How to use "Flexible Path" controls

I've been trying to find a good (or any) documentation or tutorials on how to use the "Flexibility Path" settings in prims. After several hours of looking for info. and playing with the controls I really don't know much more than I did before.

I did find this in a post on the forums:
Flexible Details
Here's more of an explanation behind what each Flexible Path setting does:
• Softness - Take a hard guess... or a soft one. Softness goes from 0 to 3 in whole numbers. Multiply what's entered here by a power of 2 to find out how many segments get simulated. So, on a long pole, a softness of 0 looks like a car antenna, and a softness of 3 would have 8 segments and resembles a wet noodle.
• Tension - Think of this as a flexible object's "backbone posture". Setting it to 0.0 will make it droop like a limp rope, while 10.0 is more akin to a walking stick's firmness.
• Drag - The air friction affecting a flexible object. An easy way to understand it is: if it's set low, an object will wiggle wildly, but increasing it towards the maximum of 10.0 makes an object almost look like it's in slow motion, swaying gently.
• Gravity - Since what goes up must come down, this affects the amount of downward force. Boost it up to 10.0, one click at a time, and watch your poor prim's parts sink. For extra enjoyment, you can lower this into negative numbers for alien effects--defy gravity!
• Wind - The wind is everywhere in Second Life. Increasing this number emphasizes how much your flexible object is affected by the wind's strength and direction. For example, how a single page of paper taped to a railing blows compared to an entire book.

So at least now, I have an idea how the settings work. However, trying to use the settings either gave me no results or did something that I couldn't really figure out at all.

Is there a good source somewhere that would walk through the flexible objects controls step by step so it is possible to actually see them operating?

Thanks for posting what you found.

THat is a clear explaination of what the settings are... What is it you are doing? And what are you expecting the flexi to do?

...may be that will make it easier for us to explain.

Nope, but you can do loads of neat experiments to discover for yourself. Make a skinny prim, apply flex parameters, and then pick it up and shake it. That's what most of us do. That's a pretty good description, BTW.

I'm trying to simulate a cloth draping over the edge of the object. As in all things SL, simulate is the key word. I don't actually have to be able to throw the "cloth" over an object and have it drape. In fact, the flex object could be all there is too it as long as it simulates a draping effect. Also, as in other flex objects, it could be several prims linked to get the effect, such as in skirts.

Basically a want an object with a (relatively) flat top were the edges drape down.

As I suggested in the other thread where you posed this question, visit the Only Yesterday sim and look at the buffet table that is covered with desserts -- right on the plaza ... you can't miss it. There's nothing flexi there, and no sculpties either. Just a combination of gently squished cones and spheres, and a stretched cylinder. The draping effect is fairly decent, I think.

I thought I should share with those that replied or looked, that I did finally find a good tutorial at http://www.mermaiddiaries.com/2007/07/day-286-creating-flexi-prims-tutorial.html by Natalia Zelmanov.