[Sundog]

Just some more info for you. The AutoDESK equivalent to SolidWorks is Inventor. They’re both “Solid Modeling” software, in the sense, as you noted, that they model the mass properties of what you’re making. Unlike 3D programs, which are just three dimensional representations of objects. Also, based on your original post, you should note that the auto dimensioning feature has limited usefulness, IMHO.

Just for ref, I have 15 years of experience in machine design and a couple of years in structural engineering. I just bring this up to note that, if you are going to be manufacturing parts the auto dimensioning feature dimensions the part based on how you created the part. For a simple part, like a rectangular plate or an extrusion, it is OK. But for a complex part, with various machined surfaces, you will have to dimension it by hand to get the proper datums annotated and place the appropriate tolerances, etc.

Having said that, for complex assemblies I really find SolidWorks to be quite intuitive and it’s really great for being able to quickly visualize what you are designing. It also can save you on looking for interference between parts. I don’t know that that will be a problem for you, but having spent years designing in AutoCAD, it is great to now be able to move parts and make sure they have the required clearances and won’t interfere with other parts/mechanisms. Oh, and the Auto BOM is a nice feature. As well as the hole charts for plates/frames.

Now, I haven’t used Inventor much, but some people prefer it to SolidWorks because of it’s better rendering engine. I don’t have the latest versions of either, so I’m not sure how they compare in that regard at this time.

I hope that clears up some of your questions. Also, if you decide to go with Solid Works, I highly recommend Solid Professor for your office. It is tutorial software for learning SolidWorks and what is great about it is if you forget how to use a certain feature, you can always call up the appropriate lesson and refresh your memory.

However, based on what you’re asking I think Sketch Up or 3DS Max is more what you’re looking for. I have 3DS Max as well, but that is for hobby purposes, not work. I’ve probably only used 5% of what that software is truly capable of doing.

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