Originally Posted by
DiverBob
As a hobbiest, funding can be tight so I understand the urge to get the best bang for the buck. The route I took might not be right for you but take a look at BobCad. I'm using version 24 now which can do more tha I'm capable of machining right now! The caveat that I always say is if you go this route buy the training video series. It consists of around 150 videos that show how each menu item works. It's a great way to learn the software and comes in real handy when you want to do something new.
The software can be purchased pretty reasonably, the salesmen aren't as bad in pestering you as they used to be. I had a version of the software years ago, could not make heads or tails of how to use it and ended up getting something else. I got a chance to purchase another copy (ver 20) with the training videos and that made a world of difference! The software is fairly simple to use once you watch the videos and I use it for all my CAD CAM work now.
Just my 2 cents...