thanks rreynolds... i actually swung by the bookstore and got the book already. I learned C++ from books, so i'm used to causing myself mental anguish! I checked it out at the bookstore, and it looked like i might be able to figure things out. As soon as i get some free time, i'm going to make an OBJ file in 3dsmax and see if i can make something happen... probably be my weekend project...