The last cad program I played with was Acad Mechanical Desktop 2.01, parametrics would be very cool for manufacturing. IT accidently put Solidworks on my laptop when I asked for the view app. Would be nice to play with it but I couldn't afford a seat on my own. My brain is stuck in AutoCad 2.6 mode.
Wes
-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller
So you're recommending Inventor, or not?
I wouldn't recommend it for hobby or casual use, at least not before checking out the less expensive, and free, alternatives.
I'm happy with Inventor, though I may be dragged into switching to Solidworks at some point. One longtime customer is threatening to switch (for no particularly good reason, IMO), and another new customer runs Solidworks. So far neither has given me an ultimatum, but that time may come.
Did you get to play with Solidworks at all? I used Mechanical Desktop for a couple years. It's usable, but a horrible kluge, and there's a world of difference in ease of use between it and the more mainstream packages. About the only thing I use straight acad for anymore is control schematics.
I'd take a look at Google Sketchup. I find it very handy for building things and checking fit, figuring out how long a piece should be to go with existing components, etc. It is both free and has some very good tutorials.
This weekend I saw a presentation by a guy doing very similar stuff with Blender. Blender seems to have more animation capability. Looked good, but I haven't tried it.
Steve
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