hmmm i THINK what you can do is this:
1. i assume you have a surface
2. see it in plan view and draw curves, which you can 'project' onto the surface
3. or make the surface live and draw on it
4. now, when you deform the surface, the curves on the surface should move with it..
5. when you are done, do a trim and take the parts you do not want out of the surface

interesting..i will try that...although of all the commands involved in the process you described, i havent tried any except the deform before...so im not sure how it will go. but thanks!

hey DOC I need to make it not live before i deform it?

ooh nevermind, i did it. very cool. thanks again

hey check this out surface

i look at the end of the video surface deformation is this what you want to do?

well....not quite....but does anyone know how collisions work in maya?? that word seems to describe what i want...that or puncture...but theres nothing for puncture in the help...im not entirely certain what tool...

You could do a boolean, and then animation the object leaving the hole. Or do you want the surface to deform like fabric with a hole cut in it?

im thinking like a piece of gold leaf floating in water if you poke a stick in the water and spin it around and the piece starts to break...

I think you'd be looking at using cloth simulation to get something like that going.