diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/CharacterManager.java b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/CharacterManager.java
index bcda0c1d3..37f551ba5 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/CharacterManager.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/CharacterManager.java
@@ -251,6 +251,9 @@ public class CharacterManager
         Log.debug("Compositing action [action=" + action +
                   ", descrip=" + descrip + "].");
 
+        // this will be used to construct any shadow layers
+        HashMap shadows = null;
+
         // create colorized versions of all of the source action frames
         ComponentFrames[] sources = new ComponentFrames[ccount];
         for (int ii = 0; ii < ccount; ii++) {
@@ -268,16 +271,16 @@ public class CharacterManager
             sources[ii].frames = (zations == null || zations[ii] == null) ?
                 source : source.cloneColorized(zations[ii]);
 
-            // load up the shadow images if they are needed
-            if (sources[ii].ccomp.componentClass.shadowed) {
-                sources[ii].shadowFrames = sources[ii].ccomp.getFrames(
-                    action + StandardActions.SHADOW_SUFFIX);
-                if (sources[ii].shadowFrames == null) {
-                    Log.warning("Missing shadow frames for action " +
-                                "[action=" + action +
-                                ", comp=" + sources[ii].ccomp + "].");
-                }
-            }
+//             // load up the shadow images if they are needed
+//             if (sources[ii].ccomp.componentClass.isShadowed()) {
+//                 sources[ii].shadowFrames = sources[ii].ccomp.getFrames(
+//                     action + StandardActions.SHADOW_SUFFIX);
+//                 if (sources[ii].shadowFrames == null) {
+//                     Log.warning("Missing shadow frames for action " +
+//                                 "[action=" + action +
+//                                 ", comp=" + sources[ii].ccomp + "].");
+//                 }
+//             }
         }
 
         // use those to create an entity that will lazily composite things
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/ComponentClass.java b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/ComponentClass.java
index 4681490e7..c92ade1eb 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/ComponentClass.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/ComponentClass.java
@@ -117,24 +117,14 @@ public class ComponentClass implements Serializable
      * be null if a system does not use recolorable components. */
     public String[] colors;
 
-    /** Indicates whether or not components in this class have an associated
-     * shadow image. */
-    public boolean shadowed;
+    /** Indicates the class name of the shadow layer to which this component
+     * class contributes a shadow. */
+    public String shadow;
 
     /** Null for a normal component, the color of the pre-composited shadow for
      * the special "shadow" component class. */
     public Color shadowColor;
 
-    /** Zero for a normal component, defines the (inclusive) lower bound of the
-     * range of components whose shadow will be included in this pre-composited
-     * shadow layer for a shadow component. */
-    public int minShadowPri;
-
-    /** Zero for a normal component, defines the (inclusive) upper bound of the
-     * range of components whose shadow will be included in this pre-composited
-     * shadow layer for a shadow component. */
-    public int maxShadowPri;
-
     /**
      * Creates an uninitialized instance suitable for unserialization or
      * population during XML parsing.
@@ -177,6 +167,25 @@ public class ComponentClass implements Serializable
         _overrides.insertSorted(override);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns true if this component class contributes a shadow to a
+     * particular shadow layer. Note: this is different from <em>being</em> a
+     * shadow layer which is determined by calling {@link #isShadow}.
+     */
+    public boolean isShadowed ()
+    {
+        return (shadow != null);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns true if this component class is a shadow layer rather than a
+     * normal component class.
+     */
+    public boolean isShadow ()
+    {
+        return (shadowColor != null);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Classes with the same name are the same.
      */
@@ -211,10 +220,8 @@ public class ComponentClass implements Serializable
         if (shadowColor != null) {
             buf.append(", shadow=");
             buf.append(StringUtil.toString(shadowColor.getComponents(null)));
-            buf.append(" (").append(minShadowPri).append("-");
-            buf.append(maxShadowPri).append(")");
-        } else {
-            buf.append(", shadowed=").append(shadowed);
+        } else if (shadow != null) {
+            buf.append(", shadow=").append(shadow);
         }
         return buf.append("]").toString();
     }
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/CompositedActionFrames.java b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/CompositedActionFrames.java
index 2dbaed973..8f85c3613 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/CompositedActionFrames.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/CompositedActionFrames.java
@@ -46,10 +46,6 @@ public class CompositedActionFrames
 
         public ActionFrames frames;
 
-        public ActionFrames shadowFrames;
-
-        public ActionFrames cropFrames;
-
         public String toString () {
             return ccomp + ":" + frames;
         }