> I would prefer lofting to be a series of closed curves and a path curve

In MoI, the sweep tool gives you the ability to have multiple profiles along a path.

Maybe you could show an example of the loft in MAX so I could understand you better?

Did you see my other post about the auto-placement mode? This allows for putting the profiles down flat, where they are easier to edit for history updates - you should be able to see the changes in real time as you edit the profiles.

- Michael