Cage:

i appreciate all your efforts. my real problem that started the thread was that i had some content with oak trees sitting in a mound of earth with roots hanging down. since i am making clipart, i couldn't use the trees. flattening the bottom took care of that. that is my real practical use. you have saved 28 oak trees. there are other instances where this will come in handy, i'm sure.

the idea of splitting the prop is a fantasy that occurred along the way. it may or may not be useful. considering the difficulty, i don't think it's worth your time unless it's a problem you just have to solve. if you do, i will certainly put it to good use if i can.  

i appreciate the conversation and looking at your code because it gives me a little more insight into the innerworkings. however, my mission is creating clipart and not making poser masterpieces or content.

i put some details about my 2d system in my second post above and a link to a partial sample (http://www.bestlogic.com/collage/default.asp). i have explained most everything on the pages but those who have seen them don't seem to get it. all the images can be moved, rotated, resized, cloned and other things.

i have not done any documentation because i am still working on the content library and when that is done, i will make a better UI. i am not an artist. i am trying to use some of the quality of poser in the clipart and it doesn't have to be perfect because the target audience is kids. however, when i get my render factors and lighting down, the quality will be pretty good. some of the collage pictures look as good as some of the uploads i've seen on rendo and since everything is done post-poser, i can have as many objects as i want in a scene.

since i am using 2d objects, everything has a unique z-order. with the fish example, i can put fish in front of a bowl or behind it but not in it. if i have a fish bowl in 2 parts, i can put the fish between them and it will appear inside. i could make fish bowls with fish inside, but it would seem better to me for the kids to make their own combinations if possible.

i have seen lots of your posts and am happy to be having a conversation. i just got your message that you were going into a thunderstorm. i live on bainbridge island, across from seattle. we don't have real lightning here. i lived in cincinnati for a while and after losing data and some equipment, i ended up putting everything on ups. instead, we have rain and clouds and no sun.