thanks matt!
I guess I just need to learn the norms of the program...i'll just leave it on overnight for a week

I am actually curious about your raytracing comment. I find one of the best ways to really learn a program and to fully utilize it is to understand how it works. Do you think you could go more indepth about that if you have some free time? sorry, just my thirst for knowledge acting up again...

thanks again for your help