2D chain texture

5rettski · Aug 25 2025

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/dv/cuefwop2fhwi.png

This is something I have put off learning awhile ago, but it has come back. For optimization sake, how can I make a 2D chain texture that looks similar to this?

Neox · Aug 25 2025

model a tiling bit, bake it (normals, colors, material properties) to a plane, tile it over a strip of polygons.

5rettski · Aug 25 2025

How would that work if I need to add the logo to the same UV?

Eric Chadwick · Aug 25 2025

Make a trim sheet.
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/MultiTexture#Trim_Sheets

5rettski · Aug 25 2025

Would I be able to do that in painter? I have this model that I downloaded and it looks like it was done in painter. Plus, the person that made this uses painter as well. I just don't know how to do something like this myself.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/5o/eathmxton3qn.png

Neox · Aug 25 2025

Yes of course you can do this in painter. But maybe take one step at a time and not try to tackle all topics at once?

5rettski · Aug 25 2025

Neox said:

But maybe take one step at a time and not try to tackle all topics at once?

I know, I know. This is different though, I tried figuring this out months to a year ago and dropped it for awhile, now I'm coming back to it. Do you have any video recommendations or tips or anything?

Eric Chadwick · Aug 25 2025

Follow one of the tutorials in the link I posted. That should help you clarify the process and workflow.

5rettski · Aug 26 2025

I actually asked the guy that made it, he said he straight up took an image of chainlink and put it into painter and positioned it.

5rettski · Aug 29 2025

Now I'm a bit confused. I tried asking if he made the chain image himself by rendering it in blender or baking in painter similar to a trim sheet, OR, if he found it on google. I got no response. But, would anyone have an idea where on google stuff like this may be? Everywhere I look it just gives me actual necklaces to buy or chain link fences.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/vd/996vssdp819v.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/bw/fgdr4i8nc2id.png

I tried looking for similar image textures for both necklaces and found nothing so far.

Eric Chadwick · Aug 29 2025

Hey just saw this again, while editing some stuff on our wiki.
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/SphereTopology

Neox · Aug 29 2025

5rettski said:

Now I'm a bit confused. I tried asking if he made the chain image himself by rendering it in blender or baking in painter similar to a trim sheet, OR, if he found it on google. I got no response. But, would anyone have an idea where on google stuff like this may be? Everywhere I look it just gives me actual necklaces to buy or chain link fences.

I tried looking for similar image textures for both necklaces and found nothing so far.

You really dont need to download some readymade for you stuff. Model a chainlink, put a few in a row. Render/bakea tiling bit. Use that on your low

Or you might as well just paint it, really

pior · Aug 29 2025

"Now I'm a bit confused. I tried asking if he made the chain image himself by rendering it in blender or baking in painter similar to a trim sheet, OR, if he found it on google."

It doesn't matter. It really, really doesn't ! That's why you won't get any definitive answers on this kind of question.
The only thing you need to know is what you can already observe with your own eyes : there is an area of the texture sheet dedicated to a small set of straight chain links. From there, recreating this setup (using any tool or process you want) is straightforward. And if you're unsure on how to do it, well, try it anyways.

IMHO the best thing you could probably do in order to get more fitting answers would be to provide a link in your signature showing some of your previous finished work ; and perhaps also a link to a progress thread showing your current effort on a specific small scale task, like recreating a certain character or asset. It would allow us to instantly get a better feel of where you are in terms of modeling and texturing expertise since you are clearly quite new to this, and from there allowing us to give you more pertinent suggestions on what to do next.

If anything I feel like the abundance of modern tools (like the frequent mention of Substance, even though it has hardly any relevance with the topics being discussed) is probably distracting you. Just use what you know.

- - - - -

"would anyone have an idea where on google stuff like this may be?"

Google is not a place full of stuff. It's a search engine delivering results based on a earlier indexation of crawled web pages. The place where to find texture atlases of chain links for you to study is not "on google", it is within the texture sets of cleanly buit game models.

For instance : think of a game character with a chain > Sora from Kingdom Hearts > find a model rip of it > you now have some well-made chain textures to study.

And if you don't know yet how to paint a texture from scratch (as indicated by your other threads/questions), you simply need to pick up a book or two about art fundamentals from the local library. That's really all there is to it.

FrankPolygon · Aug 29 2025

@5rettski Observation and speculation can be informative but sometimes the best way to learn is to actually recreate the effect by starting from first principles. It may be helpful to break this problem down into it's constituent parts then work through solving each of them individually to build up an understanding of the entire process from start to finish.

Analysis of the original image: both the pendant and silver necklace chain float above the character's clothing and appear to be non-dimensional or "flat" when compared to the rest of the model. The way the structure of the necklace appears to twist as it comes up over the shoulder and the strong mipping on the texture there suggests that this is a poly strip (probably one sided) that has a basic tiling texture applied to it.

Since the textures on the necklace and pendant are see through and have a higher textel density than the rest of the clothing it's also quite likely that this part of the model has it's own texture sheet or larger portion of some other clothing / accessory sheet with an alpha channel.

These assumptions could be confirmed or proven by observing the model under different conditions in game, looking at how similar models were made in that era, or by viewing wire-frames of the model. If that's not possible or practical then the next best thing is to ask other artists how they think it was done and try to replicate the results based on whatever information can be found.

What's already been suggested: several experienced artists have already offered concise explanations of how things were likely done and provided links to similar examples and or tutorial content. Supporting content that's been shared points back to creating a trim sheet (Which only needs to tile in one direction and given how narrow the chain is that leaves plenty of room on a square texture sheet for the pendant's texture.) and creating a tiled poly strip to apply the chain texture to.

What's been found: so far there's at least two examples of low poly necklace models and both of the models and their corresponding texture sheets confirm a lot of what's already been suggested. (Both of these example models use poly strips or low poly quad tube geometry with tiling textures to represent the necklace chain.)

At this point there's enough information to attempt replicating the effect.

Recreating the chain texture: there's several different options and which makes the most sense depends on the type of chain and the visual style being replicated, as well as the available tool set.

Photosourcing could be as simple as doing an image search, finding a suitable photo, clipping out a section of the necklace chain, and inserting it into the texture sheet. If transparency is required between the links then there's the additional step of isolating or "clipping" the background out of the image. Depending on the quality of the photo and the consistency of the lighting it could be as simple as using the magic wand tool to select either the background or the chain itself or it may be necessary to manually select each link segment using the lasso tool, quick select too, or the pen / path tool.

Another option for photo sourcing is to find a pre-clipped stock image or stock texture that already has image transparency. When it comes to searching for images, start with a broad search to learn the specific terms related to the topic. In this case it's important to figure out what type of chain is used for each of the three necklaces.

A good place to start would be a general search for something like: "Jewelry chain styles" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewellery_chain#Styles) then compare the types of chain in the list to the chain in the model and narrow the image search down to a specific type. The links in both the first and second example models appear to have a flat locking overlap which visually matches the way Curb chain / Cuban chain lays.

(The argument could be made that the links in first example model might be a type of trace chain but the links in trace tend to sit perpendicular to each other. Since the chain the second example is definitely a type of Cuban chain it makes more sense to go with that for this exercise.)

Drawing the links in a 2D application might sound like a lot of work but it's actually pretty easy. Just trace out or free hand a single link as a transparent layer then tile it by copying that single drawing several times. This could be done in something like Photoshop or Illustrator or even Substance Designer. One of the benefits of this approach is the texture already has transparency information and it's possible to quickly add consistent lighting effects with things like gradients, shadows, emboss, and other non-destructive layer effects.

Baking the links in a 3D application provides a lot more control over the texture and it can be as simple or as complex as required. Though, depending on the complexity of the bake and just needing 3D skills, this approach probably takes a bit more effort or time to setup than the 2D approach.

If all that's needed is the basic shape, unlit shading, and image transparency then it's as simple as modeling a single link, duplicating it with an array, then grab an isometric viewport render of the chain section. If more complex surface information like normals, AO, curves, etc. are required then just place an unwrapped poly strip above the high poly chain model and bake it the same as any other model.

Putting it all together: here's a simple example of what this all could look like. Start by modeling a basic Cuban chain link then copy it with an array modifier, switch to a neutral unlit matcap, and render the viewport. Save the resulting image to a format that has transparency and do whatever image editing needs to be done to get into the texture sheet.

Here's a link to a write-up that covers modeling Cuban chain links: https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2710581#Comment_2710581

Create a single rectangular poly strip, unwrap it, and place the UV island over the tiling chain trim section in the texture sheet, then subdivide or add loop cuts to the poly strip to create additional segments. Insert a curve (either open ended or closed loop) and edit the vertices to form the path around the character's neck, shoulders, and torso. Select the poly strip and use a deform along curve / path modifier to conform it along the shape of the curve object then use an array modifier to copy the poly strip along the length of the curve. Adjust tilt of the curve to turn the direction of the outer faces of the poly strip and adjust the length of the poly strip to match the length of the curve.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/qs/w56dl1oz82zp.jpg

This same basic process can be used with more complex low poly strips and trim textures. It's not uncommon to see L or diamond shape poly strips and trim textures with edge details that bleed off onto the sides to create the illusion of depth or thickness. Also, depending on the technical limitations or resource constraints, it wasn't all that uncommon for transparency on tiling textures to be substituted with a darker solid background color on older or lower spec game models.

When it comes down to it, there's a lot of ways to approach each step of the process and sometimes the best way to figure out the strengths and weakness of each is to try them and compare the results. Actually working through a sample project like this using active learning and first principles techniques can really help build a ground up understanding of the how and why behind the way things are done.

This is just something of an aside, not directed at anyone in particular, but thinking tools like Socratic questioning and rubber duck debugging can also be useful for self directed discovery. It's often helpful to structure the line of inquiry towards a tangible goal like a practical demonstration of knowledge or skills, so there's a measurable outcome and a way to tell if things are getting closer or further away from the desired answers.

Search really seems to be geared for instant gratification now and while that has it's place, some of these technical topics have a sort of depth to them that requires looking at things both top down and bottom up. To understand the why you must understand the how and to understand the how you must understand the why. Something that tends to require active learning through the practical application of knowledge to work on a sample project.

There's also this sort of elegant simplicity to a lot of older technical solutions to modeling, texturing, and rendering problems. At the same time, certain older workflows were either poorly documented, obtuse, or otherwise confusing for many artists back then and probably seem even more so now. Which is why it often requires a slightly different thought process when compared to now when it's possible to brute force stuff by just throwing polygons, complex shaders, and compute power at things.

That doesn't make it right or wrong, better or worse, simply different.

Additional links to write-ups and discussions about similar models with poly strips and tiling trim sheets:

https://polycount.com/discussion/225004/custom-chainsaw

https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2712347/#Comment_2712347

https://polycount.com/discussion/comment/2730389#Comment_2730389

2D chain texture

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