Sarah Clarity Studios

Chapter 2: Cable Trays, Looms & Routing Labels

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Cable Trays, Looms & Routing Labels — Serviceable Wiring for Mecha

Cable trays, looms, and routing labels are the “quiet infrastructure” that makes a mecha feel like a real machine instead of a sculpture. They are also one of the strongest visual tells of maintenance logic: where power and data must travel, how technicians can inspect it, where it can be unplugged, and which routes are protected from heat, abrasion, and joint motion. For concept artists on the concepting side, this is a language kit for believability and readability. For production-side concept artists, it becomes a practical guide for how panels open, how parts are assembled, and how the rig and model should accommodate flexible systems.

If you want wiring to look professional, think like a service tech: cables are not “random spaghetti.” They are routed deliberately along frames, away from hazards, and through repeatable anchor points. They have slack only where motion demands it. They have clear breakpoints where modules swap. And they are labeled, because nobody troubleshoots a 12-meter machine by guessing.

Maintenance logic first: why wiring design is really access design

Wiring is inseparable from access panels because the first thing maintenance crews need is visibility and reach. Every time you place a hatch, you are deciding what can be inspected without disassembly. Good wiring language helps you show that decision. A serviceable mech has planned routes and planned access: inspection windows where bundles can be checked, junction boxes where lines can be isolated, and connector bays where components can be swapped.

Ask three maintenance questions early. What gets inspected often (daily or per sortie)? What gets replaced often (consumables, sensor modules, actuator subassemblies)? What must never be exposed casually (core power trunks, classified data lines, safety interlocks)? Each answer suggests a different route style, different cover protection, and different labeling visibility.

Cable trays: the “highway system” of the mech

A cable tray is a rigid route that keeps bundles disciplined. Visually, trays read as channels, rails, or boxed conduits that run along structural members. They are your best friend when you want wiring to feel engineered and clean. Trays also give you believable reasons for where seams and access panels go: a tray often has periodic access points, removable covers, and labeled branch-offs.

From a concepting standpoint, a tray is a graphic shape you can repeat to unify the design. From a production standpoint, it’s a modeling clue: the tray is a hard-surface element that can be built consistently, and it gives riggers and animators clear boundaries for where flexible motion should not occur.

When placing trays, prioritize routes that follow the mech’s “skeleton”—spine, pelvis frame, shoulder yokes, and limb spars. This reads like real machine practice: protect wiring by keeping it close to structure, not floating across open space. Trays also naturally avoid pinch zones near joints, which makes the design feel safer and more maintainable.

Looms and harnesses: making flexible systems readable

A loom (or harness) is a bundled group of cables treated as one serviceable unit. In visuals, looms read as braided sleeves, ribbed hoses, segmented sheathing, or wrapped bundles with regular clamp points. The key is rhythm. A believable loom has recurring constraints—ties, clamps, brackets—because it is managed.

Looms exist because motion exists. Anywhere a limb bends, a harness must either route through a protected interior path or travel externally with controlled slack. In art language, the loom should “behave.” It shouldn’t kink unrealistically, cut through armor, or magically stretch. It should arc, tuck, and return.

A useful depiction habit is to show looms as systems with three zones: the rigid route zone (tray/conduit), the transition zone (strain relief and bracket), and the flexible zone (controlled slack for movement). Even if you simplify it, that three-beat rhythm instantly communicates maintenance logic.

Branching and junctions: where serviceability becomes obvious

Real machines don’t run one cable from the core to every component individually. They branch. That branching creates natural “service moments”: junction boxes, connector plates, splitters, and distribution manifolds. Visually, these are small hubs where a clean trunk becomes several smaller routes.

Concept-side, junctions are great for making modules feel swappable. A sensor head, forearm tool, or shoulder pod reads as replaceable when you show a connector bay nearby. Production-side, junctions become practical callouts: “this is where the forearm module disconnects” is a modeling and rigging win.

Put junctions near access panels on purpose. A branch point hidden behind an armor plate suggests “protected and serious.” A branch point behind a small hatch suggests “field service.” If you place branch points randomly, you lose the maintenance story.

Connectors, breakpoints, and “swap logic”

Serviceability depends on where you can disconnect something without cutting or unthreading a whole harness. Breakpoints are the deliberate connector locations: near the edge of a module, at a hinge line, or at a reachable bay. In visuals, a breakpoint can be a plug collar, a clamp block, a coupling ring, or a rectangular connector plate.

In concept art, you don’t need to draw every pin. You need the affordance: the idea that the system can be unplugged with a tool. That means showing a collar, a latch, or a housing with a seam line. If it’s a high-security line, hide the connector behind a cover and add a seal cue.

A strong production note is to specify which modules are “hot-swappable” versus “depot-only.” Hot-swap lines will have easy access, robust strain relief, and obvious labels. Depot lines can be deeper, protected, and slower to reach.

Routing labels: the small marks that sell real maintenance culture

Routing labels are tiny but powerful. They are proof the machine lives in a system of procedures, logs, and standardized service manuals. In visual language, labels can be stencils, tags, printed bands around the loom, QR-like markers, colored stripes, or simple alphanumeric IDs. The goal isn’t to be readable at 4K—it’s to be believable.

Labels are best when they cluster around service points: junctions, breakpoints, and inspection doors. They also belong where a harness changes environment—entering a hot zone, crossing a joint, or passing through a bulkhead. A label at a bulkhead tells the viewer “this is a boundary,” which is a maintenance concept as much as a visual one.

If you want your labels to feel consistent across a faction, choose a small “label dialect.” Maybe your corp uses clean printed bands and barcode blocks. Maybe your scrappy faction uses handwritten paint marker and zip-tied tags. Maybe your military uses strict stencils plus color-coded bands. Repeat that dialect and you’ll get coherence.

Safety and hazard logic: keeping wiring believable around heat, abrasion, and EM

Wiring has enemies: heat, sharp edges, vibration, fluids, and electromagnetic noise. Good maintenance logic shows how the mech protects lines from those threats. Near heat sources, route wiring behind shields or use thicker sheathing and bigger stand-offs. Near abrasion zones, add guards, rollers, or raised clamps that keep looms off edges. Near joints, avoid pinch points by routing through interior channels or through dedicated flex corridors.

Electromagnetic considerations can also become visual storytelling. Power trunks can be thicker, more protected, and kept separate from delicate sensor/data lines. You can depict separation with parallel trays, different sheathing textures, or “do not cross” routing signage. Even a simple visual separation implies engineering discipline.

Service access patterns: inspection, cleaning, replacement

Once you treat wiring as part of serviceability, you can design access patterns instead of random holes. Inspection access is about visibility and touch—small hatches aligned with trays, showing cable condition and clamp integrity. Cleaning access is about debris and fluids—places where dust gathers in trays, or where water needs drainage. Replacement access is about reach and removal—panels sized so connectors can be disengaged and the loom can be re-clamped without disassembling half the mech.

A practical trick is to align access panels with “wiring milestones.” If a tray runs down a torso, place one larger access panel near a junction hub and two smaller inspection doors at intervals. This creates a believable maintenance cadence and gives your design a functional panel rhythm.

Scale and readability: how to draw wiring without turning the mech into noise

Cables can become visual clutter fast. The solution is hierarchy. Use big routes (trunks) sparingly and place them where they clarify function—spine, hips, shoulder ring, major limb lines. Use medium routes to show branching to modules. Use tiny routes only in close-up callouts.

You can also simplify by grouping. Instead of drawing ten cables, draw one loom with three clamp points and one label band. The audience reads “wiring system” without counting lines. For concept sheets, it’s often better to show wiring clearly on one side of the mech and keep the other side cleaner, letting the brain fill in the rest.

Stylization: making it feel like your IP without losing logic

Stylization works when you keep the maintenance story intact. You can exaggerate clamp shapes, make trays more sculptural, or turn label bands into graphic motifs. But keep the rules: wiring follows structure, avoids hazards, uses repeatable anchors, and has breakpoints.

A sleek, high-tech faction might hide most wiring inside smooth conduits with occasional elegant access ports and subtle labels. A rugged industrial faction might expose looms with heavy clamps, visible junction boxes, and bold stenciling. A stealth faction might keep routes internal and use minimal markings, with secure connector bays behind shielded hatches.

Concept-side workflow: establishing the “wiring grammar” early

On the concepting side, your job is to define the grammar, not to detail every centimeter. Start by deciding the trunk routes: one or two primary paths that distribute power and data. Then place the main hubs: where branches split to arms, head, and back systems. Then decide which modules are meant to be swapped and give them obvious breakpoints.

A useful page element is a small “wiring legend” box: three line weights or textures representing power trunk, data bundle, and hydraulics/pneumatics (if relevant), plus your label dialect. This helps your own iteration speed and makes review conversations clearer.

Production-side handoff: notes that help modeling, rigging, and animation

On the production side, wiring depiction should reduce ambiguity. Indicate which routes are hard (tray/conduit) and which are flexible (loom). For flexible zones, specify the motion requirement: “allow elbow flex,” “allow shoulder rotation,” “avoid pinch.” If the harness must not intersect armor during animation, show a corridor and call it out.

Also clarify modular separation. If an arm is a detachable assembly, show where the harness disconnects and how it’s retained. If a panel must open for gameplay, ensure the wiring does not block it or that it moves with the panel via a hinge-side strain relief. A single arrow and a short note like “loom follows door; strain relief here” can prevent costly rework.

Finally, label visibility matters. Decide whether labels are purely aesthetic texture or readable UI elements in close-up scenes. If readable, define a consistent format so the texture team can build a library and reuse it.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

A common mistake is letting wiring cross joints in ways that would instantly snag or shear. Fix it by identifying joint pinch zones and routing looms either inside a protected channel or along an exterior flex corridor with controlled slack and clamps.

Another mistake is “wiring as decoration” with no breakpoints. Fix it by placing connectors at module boundaries and near access doors. Every major subsystem should have at least one believable disconnect location.

A third mistake is labeling everywhere without meaning. Labels feel real when they appear where a technician needs them—junctions, bulkheads, connectors, and inspection points. If you sprinkle labels randomly, they become wallpaper.

A reusable mini-system: three route layers for believable mecha wiring

If you want a fast system you can reuse across designs, build three route layers. Layer one is the protected trunk: hard conduits or trays along the main structure with minimal exposure. Layer two is the branch distribution: junction hubs and mid-sized looms to subsystems, often behind access panels. Layer three is the local service layer: short looms with obvious breakpoints and labels near swappable modules.

When you place access panels and hatches, align them with these layers. Trunk access is rare and secure. Branch access is periodic and planned. Local service access is frequent and fast. This alignment is what makes cable trays, looms, and routing labels feel like part of a real maintenance doctrine—and it will immediately elevate the believability of your mecha designs.