Animations and timeline progress

I have spent two days looking into methods to convert my rig (built in 3DS Max) to a Maya document for animating. The only method I've found to do it which doesn't involve re-rigging the entire model is called Okino Software PolyTrans. The software allows one to easily convert a 3DS Max file to a variety of different formats.

The problem with it is that it costs a hefty sum of $395 (or £234), which for my purposes does not seem suitable.

Instead, I will have to animate the rig in 3DS Max, which has animation tools that are fairly similar to Maya. On a similar note, I am running at least a week behind my timeline, with little time left to complete the animations. Because of this, I am considering having slightly more emphasis on the character creation process (modelling, texturing and rigging) alongside the animations. I am still hopeful that everything I've learnt about animating characters will help me create some very attractive and expressive cycles, but I am also proud of the work I have done thus far with my character.