Really struggling to get chain link to work correctly and to attach to handle.

[jamesshock]

I've been trying to create this flail for days now but there's always something going wrong, which I usually manage to fix, however, this one is persistent and can't seem to get and it's kind of the last piece to make it come together. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

[dinofiguera]

Is there a particular reason for you to use cloth for a chain simulation?
Cloth can be used for rigid simulations, not sure if a chain is Ideal though.
As a general tip for simulations, you usually want to simulate very simple and minimal geometries,
After the simulation is done, you can Parent or constraint your super high-end geometry to the simulated one.
If you still want to use cloth, you don't need to create one cloth object per chain link, you can combine the whole chain together in one object  (all but the fixed link) and convert it into a cloth, important thing though, is to check "use polygon shells" in the cloth parameters, so that the solver separates each piece in an independent one.
Last but not list, the collisions often don`t work because the solver has not enough in-between frames for the correct

calculation. You can usually increase precision by increasing the substeps number in the Nucleus properties.
The default is 3, which is pretty low. Try increasing it to 8 or 16. Usually, the faster is the action the more substeps you need.
I have to conclude by saying that I would personally use a standard Maya rigid body simulation for this.
If you use a simple geometry, the result would be very fast.
Check the scene I sent you.
Cheers,
D

[jamesshock]

Thanks for the response, I tried your chain in my scene and it worked a lot better because of the gravity field you used. However, I want the ball on the end to build up momentum and then to be swinging with it taking the handle with it. I'm curious about your expertise what would be the best way to approach it. (I've posted a video of the current build and I'm having an issue of one of the chain links connecting to the handle once it connects)

[dinofiguera]

Hello,
Usually, before starting a rig or using a particular technique,
you first need to know what You exactly want to do in your shot.
Sometimes mixed techniques are used even in the same shot.
If you are trying to do a weapon for a character, then, as an animator, 
I suggest you do a manual rig instead of a dynamic one.
Dynamic rigs have more unpredictable results.  Normal rig have much more control and you can
art direct them as you want.
Of course, the more realism you want, the more the rig can be complex, and the animation harder.
So first of all, try to tell me exactly what you want to do in your animation.
🙂