Hi Michael,

He's b-a-c-k.

The next chapter; please read the entire post.

After the last post, I had to deal with some lingering thoughts (yours and mine) regarding hardware and software.
1. Computer crashed:
MOI is the only app to crash (only twice to date and likely my fault).

2. Hard drive might be failing:
This computer is 18 months old.
Disk Utility>Repair Disk and the extended system analysis booted from the installation disk found no issues.

Software precautionary measures.
1. Operating system:
10.6.4 reinstalled using disks original to the computer.
OS upgraded to 10.6.8 using combo file downloaded from Apple Computer support.

2. MOI app:
MoI v3 beta Jul-20-2012 was removed and the computer scoured for older versions. No older MOI apps on the computer.
MoI v3 beta Jul-20-2012 was again downloaded today from the MOI site and installed.

After doing all that, did MOI open the problem files?

No, they could not be opened on this computer (10.6.8) These same files were posted on this thread (post #1) and found to be openable on your computer.

So, I did a test using the issues computer (10.6.8) and another computer (OS 10.7):
1. On 10.6.8, a desktop folder containing files not openable on 10.6.8 was created.
2. The 10.6.8 test folder was moved (unmodified) on to the 10.7 desktop.
3. On 10.7, MOI opened all items.

On 10.7, two new MOI3D items (.3dm), one created on 10.7 and one created on 10.6.8 and the file saved to 10.7, were added to the desktop folder (originally from 10.6.8) on 10.7.

On 10.6.8, only the two new items were imported from the 10.7 desktop folder directly into the 10.6.8 desktop folder created earlier, as noted above.

HARD TO BELIEVE:
10.6.8 MOI opened the two new items (.3dm) in the desktop folder normally. Again, the original 10.6.8 file could not be opened on 10.6.8. Saving the file to 10.7 seems to have altered the file allowing it to be opened on 10.6.8.

STILL HARDER TO BELIEVE:
10.6.8 desktop folder contains files that originally could not be opened on 10.6.8 and, as noted, the two new items imported from 10.7.

Now, the original items in the 10.6.8 desktop folder OPENED NORMALLY. Why?

The identical items on 10.6.8 located several layers down in the directory DO NOT OPEN.

Did 10.7 repair the 10.6.8 files?

Finally, some probably think the solution is to upgrade to 10.7. If it were possible, I would, however, several costly apps have to be upgraded to work with 10.7. Upgrading is not financially possible.

Leonard