James Beylik

wow thanks! That should solve it. Some day I'll be a better programmer.

The only way I know how to do this is name`$F%60`.bgeo. 60 being the number of frames.

The trouble is that I end up with a dropped frame doing it that way.

Any suggestions for someone on the artist side of the tracks?

The usual progression is Lightwave or MAX, then Maya or Soft, then Houdini.

Houdini is tough at first, but the quality at render time is worth it. Maya is great for character stuff, but there are many effects I wouldn't even attempt with it. When there's allot money on a deadline it's nice to have procedural nodes to fall back on.

If you just want to model stuff, maybe take a look at Z Brush or Mudbox.