Also just started to get into OpenSCAD.

Finally, as TinkerCad and even (GOOGLE'S) SketchUp have shown, be careful which star you hitch your wagon too. A company like SolidWorks or AutoDesk are deeply and primarily committed to CAD and will likely be around tomorrow, the others, maybe not so much.

Solidoodle, if you're working on something CAD related, I'm interested to work with you. I've taught Sketchup locally and am currently working on a book.

Fun fact, according to Photizo Group's research, most people using personal printers design with Sketchup by far.

For older kids (HS and University) I'll usually point to the "mainstream" CAD like SolidWorks/Inventor/Solid Edge.  These have the added advantage of being used in industry so you not only have a tool you can use, you have a skill that can help get a job. They also are available for students.  Its great you can get multi-thousand dollar software for free (Solid Edge, Inventor) or for a small fee (I think SW is about $100)  CREO/NX/CATIA are VERY powerful but likely overkill for a consumer level 3D Printer. Of course, if you are going to get a job at NASA making Mars rovers or designing airplanes or cars, NX and CATIA would get good choices.

The other free or low cost products from Autodesk or Sketchup make the most sense for makers/hobbyist that don't need or want to pay for something more high end.

Rhino is good with a strong community but it is more industrial design and kind of in a class by itself. You will often see it paired up with some of the products above.

BUT, I think if you want to spend (waste?) time talking about what is the best CAD sw, you need to get a little more specific, particularly about the money. I have little doubt that Solid Works  is a fine system but it seems expensive, especially when there are some pretty nice free systems available. Also, you have to decide... best, for what? Architecture? Sheet metal? Animation? 2D sketches? 3D? Solid/parametric?

SketchUP is a big local favorite but everyone sees its shortcomings when it comes time to print that drawing. Among 3D solids programs there are also free offerings that shine for one type of industry/application or other, such as Creo DME, Rhine, etc.

It also depends on what a fellow's own personal requirements are. I, for example, spent 20 years writing code and now that I am getting older (and retired) I don't want to work so hard to learn a new development environment. So, to me, a butt-simple program like AutoDesk's 123D just really appeals.

I hope that was clear as mud and really, really just contributed significantly to this conversation.

IronMan wrote:

Solidoodle brokers a web-based SolidWorks licensing scheme with Dassault Systems.  Normal single-use licenses cost around $4-5,000 per year for a typical company.  If you break that cost down into a per hour basis, you get $5,000 / 241 (working days) / 8 hrs per day = roughly $2.60 per hour.  Members could buy blocks of time, with time packages increasing in value as the package hours go up i.e.  10 hrs for $26.00 / 20 hrs for $45.00 / 50 hrs for $100.00.

The compelling things about this are:
- The tens of thousands(?) of folks that would love to get on SW but cannot afford it means there is a huge unserved market for Dassault
- It is a niche that they will never penetrate on their own.
- They stand to do nothing but make more profit.
- Solidoodle adds a $0.20 / hr take for providing the server, etc.

Everybody makes money...and a lot more folks use an awesome CAD tool.

BTW...I am not suggesting that Solidoodle needs to pre-purchase any licenses...Dassault would need to give SD virtual unlimited licenses at no cost.  The actual licenses do not have a true "cost" to bear.  The profit would simply flow in.

IronMan, maybe you need to come work where I work :-)

If you check out Local Motors who does open source automotive design (https://forge.localmotors.com/design1/) , you can get a basic version of Solid Edge for $20 a month.  Siemens PLM and Local Motors also offer higher ends of Solid Edge by subscription. Its not hourly like you said but you can just pay for a month at a time.

Mark

P.S. I work for Siemens PLM... I'm not trying to market here, just pointing out there is a basis for what IronMan wrote.

Mark,
Awesome!  SolidWorks (Dassault) has some catching up to do!!  I tried Solid Edge some time back and it is VERY GOOD...I might enact this trial and give it another spin; just in case my opportunity to use SW ever ceases...

Solidoodle brokers a web-based SolidWorks licensing scheme with Dassault Systems.  Normal single-use licenses cost around $4-5,000 per year for a typical company.  If you break that cost down into a per hour basis, you get $5,000 / 241 (working days) / 8 hrs per day = roughly $2.60 per hour.  Members could buy blocks of time, with time packages increasing in value as the package hours go up i.e.  10 hrs for $26.00 / 20 hrs for $45.00 / 50 hrs for $100.00.

The compelling things about this are:
- The tens of thousands(?) of folks that would love to get on SW but cannot afford it means there is a huge unserved market for Dassault
- It is a niche that they will never penetrate on their own.
- They stand to do nothing but make more profit.
- Solidoodle adds a $0.20 / hr take for providing the server, etc.

Everybody makes money...and a lot more folks use an awesome CAD tool.

BTW...I am not suggesting that Solidoodle needs to pre-purchase any licenses...Dassault would need to give SD virtual unlimited licenses at no cost.  The actual licenses do not have a true "cost" to bear.  The profit would simply flow in.

IronMan, maybe you need to come work where I work :-)

If you check out Local Motors who does open source automotive design (https://forge.localmotors.com/design1/) , you can get a basic version of Solid Edge for $20 a month.  Siemens PLM and Local Motors also offer higher ends of Solid Edge by subscription. Its not hourly like you said but you can just pay for a month at a time.

Mark

P.S. I work for Siemens PLM... I'm not trying to market here, just pointing out there is a basis for what IronMan wrote.

But its a bit like asking what vehicle is easiest to use and then asking cyclists, astronauts, race car drivers, metro riders to face off :-)

I pretty much focus on the latter...Boring!

For example, I had to learn solidworks in classes and found it to be terrible software. Much buggier than Autodesk's offerings, less capable, and more processor intensive. But clearly ironman likes it. 

Some people love openscad...Some people love tinkercad.

Personally I see a lot of potential in 123Make and MeshMixer. But I use inventor professional for now while I have a student license.

Solidoodle brokers a web-based SolidWorks licensing scheme with Dassault Systems.  Normal single-use licenses cost around $4-5,000 per year for a typical company.  If you break that cost down into a per hour basis, you get $5,000 / 241 (working days) / 8 hrs per day = roughly $2.60 per hour.  Members could buy blocks of time, with time packages increasing in value as the package hours go up i.e.  10 hrs for $26.00 / 20 hrs for $45.00 / 50 hrs for $100.00.

The compelling things about this are:
- The tens of thousands(?) of folks that would love to get on SW but cannot afford it means there is a huge unserved market for Dassault
- It is a niche that they will never penetrate on their own.
- They stand to do nothing but make more profit.
- Solidoodle adds a $0.20 / hr take for providing the server, etc.

Everybody makes money...and a lot more folks use an awesome CAD tool.

BTW...I am not suggesting that Solidoodle needs to pre-purchase any licenses...Dassault would need to give SD virtual unlimited licenses at no cost.  The actual licenses do not have a true "cost" to bear.  The profit would simply flow in.