamps the bevel to avoid overlap.

Bevel

Setting	Function
Bevel Mode	Determines which bevel mode to use. Corner will bevel the corner verts of the panel islands based on sharpness or angle threshold. Sharp will bevel the sharp edges of the panel islands based on an angle threshold. These modes can operate independently from each other and is not really a selection but just a UI divider.

Corner Mode

Setting	Function
Bevel Offset	The offset or width of the bevel. You can disable the Uniform Bevel toggle to use randomization using min/max values.
Bevel Segment	The number of bevel segments.
Bevel Angle	The sharpness threshold to determine what verts to bevel.
Bevel Seed	Random seed value for the Bevel Offset min/max setting.

Sharp Mode

Setting	Function
Bevel Offset	The offset or width of the bevel. You can disable the Uniform Bevel toggle to use randomization using min/max values.
Bevel Segment	The number of bevel segments.
Bevel Angle	The sharpness threshold to determine what edges to bevel.
Harden Normals	Match normals of new faces to adjacent faces. This simplye lets you use bevel segments as low as 1 and still get a rounded look.
Clamp Overlap	Clamps the bevel to avoid overlaps.

The bevel effect of the Sharp mode is destructive and operates just like beveling the mesh in edit mode.

Auxiliary

Setting	Function
Split Crease	Splits the edges with creasing values higher than 0. This allows you to manually split edges apart from the randomization.
Triangulate	Randomly triangulates the selected faces. This changes from percentage to integer based on the Size Mode used.
Material Index	Determines the material that will be inherited from the source mesh to the randomized meshes. -1 will use the active material with 0 as the first material in the stack and 1 as the second and so forth.
Use Mirror	Use the mirror modifier for symmetry or not (if source mesh has it). Disabling means you are dealing with a full mesh and can impact processing speed.
Use Vertex Group	Assigns the top faces of the face islands to a vertex group for easy selection after the operation. To use this, pick a vert from the top faces and use Shift G to select similar and use the vertex group option.
Merge Panel	Merges the randomization to the source mesh. (Destructive)
Floater Mesh	Turns off Cycles ray visibility settings except the camera to make it look like the mesh is a part of the source mesh. This makes the random mesh not contribute or cast any diffuse, glossy or shadows to its surrounding meshes.
Clip Center	Clips the symmetry line in the X, Y and Z axis when using the mirror modifier to get rid of panel cuts in these areas.
Distance	Distance to clip the vertices in the symmetry line.
Limited Dissolve	Limits dissolve the loop objects resulting in ngon faces but a lighter mesh. This is not ideal for the stacking workflow but you can quadify areas selectively using Quad Slice if you want to use them again for randomizations.
Max Angle	Max angle used by limited dissolve.

How To Use

As stated, the Random Panels operator is the most advanced in the add-on and showing all its intricacies and the possible workflows you can use it for deserves an entire book. However, I'll let the video playlist in Youtube show all of that and just focus on the general workflow here.

A great way to learn about the random operators is to practice with just a primitive cube or plane first rather than frustrate yourself by starting on a complicated mesh.

Figure 3

You can start by selecting faces, an area or all of them - just remember that the random operator speeds are affected the number of faces you're using and the number of subdivision used. You can then use any of the presets, the one I'm mostly using in the videos is the "square 100 perc even depth" which means it's using the square solver, 100 percent panel amount and even depth on.

Most random operators can work in edit or object mode allowing for a seamless randomization process.

Figure 4

After using the preset, the settings I usually modify are the Subdivision/Cuts, Panel Size and Panel Seed. The other major settings like Thickness, Depth, Solvers are there to create variety in the resulting random pattern. The supporting settings like Margin, Offset, etc are there for special use case scenario and offers more control over the randomization.

The randomizations are topology dependent so however you design your edge and face loops will have an impact on the size or width and length of the randomized faces.

Figure 5

For organic greebling, turning on Merge Panel will merge the randomizations to the source mesh allowing you to better use the smoothing feature to create a more organic feel to the model.

Figure 6

The amount of detail or panel islands produced can be increased using the Subdivision setting that will subdivide the original face selection giving the randomization more faces to play with but can impact processing speed. Alternatively, you can also reduce the maximum panel size to create smaller panel islands relative to the subdivision used to generate more details without increasing the resolution any further.

Figure 7

The above image is created using the Clear Faces settings with the Outer option used. Experiment on the different settings using a primitive cube or plane to familiarize yourself quickly on their uses. The add-on is complicated but simple approaches on learning it will make it easier in the long run.

Figure 8

Figure 8 shows the result of the "floater mesh inner" preset where the Clear Faces Inner is used to create the panel cut faces with the source mesh showing underneath. The Floater Mesh toggle is then enabled to make it look like its a part of the mesh underneath. The operator can rotate around nondestructive and destructive workflows with ease offering you greater flexibility creating different designs.

Figure 9

This operator alone has let me produce wonders throughout the years. You can stack itself or other random operators to create more random effects. From hard surface to organic, from production, concept art to game development - Random Panels carries the add-on to another level.