[EricD]

Finally, I loaded the pattern I created in Photoshop. Make sure it's a repeat pattern so there are no seams. I tiled it along the length of the rope.

I adjusted the amplitude and offset until I was pleased with the preview. I enabled the subdivision (which I believe does the same thing as smoothing in the VM). The higher the number, the smoother the rope, and the longer the render time... I liked the rougher rope for this purpose.