i have a better recomendation if you find truespace too hard, with the direct x 9 sdk which you can download from mocrosoft (although it is very big) comes an application called meshview, this is for viewing models but also has optimization features.
there is a function called "convert to pmesh" which in the program makes the mesh alterable so you can set the number of faces or vertices to achive the best detail with the least faces.
try a google search for meshview to see if you can get it without downloading the whole sdk
http://www.larinar.tk
AMD athlon thoroughbred 2200, 512Mb ram, 40Gb HD, ati saphire radeon 9600 atlantis w/128mb ddr ram, good creative-labs soundcard, cd-rw + dvd drives.
