10 build and position a Simple Chain link

First create a single link in the chain by drawing a circle. Add a Editspline modifier, expand down and select as a spline, then drag an Outline in the viewport. Add an extrude modifier. Drag a copy of this object and rotate it along its X axis by 90 degrees. Add an Editpoly modifier and attach the two objects together.

Under the Tools tab from the main top menu, open Array. Switch on preview and drag the X figure in the Move column so the links sit correctly. Adjust the Count figure as required, select Copy and then OK.

Select the first link in the chain, expand down Editpoly and then, beside the Attach button, select the icon named Attach List. Select all the links in the list and Attach them.

In order to manipulate and move the chain so it appears to hang, we will attach a bones system. Select the Systems button and click Bones. In the viewport click the beginning of the chain. Move along the chain, clicking at approximately every three links, then right-click to finish. You should now have a long chain of bones. Move the bone chain into position by selecting the first bone in the link, and move it around with the move and rotate tools until the whole bone system is centrally positioned over the chain. If any bones are out of place they can be individually manipulated in the same way.

Add a Skin modifier to the chain object and add all of the bones into the Bones list. Now when you move or rotate the bones around their axes, the chain will follow. The shorter the bone links are, the less deformation there will be in the chain.

Finally, drop a Vrayedgestex in the Bump Map material slot and adjust the World width to half the extrusion depth given to the circle object in the beginning. This will round the sharp chain link edges when rendered. •