How to Map a Rope

[Chris]

That could be a tricky one.
You can map a repeating texture onto a renderable spline without any problems.
You could also assign a UVW map & size the gizmo, so if you increased the length of the spline, the rope map would just tile instead of stretching.

The problem is because you are going to be editing the vertices of the spline, that transform information will not be passed up the stack to the UVW map. So if you move a vertex on the spline so the spline 'rotates' the UVW map won't, & your texture will go crazy.

Heres one way I can think of doing it:

Create all your splines for your rigging, but dont make them renderable or thick.

then create a single straight spline, with several 'smooth' vertices along its length. Give it thickness & make it renderable. Assign your rope material (with a small tileable rope map). Apply a UVW map modifier to this spline. Adjust the UVW map modifiers gizmo till the rope is tiling nicely along the length of the spline.

Now you will need to make as many copies of this straight spline as there are ropes on the model. To each of these copies assign a Path deform world-space-modifier & pick one of the original splines you created as the target spline.

You can then adjust the offset to position the spline correctly. To get the length right, just go back down the stack to the 'spline' subobject level, turn on 'show end result' & scale the spline. you should find that the rope texture isn't strecthed & just repeats along its length (however long that is)

Whew, sounds a bit complicated - now we just wait until someone goes 'you dont need to do all that, just click the yada button.." :)

[Fielding]

Try Loft Compound Object? Make the splines as you will and then create a small circle shape and press "Get Shape to maintain the position of splines. Then, then, then you just need to adjust the values for tiling in the: Mapping rollout(or a similar rollout, forgot the name)

When you are done, please give us a test render or at least a screenshot?

[yk3d]

Thanks Chris and thanks Fielding, the solution of Fielding sounds like an easier one but I think it will produce a lot of geometry, but anyway, I'll find a way to deal with it.
Btw, Fielding, is that your Photo? You' look nice!!!! :bounce:

[Fielding]

For the technique, I thought it would be useful for you. And for the picture: yes, thats me, but please believe me: I dont want another one that tells me: you aren't the girl in the picture.

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