diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/DisplayMisoSceneImpl.java b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/DisplayMisoSceneImpl.java
index 4a3a8a175..d29660b04 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/DisplayMisoSceneImpl.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/DisplayMisoSceneImpl.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: DisplayMisoSceneImpl.java,v 1.41 2001/10/17 22:21:22 shaper Exp $
+// $Id: DisplayMisoSceneImpl.java,v 1.42 2001/10/25 16:36:42 shaper Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.miso.scene;
 
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ public class MisoSceneImpl implements EditableMisoScene
     /** The portals to different scenes. */
     public ArrayList portals = new ArrayList();
 
+    /** The default entrance portal. */
+    public Portal entrance;
+
     /** The base tiles in the scene. */
     public MisoTile[][] baseTiles;
 
@@ -186,7 +189,7 @@ public class MisoSceneImpl implements EditableMisoScene
     // documentation inherited
     public Portal getEntrance ()
     {
-        return _entrance;
+        return entrance;
     }
 
     // documentation inherited
@@ -210,7 +213,7 @@ public class MisoSceneImpl implements EditableMisoScene
     // documentation inherited
     public void setEntrance (Portal entrance)
     {
-	_entrance = entrance;
+	this.entrance = entrance;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -378,9 +381,6 @@ public class MisoSceneImpl implements EditableMisoScene
     /** The scene version. */
     protected int _version;
 
-    /** The default entrance portal. */
-    protected Portal _entrance;
-
     /** The default tile for the base layer in the scene. */
     protected MisoTile _deftile;
 
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/IsoSceneView.java b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/IsoSceneView.java
index 233c14b30..13ddeaa90 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/IsoSceneView.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/IsoSceneView.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: IsoSceneView.java,v 1.68 2001/10/24 01:33:47 shaper Exp $
+// $Id: IsoSceneView.java,v 1.69 2001/10/25 16:36:42 shaper Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.miso.scene;
 
@@ -196,6 +196,7 @@ public class IsoSceneView implements SceneView
      */
     protected void renderScene (Graphics2D gfx)
     {
+        // Log.info("renderScene");
         renderTiles(gfx);
         renderDirtyItems(gfx);
     }
@@ -236,7 +237,8 @@ public class IsoSceneView implements SceneView
      */
     protected void renderDirtyItems (Graphics2D gfx)
     {
-        // Log.info("renderDirtyItems");
+        // Log.info("renderDirtyItems [rects=" + _dirtyRects.size() +
+        // ", items=" + _dirtyItems.size() + "].");
 
         // sort the dirty sprites and objects visually back-to-front
         DirtyItem items[] = _dirtyItems.sort();
@@ -244,6 +246,7 @@ public class IsoSceneView implements SceneView
         // render each item clipping to its dirty rectangle
         for (int ii = 0; ii < items.length; ii++) {
             items[ii].paint(gfx, items[ii].dirtyRect);
+            // Log.info("Painting item [item=" + items[ii] + "].");
         }
     }
 
@@ -352,56 +355,34 @@ public class IsoSceneView implements SceneView
 	List locations = _scene.getLocations();
 	int size = locations.size();
 
-	// create the location triangle
-	Polygon tri = new Polygon();
-	tri.addPoint(-3, -3);
-	tri.addPoint(3, -3);
-	tri.addPoint(0, 3);
-
 	for (int ii = 0; ii < size; ii++) {
-
 	    // retrieve the location
 	    Location loc = (Location)locations.get(ii);
 
 	    // get the cluster index this location is in, if any
 	    int clusteridx = MisoSceneUtil.getClusterIndex(_scene, loc);
 
+            // get the location's center coordinate
 	    Point spos = new Point();
 	    IsoUtil.fullToScreen(_model, loc.x, loc.y, spos);
-
 	    int cx = spos.x, cy = spos.y;
 
-	    // translate the origin to center on the location
-	    gfx.translate(cx, cy);
-
-	    // rotate to reflect the location orientation
-	    double rot = (Math.PI / 4.0f) * loc.orient;
-	    gfx.rotate(rot);
-
-	    // draw the triangle
-	    Color fcol = (loc instanceof Portal) ? Color.green : Color.yellow;
-	    gfx.setColor(fcol);
-	    gfx.fill(tri);
-
-	    // outline the triangle in black
-	    gfx.setColor(Color.black);
-	    gfx.draw(tri);
-
-	    // draw the rectangle
-	    gfx.setColor(Color.red);
-  	    gfx.fillRect(-1, 2, 3, 3);
-
-	    // restore the original transform
-	    gfx.rotate(-rot);
-	    gfx.translate(-cx, -cy);
+            // paint the location
+            loc.paint(gfx, cx, cy);
 
 	    if (clusteridx != -1) {
 		// draw the cluster index number on the right side
 		gfx.setFont(_font);
 		gfx.setColor(Color.white);
-		gfx.drawString("" + clusteridx, cx + 5, cy + 3);
+		gfx.drawString(String.valueOf(clusteridx), cx + 5, cy + 3);
 	    }
-	}
+
+            // highlight the location if it's the default entrance
+            if (_scene.getEntrance() == loc) {
+                gfx.setColor(Color.cyan);
+                gfx.drawRect(spos.x - 5, spos.y - 5, 10, 10);
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     // documentation inherited
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/Location.java b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/Location.java
index 2eeddb511..2e5f55a31 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/Location.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/Location.java
@@ -1,17 +1,21 @@
 //
-// $Id: Location.java,v 1.7 2001/09/28 01:25:26 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: Location.java,v 1.8 2001/10/25 16:36:42 shaper Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.miso.scene;
 
+import java.awt.Color;
+import java.awt.Graphics2D;
+import java.awt.Polygon;
+
 import com.threerings.media.sprite.Sprite;
 
 /**
- * The <code>Location</code> class represents a unique well-defined
- * location within the scene at the lowest level of granularity
- * available within the scene coordinate system.  Locations reside at
- * a full coordinate (comprised of tile coordinates and fine
- * coordinates within the tile), and only one location may reside at
- * each full coordinate in the scene. 
+ * A location object represents a unique well-defined location within
+ * the scene at the lowest level of granularity available within the
+ * scene coordinate system.  Locations reside at a full coordinate
+ * (comprised of tile coordinates and fine coordinates within the
+ * tile), and only one location may reside at each full coordinate in
+ * the scene.
  */
 public class Location
 {
@@ -25,7 +29,7 @@ public class Location
     public int orient;
 
     /**
-     * Construct a <code>Location</code> object.
+     * Constructs a location object.
      *
      * @param x the x-position full coordinate.
      * @param y the y-position full coordinate.
@@ -39,7 +43,7 @@ public class Location
     }
 
     /**
-     * Construct a <code>Location</code> object with a default orientation.
+     * Constructs a location object with a default orientation.
      *
      * @param x the x-position full coordinate.
      * @param y the y-position full coordinate.
@@ -52,7 +56,41 @@ public class Location
     }
 
     /**
-     * Return a String representation of this object.
+     * Renders the location centered at the given coordinates to the
+     * given graphics context.
+     *
+     * @param gfx the graphics context.
+     * @param cx the center x-coordinate.
+     * @param cy the center y-coordinate.
+     */
+    public void paint (Graphics2D gfx, int cx, int cy)
+    {
+        // translate the origin to center on the location
+        gfx.translate(cx, cy);
+
+        // rotate to reflect the location orientation
+        double rot = (Math.PI / 4.0f) * orient;
+        gfx.rotate(rot);
+
+        // draw the triangle
+        gfx.setColor(getColor());
+        gfx.fill(_tri);
+
+        // outline the triangle in black
+        gfx.setColor(Color.black);
+        gfx.draw(_tri);
+
+        // draw the rectangle
+        gfx.setColor(Color.red);
+        gfx.fillRect(-1, 2, 3, 3);
+
+        // restore the original transform
+        gfx.rotate(-rot);
+        gfx.translate(-cx, -cy);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns a string representation of the location.
      */
     public String toString ()
     {
@@ -74,4 +112,22 @@ public class Location
 	buf.append(", y=").append(y);
         buf.append(", orient=").append(orient);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the color to paint the inside of the location.
+     */
+    protected Color getColor ()
+    {
+        return Color.yellow;
+    }
+
+    /** The triangle used to render a location on-screen. */
+    protected static Polygon _tri;
+
+    static {
+        _tri = new Polygon();
+        _tri.addPoint(-3, -3);
+        _tri.addPoint(3, -3);
+        _tri.addPoint(0, 3);
+    };
 }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/Portal.java b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/Portal.java
index 5b848655e..c60ca0c17 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/Portal.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/client/Portal.java
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 //
-// $Id: Portal.java,v 1.3 2001/08/21 01:15:16 shaper Exp $
+// $Id: Portal.java,v 1.4 2001/10/25 16:36:43 shaper Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.miso.scene;
 
+import java.awt.Color;
+
 /**
  * The portal class represents a {@link Location} in a scene that both
  * leads to a different scene and serves as a potential entrance into
@@ -53,9 +55,7 @@ public class Portal extends Location
 	return (sid != MisoScene.SID_INVALID && dest != null);
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Return a String representation of this object.
-     */
+    // documentation inherited
     protected void toString (StringBuffer buf)
     {
 	super.toString(buf);
@@ -63,4 +63,10 @@ public class Portal extends Location
 	buf.append(", sid=").append(sid);
 	buf.append(", dest=").append(dest);
     }
+
+    // documentation inherited
+    protected Color getColor ()
+    {
+        return Color.green;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/XMLSceneParser.java b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/XMLSceneParser.java
index 9a71e23f6..43f5c2c69 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/XMLSceneParser.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/XMLSceneParser.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: XMLSceneParser.java,v 1.22 2001/10/22 18:21:41 shaper Exp $
+// $Id: XMLSceneParser.java,v 1.23 2001/10/25 16:36:43 shaper Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.miso.scene.xml;
 
@@ -74,6 +74,9 @@ public class XMLSceneParser extends SimpleParser
             String vals[] = StringUtil.parseStringArray(data);
 	    addPortals(_info.scene.portals, _info.scene.locations, vals);
 
+        } else if (qName.equals("entrance")) {
+            _info.scene.entrance = getEntrancePortal(data);
+
 	} else if (qName.equals("row")) {
 	    addTileRow(_info, data);
 
@@ -244,6 +247,23 @@ public class XMLSceneParser extends SimpleParser
 	}
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns the default entrance portal for the scene, or
+     * <code>null</code> if an error occurs.
+     */
+    protected Portal getEntrancePortal (String data)
+    {
+        ArrayList locs = _info.scene.locations;
+        int size = locs.size();
+        int pidx = parseInt(data);
+
+        if (size == 0 || pidx < 0 || pidx > size - 1) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return (Portal)locs.get(pidx);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Parse the specified XML file and return a miso scene object with
      * the data contained therein.
@@ -271,9 +291,6 @@ public class XMLSceneParser extends SimpleParser
     /** Temporary storage of scene info while parsing. */
     protected SceneInfo _info;
 
-    // TODO: allow specifying the entrance location for a scene in the
-    // editor, read/write to XML scene description files.
-
     /**
      * A class to hold the information gathered while parsing.
      */
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/XMLSceneWriter.java b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/XMLSceneWriter.java
index 6a60ee14b..9375bab0f 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/XMLSceneWriter.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/XMLSceneWriter.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: XMLSceneWriter.java,v 1.17 2001/10/22 18:21:42 shaper Exp $
+// $Id: XMLSceneWriter.java,v 1.18 2001/10/25 16:36:43 shaper Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.miso.scene.xml;
 
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ public class XMLSceneWriter extends DataWriter
 
             dataElement("portals", getPortalData(scene));
 
+            dataElement("entrance", getEntranceData(scene));
+
             startElement("tiles");
             for (int lnum = 0; lnum < MisoScene.NUM_LAYERS; lnum++) {
                 writeLayer(scene, lnum);
@@ -189,6 +191,23 @@ public class XMLSceneWriter extends DataWriter
         return buf.toString();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns a string detailing the location index of the default
+     * entrance portal for the scene, or <code>"-1"</code> if no
+     * default portal is specified or an error occurs.
+     */
+    protected String getEntranceData (MisoScene scene)
+    {
+        List locs = scene.getLocations();
+        Portal entrance = scene.getEntrance();
+
+        if (locs.size() == 0 || entrance == null) {
+            return "-1";
+        }
+
+        return String.valueOf(locs.indexOf(entrance));
+    }
+
     /**
      * Return a string representation of the tiles at the specified
      * row and layer in the given scene.  Only <code>len</code> tiles