Random
Generate random numbers from a chosen distribution and seed.
What it does
Random generates random numbers, integers, vectors or colours, either a fresh draw every frame or only when a trigger fires. Mode sets the distribution: Uniform (flat), Gaussian (bell curve, centred between Min and Max), Integer (whole numbers), Walk (drifts from its previous value), Pick (one random element from a wired array), Shuffle (reorders a wired array), or Unique (draws without repeats).
Every draw is seeded. The same Seed reproduces the same sequence on a given node.
When to use it
A number, colour or vector that changes every frame: flicker, jitter, dice rolls, procedural variation
Randomness that updates only on an event: wire Trigger and set Timing to On Trigger
A value that wanders rather than jumps: Walk mode with Step Size
Grabbing or reordering elements from an array: Pick or Shuffle
A repeatable result across re-runs: a fixed Seed
| Parameter | Type | Default |
|---|---|---|
mode | String | "Uniform" |
timing | String | "Every Frame" |
trigger | OneOf([Boolean, Number]) | — |
threshold | Number | 0.500 |
min | Number | 0 |
max | Number | 1 |
output_type | String | "Number" |
std_dev | Number | 0.150 |
step_size | Number | 1 |
exclude | OneOf([NumberArray, IntArray]) | — |
source | OneOf([Collection, NumberArray, Vec2Array, Vec3Array, ColorArray, IntArray]) | — |
count | Number | 1 |
seed | Number | 0 |
snap | Number | 0 |
Gotchas
In On Trigger timing the output holds its last value until the Trigger input crosses above Threshold. With nothing wired to Trigger the value never updates.
Snap quantises the result to multiples of its value: 0 leaves it continuous, 1 rounds to whole numbers, 0.25 gives quarter steps. It applies to Uniform, Gaussian and Walk.
Max is inclusive for Integer mode and exclusive for Uniform mode. An Integer range of Min 1 / Max 6 gives a six-sided die; a Uniform range of 0–1 never returns 1.0.
Two Random nodes with the same Seed draw independent sequences from each other. The seed guarantees repeatability per node, not a shared sequence across nodes.
Worked example
Add a Random node. Leave Mode on Uniform and set Min/Max for the range required.
Switch Mode to Gaussian for values clustered around the middle of that range, and raise Std Dev to spread them wider.
Set Timing to On Trigger and wire a pulse into Trigger to freeze the value between events instead of redrawing every frame.
Switch Mode to Walk and set Step Size to make the value drift smoothly instead of jumping.