'Morning all . . . 8^) Thank you all for your tips. I kind'a figured that using a black shape over a white background was going to be the way to go, as in standard practice with Vue. I just couldn't understand how Digarts software combined with Painter 6 could produce a file, ( with a mask intact ), for applying to an alpha plane in Bryce without further creation of a separate alpha file? :^O Anyway, again I thank you all for your responses to my question & you all have a good one . . . Mark. ;^)