I've got both Blender and the 2014 edition of 3DS Max installed, but neither of them are detecting my Skyrim Nifs. Can someone tell me how to make them both compatible?

Both programs require workarounds to be able to recognize Skyrim nifs. The nif file needs some minor preparation. Here's an explanation of the http://afkmods.iguanadons.net/index.php?/topic/3658-skyrim-skyrim-meshes-and-blender-importingexporting/.

I can't speak to 3DS at all but the import process should be the same.

Thanks. I'll check that link out. But if all fails then I've just checked and my version of Blender is 2.63. I believe the minimum version for use with Skyrim is 2.62?