First I should say that I don't use 3DS Max so I can't be 100% sure of my suggestions.
About the first question, I think what's called Material in 3Ds Max and what's called Material in TV3D (or any Direct X based engine) is not the same thing. Material in TV3D is parameters of the model regarding lights (how should the model react to lightning, I suggest you look at this article explaining Materials in TV3D
http://wiki.truevision3d.com/tutorialsarticlesandexamples/introduction_to_materials_in_tv3d)
For the second question, I can't help you since like I said, I don't use 3DS Max.
Peace.