How to ignore certain objects in a 3ds Max file

I am very new to Unity. On behalf of the team i am trying to figure out if it is possible to have Unity ignore certain objects in a .max file (or .fbx).

We are thinking that our workflow will require us to have template and reference objects in the max scene that are not required in the Unity project.

This could be planes with reference textures, high poly objects and similar things.

I understand that after the .max file is loaded in Unity i can delete chosen elements in the Unity.

Basically we want high control of what objects Unity gets access to. Other exporters can define a top node, where it and all children gets exported... that would be nice.

Well you could hide stuff before exporting if you dont want it in Unity at all, or use export selected.

You have to write a script using the asset post processor or pre processor. http://unity3d.com/support/documentation/ScriptReference/AssetPostprocessor.html

You can access many properties like names, user properties materials etc . It is recommended to build the import system before you start production, a small test build that emulates your final project and try to automate as much as you can. Like materials, collision, ignoring objects, Xrefs, create instances

Keep in mind though that you could work your way through max script for example having a master file and export individual components for unity,reset their transforms or any other task you want.
It is a matter of personal preference if you would like to assemble stuff in unity or your 3d program. If you are starting a small project i suggest just to keep two files.
like modelSource.max and modelExport.Max

edit: this was a question i made and it is a bit more helpful. http://answers.unity3d.com/questions/7377/how-to-start-coding-with-assetpostprocessor

So i came across this max script that can help a little on this problem:
http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/layer-manager-to-files-exporter

enjoy.