What do you guys use for a program that can export .nif files? Ive been searching everywhere and all I can find are the big production ones that cost like 400 bucks a pop. anyone know of a free one?

Blender. You can use the older version (forget which one) that has a nif exporter plugin available. Or you can use the latest version (what I do) and use other work-arounds for getting meshes into nif files using nifskope. This is just for basic stuff, though, no rigging. Maybe someone else with more knowledge can help you out with that.

That would be 2.49b. But that one has exporter for Morrowind and Oblivion nifs only, workaround is still required.

Agreed with LP1. Blender is a good (and free) programme.

Here is a link to a tutorial about Blender and nif files:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/3790/?

There are links on the page also that direct to the correct Blender version and the support files necessary.