Hi Tom, 

I have a question about transparencies.   I know they can take a long time to render with IDL so that explains using AO but I was under the impression that unchecking Light Emitter from the properties of objects that use transparencies cuts down render time with IDL.   Is that the case with AO too?  If not, then maybe it wouldn't take as long to render with IDL and Light Emitter unchecked?  I tend to use IDL, along with BB's skydome and just one light for the sun, and have found that I can significantly reduce render time in this way.

Cathy