3D CAD choices...

[ahazi]

I would disagree (modern Linux shells are far, far more advanced and user-friendly than the basic interfaces available in the 80s and 90s), but I won't go into it because I'd rather not derail this thread. I'll just say that personally, I'm far more efficient and have a much easier time reasoning about what my computer is doing when I'm typing commands and writing one-line shell scripts to automate annoying tasks.

Sounds like my older son, he is a command line wiz on Linux, I used to be one on DOS years ago... I switched from Windows to Linux about 10 years ago and never looked back. I am doing everything on multiple computers in Ubuntu Linux with it's great and stable GUI environment. Highly recommended.

For 2D CAD I use QCAD which comes in a free version or a low cost commercial version. It is also available for Windows. I looked at FreeCAD but at the time it was not there yet.

Ariel

 

[Cheeseking]

I would recommend looking seriously into Fusion 360. There are a lot of help videos out there, and I find the program to be rather intuitive. Even though AutoDesk somewhat hobbled it, I think (don't know for sure) that it still has a lot of power baked into it, including CAM.
I am a member of the EAA so have been using SolidWorks the last two or three years. SW has a steep learning curve but also very powerful. A current "seat" for SW is about $5k if you purchased it, but it is still just a subscription.

I was quoted $3,995 for the std SW version. They will try to railroad you into paying the $1295 annual support contract saying its mandatory but trust me, just negotiate hard with the VAR guy will take your cash if you tell them look, if you insist on making me pay the support I’ll go to another VAR who won’t. Just be aware you’re stuck on your own as far as any bug fixes or version releases. I have a static seat of 2015 and never had a problem or need for their help in any way. Dumb luck possibly who knows but will go this route again for sure when the time comes.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Winegrower]

About 10 years ago I bought Solidworks, and I’m still using the same package. It’s incredibly powerful, but I only need a tiny fraction...with a lathe and a mill, anything I can make I can draw, but I can draw stuff I can’t make. At least not easily and naturally.

If you anticipate a long life of CAD and the varieties, like finite element analysis, electronics design/manufacturing, etc., it is the direction to go. I think you can pick up most CAD packages easier with that background.