Rope like figures have quite a long bone structure and it can be tedious to pose each bone. And I saw some superbly posed ones that winds up in a circular spring which is aesthetically pleasing. What tools do they use to pose them?

Ajax developed a system of ERC to help in posing long chains of actors, it is called "EasyPose". Ajax also made a application "EasyPose Underground" to help in adding this type of ERC to figures. I think I have also see a py script for posing chains of actors, but I can't remember where. It might have been by Dimention3D or ockham.

Ajax,Dimention3D and ockham all do good work.

My version is called "All Tied Up". Details are at:-

http://www.philc.net/AllTiedUp.htm

Whichever one you choose I'm sure you'll have fun using it :)

EasyPose Underground 2

Pose Chain of Actors

 

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I had forgotten about Phil's AllTiedUp. Phil also does very good work, and I feel sure AllTiedUp will be a very good tool.

Theres a pose chain of actors in freebies, poser, utilities

You can add ERC manually but its a pain. I wrote my own program to do it. 

Daz studio has the ability to select multiple parts , and applies the same change to all of them. Its one feature I wish poser would get.

 

 

The best implementation I have seen is in Davos' latest set of belts (available at the other place). Instead of, say, 50 elements he's broken them down into 5 blocks of 10, making it a lot easier to get straight ends or extreme bends in one section and straighter in others. Would love a rope rigged the same

I've always found it easier to use before/after dials on the middle node of EP characters

I usually just select all the actors i want to pose and then rotate them, either with my "Hampelmann" or "Mouse Wheel Posing" scripts (Poser 8+)...