Hello all; first post here.

I am attempting to draw a rope or chain.
I have created a chain link drawing with 2 links at different angles. I then selected and copied.

I saw a video saying to copy that image to clipboard, then draw a line of sorts. Select path> path effect editor and select the "pattern along path", then "from clipboard" > repeated.

I keep getting some shape I don't recognize. The effect seems to be working but I can't get the pattern I need.

The drawing with the chains I've posted (don't laugh, I just started with all this )

The resulting effect when I apply the above results in what looks like teeth lined up. not a long chain.

(on a side note, is there any way to get previews of your drawings in windows 7 in folder view? It only shows a generic inkscape pic)

Thank you all and I am sorry if I am missing something really obvious

Welcome to InkscapeForum!

I'm not sure if it's possible to use a filtered object for the pattern in pap. Try using the original 2 chain links without the Chrome filter, to create the pap. Then after you have the whole chain, apply the filter. To be honest, I'm not sure if that will work. But let us know how it goes. We may be able to find something that will work.

brynn wrote:Try using the original 2 chain links without the Chrome filter, to create the pap.

Brynn, i'm trying to find some reference in the forums about using groups in the PAP LPE as you suggest here. I seem to have forgotten the trick to use a group of objects as the pattern, it keeps using just one object from the group. Can you point the way?

Hhmmm....I see what you mean. I didn't disect the image far enough. I ungrouped the 8-link chain to 4 links (which I called 2 links originally, because of the 2 links that face the viewer, while the other 2 are perpendicular, so that you only see the side of it) but I didn't remove the filter, to learn what was underneath. Now I see that this is a very complex image -- 2 groups of 9, grouped and converted to a Pattern, then the filter is applied to that.

druban, I'm always confused between PAP and Env Deform, which both have an extension and an LPE. In one of them, either it's the extension or the LPE that works on groups, but I'm always forgetting which one, PAP or Env Deform. Ok, I looked it up. The PAP extension does work on groups!

xtraflossy, it's not necessary to convert something to a pattern, to use PAP. I know that's confusing, and I made the same mistake, when I first tried to use PAP. So you need to remove the Chrome filter, and also convert from pattern back to object. And also ungroup one more time (if I haven't lost count). What you need to start with is one group of 9 (consisting of a link that faces the viewer and the perpendicular link). That's going to be the pattern. Then use the Pattern Along Path extension on that group of 9, rather than the LPE. And then apply the Chrome filter.

Should work theoretically, but I haven't actually tried it

Edit
Here's a great little tut from ~suv. More of a rope than a chain though viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9855&#p36779