Namrfb ; Proxies are definitely one of the top optimizations to speed up and lower overall project file size. I previously asked what kind of detail you were working towards, and if you were building as realistically as possible - like the approach a carpenter may take to building a piece of furniture. If that's the case, you're adding a lot of micro detail that you won't necessarily see, but you'd definitely feel in a very short space of time. All that detailing and texturing is increasing your polygon count, and if that's the approach you're taking - you need to be working with proxies as Herbo mentioned.