First thing I'm trying is the large render at 72dpi. If that proves to be still too slow (and I'll know by tomorrow morning), then I'll try doing it in segments. And then I'll just keep adding each tip here until I get a workable solution. And RayRaz, I don't necessarily love doing complicated scenes; it's just sometimes I have to:-) Anyway, although I work in 3D, all of the work I produce is for eventual 2D output, so I am able to cheat an awful lot in post production. Rob.