I am playing with a line of flies - like fishing flies. First I make the hackel using AnythingGrows, then convert to vertex so the final fly is one object, shading layer list, etc. The only problem is that it becomes a big object. I did it this way to make it easy to resize and use in a scene, I can also animate it without worries with AG loosing its parent object. Any ideas on how to decrease size and for making AG work with animations easier? R.

I can answer my own question now. Feel like a big boy. Groups, I just needed to put the fly into a group, the AG objects, etc. No need to make one vertex object unless I want to animate with bones. In a group, they move. The group is also my solution to multiple instances of boned and animated characters in a scene. I have a need to animate geese flying in a v-formation. I make one goose, boned, animated with a very long repeated flight, wings flapping, head bobbing, mouth, feet, etc. save it. Then load it in another scene, it comes in grouped, I delete the light and camera, then just move the GROUP around. I can do this for as many geese as I need. Just keep importing the one goose, move it around as a group, play with the tweener if I need a different look - timing. Is this how everyone else does it? : )

Grouping is very powerful, indeed! Sounds like a great approach. The flies above look great, too.