[johh doe]

Hi All,
Iam just starting out in the field of CAD/CAM. i am a self learner and havent joined any institute of any sort. i intend to learn this all on my own. i am pretty good with computer programming languages. i would like to know which CAD/CAM software is the best out there and which is also in demand the most. most people argue between SolidWorks/Solid CAM and Adobe AutoCAD. I dont want to learn 2 - 3 software programs for doing one job, i just need to know which one i should go for and stick to. the main purpose behind this is to be able to design automotive engine components.
any advise on learning material will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
John

[dertsap]

If your looking for the best then catia probably ranks around there , with machining I think it's a little over 100g

[johh doe]

thank you for helping me out with this. i looked up catia in a bunch of other forums and it turns out that catia is used for some real advanced mechanical work to be used to aeronotical and automative indutries. needless to say, the license for it costs a lot like you mentioned in ur reply. my intentions are to :
1) start a career in the CAD/CAM.
2) someday use what i have learn to design automatic parts for my own use ( maybe start a small shop or something)

I looked up a forum on the net : What is the best 3d CAD software? and found out that E-pro, Solid works and Unigraphics are some of the most popular industry preferenced software along with AutoCAD being there for all those years. keeping cost moderate , which one is the best out of them ?

[jeffery926]

This is what I use and is very user friendly. Try the full version free for 30 days and see if it will suit your needs before buying.

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[jeffery926]

KeyCreator Gallery of Models created in KeyCreator Direct CAD

[CNCdude]

"What is the BEST ________ software" is a pretty big question no doubt. When it comes to CAD Design the folks in this thread have given you some pretty powerful solutions already. Personally the thing I really liked about SolidWorks is the user groups and how connected they are to their customers. At least from what I've seen. That makes a difference when you are in the initial phase of learning the product. Also I like their Solid Professor training videos. Check out SpaceClaim as well. They also offer whitepapers on their website. When it comes to large assemblies, their "real Time" editing capabilities make the process go smoother and the product can really be a help for prepping the assembly components for CAM/CNC programming. That's where you get into CAM. When it comes CAM and associated cost...well, sky is the limit. Siemens NX 8.5 is unreal but I wouldn't drop that level of cash for 2D toolpath or even 3 axis machine toolpath when there are several other good products available that fit smaller budgets. Google: "cad-cam software" and you will see a dozen of them that you can get information from and even download free trial products. You can also get a lot of new whitepapers on CAD/CAM at Free Tech Papers. Good luck in the discovery process!