Hi Micheal

Thanks for the detailed answer. Yes I appreciate that its just you which makes this software even more impressive :-) The 10k software was a revelation when it first came out which probably justified the price tag (it also put about 80% of tech illustrator out of business . . . ). It was also developed by a small team for the Mac first, but as it got older it never really progressed. It is in my opinion a one trick pony, if i want to add a part, or modify then I had to go back to the CAD user to get a new STP file. This is why I prefer working in MOI - If i need to show aircraft door in open state i simply place in its own group and rotate about hinge axis - easy. In the other software this could take me ages, for a start i could re arrange parts into separate groups so if the file wasn't properly organised I had a real selection headache ahead of me. Also even now MOI gives a cleaner output in many cases.

Enough of the past, MOI is where its at for me :-)

So to answer your question "Typically when you have a model like this with a mix of small and large pieces, are the small pieces usually separate objects and not just some small feature of one big solid object?"

If it is a small piece, say a wheel on aircraft then yes I can export just the wheel and it will be very accurate. My problem is when I export say the hydraulic system - its made up of small pieces but spread along the full extent of the aircraft.

Regarding the cleaner ellipse with 4 points - even standard 8 points would be good. One of the main points is to have points at the outer extent of the ellipse so you don't have to cut at this point when making thick and thin, the point is already there.

Thanks for your work on this, I fully understand that this is a niche area and your time is limited, any improvements are always very much appreciated.
BTW below is the kind of thing I do. My next project, another aircraft, I want to do using MOI only for the ai export. I willl let you know how it goes :-) Image created in Adobe Illustrator.

Matt