Cotty, yes, that's what I attempted to do, but it didn't work, probably because, as TIG says, the outline wasn't co-planar, though I don't know why it wouldn't be. I traced over the graphic I imported, and I assumed the anchor points would all be on a single plane. So thank you, thank you for the file.
Next I'll need to see if I can reproduce what cotty achieved. I'm not clear on where to place the Follow Me circle in the next-to-last part of his illustration. I'll see if I can get the EEbyVectorToObject tool TIG refers to as well. As I said, I'm a total beginner at this, with a specific project in mind. Even the lingo around 3D tools is strange and difficult to follow, even though I suspect what I'm asking about and having trouble with must seem really simple to you folks. Still, it's a challenge when coming at this from zero. Thank you for your time and help.