[helicase]

If you wanted to be expert I would say solid molding in solid works, Pro-E, Inventor, and maybe even Autocad. I say this because i found it very easy to draw mechanical components in these programs compared to 3ds max because thats what they where designed for. Don't get me wrong its been done a lot in 3ds, but its easier i think to do in the engineering programs.

If you have to do it in 3ds, I recommend what ever method you feel most conformable with. Good luck!