[yamo18]

In my opinion, SolidWorks and Inventor are just about the same, but I would say that SolidWorks feels a little bit more like all of the other CAD software that I have used. So for the student I would think a transition from SolidWorks to various other tools would be abit easier than from Inventor. SolidWorks defenitally walks the user through steps a little but more than others, so I would assume it would be easier to let the students "run wild" with less confusion.

An advantage for Pro/E, is that it is IMO is one of the top 3 CAD/CAM software packages out there. It can do just about everything you could ever need and then some. Also, I believe Pro/E is more widely used than Inventor or SolidWorks, which could be good for students to put on a resume. Also, Pro/E can be more easily used for CAM which could be a fun thing to do with students. One disadvantage is that Pro/E is much larger and will take more time to learn, but once you do learn it, more can be accomplished with less effort.

Hope this helps a little.

Just my $.02

Bryan