okay...

 

  if i want to throw out ALL my lights and start from scratch...  what are the steps for that, like in that devil guy's tutorial?

hborre: 'effective distance' of what to what to make the shadows work??

 

  if i do rip out the lights i have now... and, say, try to do an IDL with a giant sphere thing (do i need to put an actual giant sphere IN the scene, or just a spherical image on the light??)...  do i have to turn OFF the ao in the lights and/or objects?  do i have to turn off the SSS?

   i dunno what is compatible with what, or what most of these settings are for. :X