You might be able to get a discounted licence, or a stripped-down copy of Solidworks if you are a member of the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association). There are strings attached, but the point is for creative people designing aircraft to get them hooked on SW. That software is well suited to a small aircraft design.
I've now used many CAD packages, though by far I have used AutoCAD most of all. Starting in school getting a pirated copy, then at summer jobs and then at my first permanent employer of 13 years. So I racked up well over 10,000 hours using it. I still use it a lot today because every engineering office I've worked or contacted has a copy, even if they don't primarily use it. I won't compare it to 3D CAD, but as a complimentary tool it is still valuable.
I also used Inventor extensively, got a lot of formal training to use it proficiently, and became very comfortable with most of its capabilities. I'd recommend it, if you can access it. It is only licensed by subscription and that's about as steep as you say it is Taylor. I don't know of any (legal) ways to avoid that. Same goes for Solidworks. Very capable, easy to learn. And also only by annual subscription, now.
My experience with Solidworks is limited and somewhat satisfactory. Coming from Inventor it was like learning Spanish after becoming fluent in French. Easier to pick up the basics because there's a lot of common ground, but then constantly stumble on all the subtle differences, and never really get the knack. Others I work with have crashed head-first into the limitations of Solidworks. Complex models with too many parts bog down and you can't bail out. I found Inventor would allow me options and controls at various phases of handling big assemblies so I wouldn't often be stuck with my computer churning for an hour. Users of Solidworks can't escape without killing the program with the task manager. Looking over my shoulder I don't see users as proficient with SW as I saw in the days when I was using Inventor, so the comparison may be unfair.
Very rough comparison of 3D CAD:
Solidworks max 10,000 parts in assembly
Inventor max 100,000 parts in assembly
CATIA & CREO > 100,000 parts in assembly
The price of these software rises in proportion!
Taylor, have you tried the simulation modules in CREO? I seem to recall you did in Inventor (a while ago). Any comparisons?
