So I've had this crazy idea floating around my little brain for a while now...just not sure what would be the best way to pull it off...just looking for some input or other methodology ideas.

I can either model a ring maille bikini (for an inside joke)...but I'm worried that attempting to model a proper Japanese 6-in-1 pattern would end up beeing too poly intensive even if I keep things as low poly as possible. (a lot of rings are involved)

Or would it work ok as a texture+transmap+displacement on a model done to the desired base shape?

And for anyone that doesn't know the maille weave I'm talking about --> Click here

Thanks!

If you want any kind of realism in how the links will catch light and shadow at a wide variety of angles, then it needs to be geometry.  If you're okay with static highlights, or at best, very unrealistic highlighting that only looks good from certain angles, then a texture with transparency might be okay.  In either case, making it properly poseable would be difficult imo.

For the wide, flat pieces, you could more easily get away with a flat piece of geometry with a photo texture baked into it, but of course it wouldn't be flexible without stretching the texture.

 If Poser supported NURBS surfaces, geometry.

You could do flat polys + transparency +displacements getting proper highlights and shadows using the material room, using the interaction of displaced normals / light / camera directions to affect specularity. Don't know how to pull it off myself, just throwing around ideas.

Try these threads.

Matmatic Chainmail

Matmatic Chainmail Version 2

And this thread has information on where to get and how to install and use Matmatic. Scroll down to near the bottom of the first post.

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2722867&page=1

Depending on the closeness/thickness of the weave in this case, there isn't too much overall movement. The openness of the necklace I made there gives it a bit more flex, but the only thing on the bracelet that does much when you have it on is the edges curl slightly. Course, that set is a doubled up pattern, single rings give a great deal more movement.

Just had another idea....if I have the clothing "lined" so to speak, I could model the rings, but just doing them with halves instead of both a front and back to the ring. That might cut down on the poly count slightly. That would also take away the need to make the rings fully poseable to show movement if they're attached to fabric of some sort....

Guess I'm just going to have to jump in and start experimenting.