Q:My documentation was ALL lost when i moved recently, and i cant find a way to get another copy...any suggestions on THAT would also be appreciated.
A: There is a Library CD (Disk 3) that came with Softimage should have all of the documents in PDF form.
For accurate play back, I render out openGL frames and then use Flip Book. This seems to be quicker than waiting for timeline to load and you don't have to worry about dropping frames. If I have to use rendered frames for a preview, I render half the size I need, then scale them up when I view them in Flipbook. Feel free to use what ever method you like. This is just my preference.
What ever you are doing, be sure to do setup with very simple shapes, blocks for characters arms and legs or cubes and grids for cities etc. Never, never use your high res geometry for your initial animation setup, unless you are refining the motion or checking seams or something. Everytime I break this rule, I really regret it. I have made friends promise to hit me in the head with a hammer the next time I break this rule, but they just don't seem to have the guts. 
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Hope this helps,
Urp
