So I've got Shake 4.1, now what?

Question

Firstly, with the new price for Shake 4.1, and likely many more users coming on board with that product (even though development has stopped for it), a NEW discussion forum for Shake would probably be in order at this time. I've noticed a distinct absence of a forum for Shake, with Apple suggesting outside forums instead. Maybe they could support the product (and promote it) by putting up a forum here.
I've been using Lightwave 8.5 and tinkering with the Mult-pass render outputs via LW Buffer Export. I seem to be able to output Raw RGB, diffuse shading, speclar shading passes OK with their alpha channels intact. I saved them out as TIFF 32's and used Quicktime on a Mac to assemble them into a *.mov file, which I realize Combustion and Shake don't require since they take care of assembling image sequences.
My question is: are there any Shake users out there using LW? If so, how do I assemble a script/node sequence to get me compositing my output? How do I combine these various passes (overlay, screen, multiply, ???). Anyone have a script they want to share as an illustration of what works for you?
I have seen a reference on the web about how Lightwave and Maya can use the various passes and overlay modes, but it is Greek to me since I don't have enough background knowledge to connect the dots.
Thanks for any help.

Answer 1

Hey Conrad,
If you head over to the Shake section of fxShare (formerly HighEnd2D), you will find the Shake listserv which is popular with many seasoned users. There is also a discussion board on that same site. I would also recommend the Creative Cow Shake forum for beginner questions.
As for comping your multi-pass renders, there's no real trick to it: Just add a FileIn for each of your passes and plug them into a MultiLayer node and pick the appropriate blend modes (Screen, Add, etc), much as you would do in AE or Motion. You can perform operations on each pass by inserting nodes between the FileIns and the MultiLayer. For example, you might want to blur an ambient occlusion pass by inserting a Gaussian Blur node, or do an erode on a specular pass to shrink down your highlights.
Good luck with your projects!