Hey guys, I'm making a few scenes for my general sciences class and I've been having a few problems with the everything, but I'm a proud guy so I determined that I wouldn't ask for help until I really couldn't go on without it, wich results in this pile of questions and problems :

-1 It doesn't matter what I select in the Rendering Globals window for camera to use during batch rendering, it always renders my perspective view first, and only after that it renders my selected camera, wich is definetely very annyoing since I have scenes of +- 900 frames. Is there any way I could make Maya render only my selected camera?

2- Maya autmotically sets, if I use 'clouds' for particles, the clouds to particleShape1. Wich means I can't use more than one colour particle clouds.

3- OpticalFX, or lights in general; can they be set with the time slider to increase/decrease over time, or how can I make my OFX appear only a certain number of frames?

4- Painting. What is the best way to display, let's say galactic brush paint strokes?

5- What file extension must I use to render my scenes quickest? And does anyone know what resolution an overhead projector uses?

6- Using a 'real' vortex, is there any way to create a vortex that draws particles to it? I've already tried to make create a vortex with some other field that have a stronger attenuation/
magnitude but that is quite... instable.

There, done already . Hmmz It might be in the wrong section, but I don't think all these can be put in one anyways