Autodesk posts a nifty little video demonstrating some interoperability features in Excalibur or XBR as the kids call it. Excalibur or XBR is a restructuring of 3ds Max that is intended to occur over three phases (not releases) and addresses fundamental improvements in workflow, UI and performance. 3ds Max 2010 is part of Phase I and you can see elements of some of the changes in the release.
“Short glimps at how XBR Simulation could tap into the power of the Softimage ICE particle system with a single-step interoperability.”