The only idea I have, is to put blender for modelling/mapping use, then to import the models into 3dsmax (someone's 3dsmax, to lower the costs...) for export. But that doesn't change the fact, that You have to use max the one way or another.Also, you can possibly try to communicate with Michael DarkAngel, who made the mdb->3dsmax importer (
http://www.thewitcher.com/forum/index.php?topic=19766.0) - and is possibly working on blender import tool (and is possibly the sole person in community who actually understands the binary format of our models

) - to consider this as an actual subject of chalenge (if he wills and is interested in doing such things ^^). But from our side, we can't do nothing, since it would mean to rewrite the plugins into different script, and we never planned to do so, nor can do it in near future. ( x _x).