I tried to export an animation made using some cylinder that follow a path with "Path deform binding (WSM) modifier" with 3ds max2010x64 SP1
The result: artifacts
My machine:
2x Xeon 5520 2,27Ghz
8Gb Ram Samsung 1066Mhz
Gtx480
Windows 7 Ultimate
I think that an implementation for this kind of animation can be useful
http://img841.imageshack.us/i/testpathdeform.png/