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adding extruded ventilation holes increases file size too much

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adding extruded ventilation holes increases file size too much
I have a simple instrument cover designed in Varicad - the basic 65 kb file is here:

https://www.avtechpulse.com/downloads/17INCH-COVER-TOP-V2B.dwb

I made another version, adding several hundred ventilation holes, by making an array of circles and then extruding them. (I couldn't find a simple 3D way of making this array using holes.) This makes the file size explode to 16 MB. Exporting it to STEP makes an 18 MB file, which causes trouble on most STEP viewers and my fabricator's software. Here's the big file:

https://www.avtechpulse.com/downloads/17INCH-PERF-V1.dwb

So... is it normal for VariCAD to explode in file size for such a simple array of holes? How can this be fixed, so that my machine shops can handle the STEP files?
Perforated sheet, pattern handling
The pattern handling used to be problematic for most CAD systems.
Typical problematic parts are the perforated sheets.
I used to model the edges of the patterns or the first two rows and columns, to see where will be the bending lines or the cutting edges (the bending lines should be on the holes, the cutting lines should be on the bridges).
If Your part is not a perforated sheet, just You would like to put lot of perforations onto it, then You have to draw all of these holes! Then You will have large modell file with lot of features. But You can compress it well with an archiver. Nowadays the 16MB isn't a huge amount of datas.
By the way, consider the amount of the perforations!
This could dramatically increase the sheet metal manufacturing price!
I suggest put perforations only there where You really need, e.g. above of the hot parts! This results sheet metal cover with perforation islands what is looks like much more "professional" than the whole surface perforation..
Even the part file will be smaller!

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