Ohhhh...I guess I can use the uneven geometry to create a bump map to apply to a flat plane....IF I remember how. Think I have a tutorial somewhere. In fact, I think I got it from here.

EDit. No, that's just silly. Then I'd have troublesome fake self-shadow that I don't want, instead of troublesome real self-shadow that I don't want. D'oh!

Edit. I think what I'll try first is rendering a pass with just my surface, then one with the surface and the shadow I want, then try a difference blend mode in AE. I've never used one before, but if it does what it sounds like it does, I should be in business

Edit. Hmmm...doesn't seem to work. I made a new comp and added first the geometry without the shadow, then the same scene but with the shadow. I added it using the difference blending mode and it looked like it worked, since I could only see the shadow, but when I added that comp to the main comp, I just got a big black hole in the shape of the surface geometry. I'll play around with other blending modes maybe. I already tried keying out the shadow, but it's too similar to the surface to get a good key. There's gotta be a way to do this in Maya.
Anyone?

EDit: I tried a Use background shader, but it still casts self-shadow for some reason. So far, only surface shaders do not, but I can't find a way to make them RECEIVE shadow

Edit: tried a lambert with the amient colour the same as the colour. That got rid of the self shadow, but, for some reason, it also eliminates the shadow cast onto the surface

This is driving me nuts. All I wanna do is have a shadow follow an uneven surface - as I know Maya can do - without that surface casting self-shadow - which I also know Maya can do - and render out JUST the shadow - which I ALSO know Maya can do. I don't see why it can't do all three at once. Where is that damn smilie with the guy hitting himself in the head with a mallet?