8.0 - 2008
 

Is Maya 8.0 files compatible with 2008? assuming i am only going to use 8.0 features,
if not is 8.0 compatible with 8.5
*when i say compatible i mean if i am able to transfer files between versions without any hiccups
tnx :)

you can open version 8.0 files in 8.5 and 2008 infact forward compatabiliy has never been an issue, it's only when you want to go backwards it gets a little tricky.
Once you save a file in the newer version of Maya though it will no longer open in the older versions unless you either save it as a .ma file and edit the version number in a text editor like notepad or save it as an OBJ although OBJ is not always entirely successful.
Another thing to watch out for if you want to go back to the older version after is that if you use any new features that are in 2008 and not in version 8.0 it might cause problems with the file opening.

thanks a lot :)

when you open it in maya just go to the open options and use ignore version, then its compatable between 8.5 and 2008

You can always save the 2008 file out as an .ma file instead of an mb, then edit the text in wordpad. Change all the 2008 text to 8.0 or 8.5 or whatever you want to jump down to.

We are still doing this at work while our custom plugins and shaders are being re written for the 2008 version of Maya.

Cheers
Jay