oh yes, one more thing. i also can't figure out how to give a surface a wall thickness. like the "shell" modifier in max. dear god, it sucks being a novice.

*sigh*

-Once surface is created, type OFFSETSRF, select S for solid in the options and the distance to offset. This creates a solid surface with thickness. ( I do sometimes receive errors when the creases on the surface are "too tight") This is the closest method in Rhino similar to the "shell" modifier in Max. Sometimes the edges do not meet very well. You can then JoinEdge by selecting the adjacent edges and a perfect seam is created.

-The lattice issue is one that I would also like to know. Maybe you can extract the wireframe or Isoparms and 1rail a profile to create a profiled lattice member. This can be tedious though, Ive tried.

-Although if you export the wireframe/Isoparm structure of your surface along with the surface itself into Max, you can render mesh the splines with multiple faces and thickness. This creates a "lattice" structure of your surface/form.

Hope this helps.

lattice modify in max = control point edit in rhino.
surfaces can be rebuilt with a specified number of points in a grid that can be moved/rotated, etc.

look up: control point edit
look up: rebuild surface

i believe this is similar in theory, however in practice...

also... unless you have a curved or double curved surface, dont use offset. use extrude. what you'll get is a solid, that can be exploded into surface componants.

there's another thing i can't figure out, and somehow NEVER seems to pop up in the help files. mapping an image onto a surface. any ideas on that?