[noimportantone]

Microsoft Word

[tmakea]

Cabinetvision is good enough for me!

[BitHead]

It is like having a personal drill sergeant assisting me to exercise my brain.

[fhsplitt]

FreeCAD !
FreeCAD | Free Graphics software downloads at SourceForge.net

[johnohara]

BGriggs~

Nice site Bill. Interesting posts. Thanks for taking the time to create it.

Hope your son is learning to be a maker master as well.

~john

[CUTCNC]

I like solidworks, like most people. I think it is easy to learn, and the opration screen is sample, looks very nate

[bgriggs]

BGriggs~

Nice site Bill. Interesting posts. Thanks for taking the time to create it.

Hope your son is learning to be a maker master as well.

~john

Thanks John. I enjoy writing about CNC and making things.

Bill

[wither]

Solidworks.

They are a cranky company, and their profit model has simply left earth's orbit. On the other hand, it is pretty functional, easy, and if you get in a recent release year, you are likely good to go for a looooong time as long as you don't need to talk to future versions. I purchased it years ago, and it still performs 98% of what I need it to do (vendor part imports, original design work). You can get "caught up" to the present year for a small fee (a few hundred bucks plus maintenance) if you are sorely tempted to have the cool new startup icons on your screen....but I have no need for them.

SW ports to CAM very well (I use Cambam ($200) and HSMWorks express (free), and have had perhaps 2-3 cases in years where I needed to consider anything else to make excellent parts. 2D mill work is instantaneous. 3D mill work (Cambam) is really pretty seamless.

I also have an old seat of Mastercam. I have used it and Gibbs (much better, IMHO) for many years. When I have to. I just don't see the point of it any more, and their price lists read like an article from the Onion (humor newspaper), especially for meat and potatoes CAM work. Mastercam is a lot better at selling expensive software with its brand than making that software earn its price.

I do use some other packages when I do work for others. I'm most cost-effective when I use my old SW/HSM/Cambam combo, as much as I like trying new stuff.

[MetalZilla]

Not listed but I like Gibbscam

[sanikaclinton]

i always prefer catia...