Pulling Custom CCK Fields into Views Across Multiple Content Types

I need some help building a custom view for a new section of a portfolio site that will work as an index of Portfolio Projects. Currently I'm using the CCK, Image & Image Gallery, Node Reference URL, Views2, Views Attach, and other related or dependent modules.

As a sidebar, I also gave the SimpleViews module a try but could not get it to produce the page display I want. Perhaps this is still the way to go...maybe not?

Regardless, I'm having trouble getting a View built that will display the Portfolio Project content.

Inventory of needed pages
1) Portfolio Project Page
• Showing an index or listing of Portfolio Project nodes
• Each Project node has a title, thumbnail, description, testimonial, and link to project-specific Image Gallery

2) Project Photo Gallery Page (revamped Image Gallery view)
• Shows thumbnails of gallery photos in grid-view
• Hover over thumbnail shows photo title
• Click on thumbnail opens LightBox

3) LightBox "Page" or "Layer" or "Pane"
• Shows same project title at top of LightBox as to that of the Project node title
• Has standard close link/button
• Shows large version of previously clicked thumbnail photo
• Shows photo title under image
• Shows photo caption under photo title
• Provides default LightBox "prev/next" navigation

I've already created the project-specific content types (CT) needed to organize all project-specific content:

Custom Content Types
• client (the project patron)
• photographer
• photo
• portfolio photo gallery
• testimonial (client, vendor, etc.)
• portfolio project (collects combination of other CT's)

Perhaps I can combine some of these? One one is that I cannot tie testimonials to the client content type as testimonials could come from non-clients too. This means that testimonials might need to be created both inline with creating a new client as well as provide a drop-down list of clients to associate with a new testimonial created independently? Thoughts?

The Portfolio Project CT is the big piece of the puzzle for me (as mentioned at the beginning of this post). This CT is where I need the most help as I need to reference, in one way or another, most of my other CT's in order to out a Project node. I'm not sure how to create the Project Node and this is probably the root of my problem. Is it a view compiled from CT nodes? Is it a view compiled from other views? I may be over thinking this. For instance:

Portfolio Project Content Type has:
• Project Title (field_client_last_name of client CT) + pre-entered list of static text (e.g.: Residence, Office, Estate, etc.)
• Project Photo Gallery (select existing Image Gallery)
• Project Thumbnail Photo (image selected from previously selected Photo Gallery)
• Project Description
• Print out link (e.g.: an a href) to Project Photo Gallery
• Project Client Testimonial (from group_testimonial CT)

Perhaps the Portfolio Project CT should be a View and not a CT at all?

I already have 4 basic photo galleries built of which are nested under the "root" Image Gallery. So that part is done as well.

For some, probably obvious reason(s), I'm having trouble getting Views set up to display these content types has me mostly just spinning my wheels.

Thoughts?
_rs

PS: I need help with this so badly and since this is also short notice I'm also willing to throw in my WinVista testing computer to the 1st person to answer AND follow through with the help I need. My WinVista test box is an ASUS P22 Nova mini desktop computer. It's less than a year old and works great.

If you help me get this Portfolio Project section working, the ASUS IS YOURS!

You can call me at: 608-358-0515