Thank you very much for the link, but sadly my problem is with the 3D Studio Max scene files, and not so much the trueSpace files.
The trueSpace files are a pain to export (almost certainly breaking in some way), but they are fixable and usable. However, the .max files I have can only be opened in 3DS Max. Even the link you posted for me explains that the .max files must be opened in 3DS Max, then saved as something else.
Regardless, I greatly appreciate the suggestion, and if nothing else the link you posted did better explain things.