CompuServe Messages

I am currently engaged in modeling and animating a diverse cast of 3-d characters. The are several problems I'm encountering to which I would like some HELPFUL responses. The most difficult and urgent problem for me is modeling and animating believable clothed figures within the 3ds environment. 1. What methods are you aware of to create naturalistic figurative animation with fully dressed characters while keeping the material properties of the clothing. That is, can a figure be dressed in a suite which is hierarchically linked to the figure? How do you eliminate joint breaks and movement problems?? 2. Can a piece of clothing, such as a shirt, be constructed as a solid mesh without joints? Can specific vertices and or faces be linked together to allow for some sort of animatable envelope mesh ?? I realize that this is a difficult issue. I would appreciate any response on this subject matter. Artist, modeller, animator. Yoni Koenig at Personal Media International 10-19-92.