actually changed my approach. since all i needed to do was replace a poser head with one modeled in max i just imported the head into poser and did the ol' "exchange body part" bit . of course at some point i'll need to reconcile the scale differences, but for now i can get this current project moving in a positive direction. i am relieved and pleased that ya'll are so helpful and i hope to share some of my aquired knowledge when/if needed. also,it's seems that most of the folks here are using poser as it's name suggests .... to pose figures for still images. i am planning on using poser for motion animation . is there a "poser movie showcase" or some such anywhere on the net ? i'd love to see some . again,thanks for all the help jones