additionally…
whenever you're doing any export/import type stuff it's really best to start with the simplest things possible…
a grid
a single bone
etc

this will be fast and you'll get to know the proper workflow…

I can't believe it! I was as simple as finding an object in my MAX scene called “Scene” and changing the name of it to something else!! I feel a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Now I can get back to actually progressing on this project instead of hunting down solutions and workarounds. Thank you so much to everyone who offered up advice for this problem! I've already imported the file, looked through the camera, and everything is working just great! Thanks again.