Best Practices

[Cam's Bricks]

Hello,

I am working on a set of steam train driving wheels that I 3D print and I want to have LDraw parts to share. I know I can go the route of STL->Dat but the files are HUGE (10k+lines) and I would like to optimize a little better. 

So far my thought is to have a slice of the outer ring that is 1LDU thick but has the profile of the wheel then take and spin that 360 degrees. I can then create a center section of spokes and other features from there. The "problem" is that the largest size of steam driver I am looking to produce is 386 segments (123LDU diameter). Is that "too much" I see that there are other primitives that I can use to create some of the faces but I am worried that the resolution is not high enough for something so large. 

I have attached and example of this. 

I am really looking to make sure I am at least headed in the right direction and that I am not doing something needlessly over-complicated. 

I would think that the creation of a file would go something like this

• Create inner connection 
  
• Create rim(s) at sizes needed
  
• Create associated details
  
• Create the "final" wheel(s) which will have reference to the various pieces needed
  

Additionally, I have also developed a spreadsheet to calculate the ring positions and it would be easily adaptable to help fill out the circular primitives if that is helpful.