I wish I had Illustrator.  I spent my yearly 3D budget on C8 Pro this year LOL.  When I run into a complex shape, I generally break it down into manageable components, and model each element separately.  But you are definitely right about precision.  It requires a lot of tweaks and fussing to get parts to fit in with each other properly.  I really need to learn the vertex room.  And I definitely need to learn proper UV Mapping...  I really stink at that as well.  I'm pretty much self taught since Ray Dream, so I am probably quite a bit behind the curve on some elements.