*"they always seem to degenerate into a scene that uses infinite or spotlites."* I'm not unhappy with my Infinite Lights?  This figure, regardless of the Sky Dome's presence, allways renders the same with this model.  

The attached image is the same scene(camera/lights) I rendered the first image, of this thread, with.  I'm really surprised the Mirrored Ball Hi-Res prop is so dark?

I hope to get a straight answer to a Sphere Prop Proper Resolution, and Mapping.  I should like to incorpporate it into many an Empty Scene of mine, as for V3, M2, David...etc.(...cough.)  MBs wo'nt hurt much!