CompuServe Messages

Hello there, I have a problem with 3D-Studio. I would like to animate the word "edit" along a curved path whereby each character is a single object. Now, my problem is, that each character should follow the heading of this path and still be lined up. When I link all characters to the "t", which will have the path and follow path assigned to it, they will do exactly the same as the "t" at the same time. But I want them to follow the path like the "t" does (with a time offset), but because they are linked to the "t", they start to follow the curve of the path when the "t" does. So they follow the curve when they haven't reached it (you have to think of it like a roller coaster ride, where the cars (my charcaters would be the cars) follow the track. I tried to assign the same path to each single character, but what happens is that I get a path offset (it orientates itself at the charakter assigned to) and so the path of the letter "t" won't match with the letter "i" and so on. Can you help me, I'm very eager to find a solution. Do I have to solve the problems with pivot points? If you know the "Sony" animation of the 3D-Studio vhs-demo-tape release 2, you see the Sony-logo animated the way I would like to animate my word "edit". Thanks for any suggestion. Philip