I like the Panda .x exporter for 3DStudio max. http://www.andytather.co.uk/Panda/directxmax.aspx But are there any .x exporters for maya that have the same features? The .x exporter that comes with the directx sdk doesn't have many of the settings I need. thanks for any help

In short, no. Maya is written in OpenGL, and you are exporting to a DirectX format, that's why there are alot of problems exporting to .x. Check out the sticky at the top of the threadlist for Maya .x exporting, but it will never be as good as 3ds.

check out the stickies in this forum
something like "Exporting .x in Maya"
http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=383794

if you can install it correctly, it works fine
it has a few limitations but nothing unbearable