[Beowulf] noob understanding

[phildlight at verizon.net]

I've searched many of the posts and I only have a few quick questions.  Please excuse my ignorance.

1. Is my understanding that you can process windows processes on a linux cluster correct?

2. Specifically, I'm interested in using a linux cluster (25 nodes) for rendering 3d studio max by splitting single frames accross the cluster.  Example.  We work with enormous output files, usually around 5400x3600, and they render in about 15 hours on a dual xeon 3.4ghz w/ 2gb ram.  Distributed rendering via windows works, but we're interested in growing the "farm" to many more nodes, hence the interest in a beowulf.  Occasionally, we'll do some animations also, so it again would be enormously beneficial.  I think I understand that this is possible, and am interested more specifically in the scripting method to dump the job into the cluster from windows.

Additionally, we use vray (render engine plugin for max) for the final output.

Am I correct in thinking that this is possible?  Any direction at all would be great!  Thanks.