Quote - A process which just pulls the stray path point toward the average of its two neighbors' positions seemed to fix the trouble here, in some quick tests.  I'm sure a proper solution can't be as simple as that, but this might remove the worst of the problem if I can't come up with something better.

As the Oblique Strategy says, "Don't be afraid of things because they're easy to do". Most of the time, small inaccuracies in the link positioning aren't going to matter.

Quote - Have you tested the chains built with the Chain Maker script?  Les did a good job with the rigging, creating centers of rotation which move as a link is rotated.

No, but I should. (Off Topic) I decided that the DAZ Handcuffs had annoyed me for one last time, and I rebuilt them. The chain rigging has a single fixed joint centre which is fine for most situations, for the same reasons as I suggested above. It would be nice if it was accurate even for extreme close-ups too; there's no penalty for adding ERC apart from a slightly larger CR2, as far as I know.

Quote - Well, a poseable chain can be animated...

Ah, I had missed something - animation, the elephant in the room. I see that I posted before coffee. I must remember never to do that again. :)

Quote - I'm thinking about trying to add animation capability to this, using keyframed morphs, but I have no idea whether that will look great or terrible.

Doing rotations with morphs don't sound like a great idea - well, you know that, I'm sure. Or maybe I need another dose of caffeine. ;)

Quote - I could allow more user adjustment by creating the chain as a series of separate props, all parented to one (hidden?) main prop, perhaps.

How about parenting the links to a transparent carrier band which can be simulated in the cloth room? Et voilà, dynamic chain... Ooh, shiny... Not always accurate, again, but think of the possibilities. There's a thread somewhere which covers some experiments that were done a while back.