I am looking for recomendations for cad and cam software. I am a sculptor and professor so I would qualify for and educational discounts. Currently I have a sherline mill I have converted to cnc via xylotex and mach3 and I have nearly finished building a cnc router. I intend to do a lot of work scanning objects via a touch probe I have set up for both the mill and router, and I am particullary interested in digitizing objects, combining them on the computer, and then outputing back to the mill or router. I do have a grant to pay for some of my indulcences with this, but the less I send on software, the more I will have to spend on delrin, wood, alumnum. . .
I have little a experince with 3d modeling software, and no experince with cam software, so the ability to be able to read books and easy to find support is important.
thanks in advance
-barry