Hex is probably more qualified for this...lot more options.I am new to subd so may not be too much help. Hex has a ton of tools.AI files can bring up several issues.May not have enough points or edges aren't connected so I am not surprised by that.Compund ai's seem to be a particular problem. Boolean's are a whole other topic with issues they can introduce(steer clear mostly).You can certainly alter just about everything on a model.They're really not solid tho so I still am not sure it will address a light effect.However, someone with more modeling experience can probably assist you with ai model issues because they can introduce some challenges.

No need to think outside the box....
    Just make it invisible.