Hi Chris, usually stuff similar to that is better done by texture mapping in a rendering program. Or also there are some sculpting programs like ZBrush or 3D Coat which are heavily focused on applying displacement.

One thing that you could try with MoI though would be to make a bitmap image with your pattern in it and use ZSurf (see http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=602.7) or Max's HeightMap script (http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=7547.1 and the script can be found at Max's file archive here: http://moi.maxsm.net/media/files/ ) to make a textured surface and then use Transform > Deform > Flow to apply it onto your target surface.

- Michael