  Stellar model atmospheres form the basis for any element abundance
determination and hence are crucial ingredients for studies of stellar,
galactic and cosmic evolution. With recent observational progress with the
advent of 8m-class telescopes and efficient spectrographs, the dominant source
of uncertainty today originates with the assumptions and approximations in the
analyses, emphasizing the great need for continuing efforts in improving the
realism of stellar atmosphere modelling. In the present contribution I will
describe recent progress in this regard by focussing on three complementary
types of model atmospheres: line-blanketed non-LTE models of hot stars, 3D
hydrodynamical models of cool stars and semi-empirical models for large-scale
stellar abundance analyses.
