I've found that pretty much anything complex enough to warrant using Solidworks (or Inventor, CATIA, etc.) will produce an unusably large DWG file - which is the point of using the other software rather than AutoCAD. Rather than try to "compress" I would use design drawings of the object to build up a simplified DWG model from scratch, incorporating only those features which you require. Those feature that you don't require can be approximated with boxes, cylinders, and so on.
If you are going to fly by the seat of your pants, expect friction burns.
"I don't know" is the beginning of knowledge, not the end.
Do you *really* need all that detail? Are you actually building it and responsible for each component? Or is it just to look pretty? It all comes down to the level of detail: only model what you really need. If the inside doesn't matter, if you aren't bending that curved piece of sheet metal, then what does it matter if its not modelled properly or at all? 30 minutes is more than enough time to extrude a couple of boxes and cylinders which show an equipment envelope so you know where not to route pipe, tray, or structure.
If you are going to fly by the seat of your pants, expect friction burns.
"I don't know" is the beginning of knowledge, not the end.
