Thanks for the info Don.
My guess is that SprutCAM with quasi 4/5 axis and lathe support is at least the equal of the $9k version of MasterCam so far as feature sets go. Maybe better if MC is 3-axis only with no lathe support. MC is probably years ahead so far as training goes.
SolidWorks seems to be the standard parametric CAD package and I'd like to use it if my hobby budget could afford the initial outlay not to mention the annual maintenance fees. Alibre has some of the same types of add-ons (FEA photo-rendering, simulation, and parts libraries, but they all seems to be a little behind state of the art. They pricing is starting to become a little less competitive, though still 1/2 or less the cost of SW. Alibre does link to SprutCAM but SC won't see automatically changes in the model, which would be a really nice feature to have.
I remember mechanical pencils and still have my dad's old drafting table and drafting tools. I started with Digital Research GEM in the late 70's, moved up to Micrographx Designer, and then to Visio. None of those is very good for CAD but I just couldn't get proficient with 2D CAD programs of the time like DesignCAD or Autosketch. Things just seemed to click for me with Alibre and that's where I've stayed for the last 8 years.
Mike  |