I have 3ds max, and I noticed that max will only open 3ds files...I found that odd (shouldn''t max support more than one format?) Is there anyway to add additional file formats to its compatibility list? Like in goldwave, if the format wasn''t supported you would just download the corresponding ddl and poof! it worked.

Max opens the standard max file. With import/export you can open or save to different file formats.

When you have the 3dsmax sdk you can write your own plugins such as exporters.