tips for assembling/aligning ? beads on a string

I'm trying to assemble long loops of beads, to be worn say, around my waist for example. This is my first jewelry project and I am painfully, and not very successfully, trying to do this by 'eyeballing' it. Can anyone give me some suggestions or point to a method or tools that would help me get the entire loop of beads assembled so that it hangs nicely.

An example of how I've been working -- a section with 3 - 5 beads and their bit of string, trying to line them up in these smaller sections and then link them; so they appear to fall kind of diagonally from one hip to the other and back around where they meet and close at the start point on one hip.

I've just read a bit about using the snap to grid method for making stairs for example and am wondering if that's the tool I should be using to align sections of beads. Or even chain links for long chains for example. If people aren't necessarily make a necklace and not using one of the necklace rezzing generator tools.

heyas;

if you're making a straight circle, ellipse, or a somewhat saddle-shaped loop... try loop rez by ged larson. i have a loop rez package in my omni orb, located at my picks in mythical grove and willow creek mill. or you can find it in various places. (mostly free skirt makers.)

if you're making complex loop shapes... i would say, do the string first and get that all in place. then it is not too hard to align one bead at the start, turn on 'local' for the grid, then shift-copy it along the axis. this will keep the copies on the string. (if you want them exactly end-to-end use the grid snap at 1x.)

at turns, or on gradual curves, you'll need to stop and adjust the rotation to keep following the string. but its a lot less of an adjustment (and a lot easier) than dragging a copy on a world axis and trying to nudge it into place.


also, if the design is symmetrical. while you're at my omni orb, pick up prim mirror. once you get one side pain-stakingly aligned, you can copy and mirror it. well, each prim in it. see the instructions in the prim mirror package.

Looprez is the way to go. Check out Natalia's page here for tutorials on making jewelry and skirts using loop rez and she has links to the script + an updated version iirc

http://www.mermaiddiaries.com/2006/11/build.html

Thank you both for the suggestions ! Will pick up the tools you mentioned and play around with the process too.