When proxy is created from object, that object’s normals are somehow altered in a way that leads to much bigger file size after proxy creation. Detacching all polygons to a new object, solves the issue, but i think that such think shouldn’t be happening in a first place. Video demonstrates steps to reproduce the issue. Also it was discussed in this forum topic: https://forum.corona-renderer.com/Corona Proxy Exporter (continuous updates)#msg126380
P.S. bug reporting on mantis is broken, i always get server error message on submit.
I did the same test in your video with 3dsMax2017, and I confirm the different before/after file size when the starting geometry is an Editable Mesh. Instead, if the starting geometry is an Editable Poly, I get the same before/after file size.
I tested it with both manual proxy creation and script.
That is interesting, so maybe temporarily converting mesh to editable poly before proxy creation, could be acceptable workaround untill this bug will be fixed. Thanks for sharing your find!