How do you create a chain link design using Extrude and Weave in Aspire?

Overview

Chain links are one of the most impressive things Extrude and Weave can produce. Each link passes through the previous one using the Weave over/under feature. The drive rails come from the Rectangle tool with corner radii, and the cross-section is a node-edited D-shaped open vector.

Step 1: Create One Chain Link Drive Rail

Open the Draw Rectangle tool. Set the Corner Type to Radiused Externally. Enter the dimensions (for example Width 1.75", Height 0.75"). Set the corner radius to half the height (0.375") so the rectangle becomes a stadium or pill shape, which is the outline of one chain link. Click to place it.

Step 2: Create the Interlocking Second Link

Select the first link and make a copy. Position the copy so it overlaps the first link slightly in the middle, simulating how chain links thread through each other. You now have two interlocking rounded-rectangle paths.

Step 3: Create the D-Shaped Cross-Section

1. Draw a straight horizontal line, about 0.25" long
2. Enter Node Edit mode (N)
3. Insert a node at the midpoint of the line
4. Drag the new center node upward to create a dome arch
5. Result: a D-shaped open vector, the cross-section of the chain link rod

Step 4: Apply Extrude and Weave with Weave On

1. Select both link outlines as drive rails and click Use Selection
2. Select the D-shaped cross-section
3. Keep Smooth on for rounded links (it is the default; right-click the cross-section to turn it off)
4. Enable Weave and Scale Shape, and set the Z Under and Z Over percentages
5. Click Apply. One link appears to pass over the other

Step 5: Replicate Into a Full Chain

1. Bake the two-link pair into a single component
2. Use Copy Along Vectors to tile the pair along the desired path
3. Match the spacing to the link length for seamless tiling

Key Tips

• The line-plus-node-arch technique is a quick way to make a round cross-section, faster than drawing a full semicircle
• Smooth on gives an organic chain appearance, Smooth off gives angular, geometric link profiles
• Practice with two crossing lines before attempting the full chain link geometry
• For Weave settings (Scale Shape versus Add Base, which strand goes over), see the entry on the Weave option