Any ideas (other than using a shader instead of AG) to lower the polygon count and avoid changing the AG to a vertex object? I want to add bones to make changes in shape to the willows.

Unfortunately bones turn everything to a VM object. You can trying turning down the details in Grows (less strands, segments, sides). The other thing you can try is a texture map and then change the strands mapping mode to UV along strand. You might be able to get by with less strands that have a transparent texture on them. Does that help? Regards, Eric Winemiller Digital Carvers Guild Carrara plug-ins

Eric Winemiller
Digital Carvers Guild
Carrara and LightWave plug-ins