I'd like to create a movable chain of sorts... I'm not sure how or if this is possible with inkscape (0.91)...
There seems to be lots of tutorials that show how to create a chain using Pattern along Path, the problem is, once the chain is created that's the end of the tutorial. I need to go a step further and actually move/manipulate the chain without deforming the links or changing the length of the chain. Maybe the "Pattern along Path" examples are completely wrong for what I want to do.
To put it another way, take a real physical chain... 10' long, sitting on the floor. I can move the chain around, pull on one end, push the chain in the middle, shape it into an S curve, form a circle with the chain, etc. All the while, the individual links are exactly how they started -- they haven't been stretched or bent or deformed in any way. And while the actual length of the chain can very a little bit it's limited by how much slack there is in the individual links.
Now, I want to do the same kind of thing in inkscape. I want to create a line long enough to hold exactly 60 circles, 20px in diameter with 5px space between each circle. Then, and this is the important part, I want move and reshape this "chain" around the canvas, just like I can do with a path composed of lots of nodes. But, I don't want the circles to change shape. The space between the circles can change a *little bit*, but should be limited... like the links in a real chain.
I'm very new to both vector graphics and inkscape, so I'm not sure if what I'm trying to do is easy, difficult or impossible. I would appreciate some enlightenment.