Hi,

I think much of the functions you need are already implemented in POV's 
scene-description-language or in macros shipped with POV-Ray.

E.g:
 > Things I -don't- know how to do include rotating about an arbitrary
 > line (though it seems like I should be able to derive -a- formula, if
 > not an-efficient- formula, from what math I have at this point.

check out:
Axis_Rotate_Trans(Axis, Angle) or
Rotate_Around_Trans(Rotation, Point)

in the transforms.inc include file.

If you're looking for explainations about how vecotrs, matrices, etc. 
work and can be used for 3D computer graphics just do some searches on 
google - there is plenty of information out there...

 > I'm thinking that the water that the jets are in might be best modeled
 > as an isosurface.

Blobs or sphere sweeps would be an option too. Don't re-invent the 
wheel, check out

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/1434/spray.html

for example.

 > some constraints that approximate cloth...

Megapov - http://megapov.inetart.net/features.html
has the cloth simulation patch included.

 > Of course, sooner or later I've got to figure out a modeller, because
 > I'm unlikely to find a simple isosurface formula for Marilyn Monroe's
 > body

If you'd find it, it would render very slow and it would be hard to pose 
or animate it ;-)
If you're looking for a modeller for POV which let's you model faces, 
human bodies, animals, aliens, etc. check out one of those free tools:

sPatch - http://www.geocities.com/getspatch/
(Windows only)

hamapatch - http://www.geocities.com/hamapatch/program/index.html
(Windows only)

or

<advertisement :-)>

JPatch - http://jpatch.sourceforge.net
(Windows, Linux, Mac)

JPatch is my own project and work in progress. Right now it's a open 
source replacement for sPatch written in Java, but I'm working on more 
sophisticated features like morphing or bones for animation...

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-sascha

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