[Cchristensen]

Yes to the background. I don't know what is going on with your other problem unless you are saving all objects in Layout then going back to modeler and it is reverting back to old settings. It can be goofy like that sometimes. Try adjusting the surfaces in layout and then going back over to modeler and saving there. There will be an * next to the object name if it has been changed since last saving so it can clue you in to whether modeler is seeing the changes made in layout.