MagicMike,

I've downloaded the zip file out of curiosity and to see if I could figure out how you did some of the pieces and I realised that most objects are joint surfaces, is that on purpose? Could this be the cause of your difficulties with the rendering (flip normals amoung others)?

I can see some advantages of using joined surfaces but could this cause difficulties down the line?

Sorry for all these questions, you just happen to hit my curiosity button!

Thanks,
Felix