[jhouser]

I'll admit my opinion is biased since I've been an administrator for PTC products for a number of years as well as a designer using PTC products for even longer.

On that note, my advice to all FIRST teams is to take advantage of PTC products being offered. PTC products are all high-end, professional tools and are free to students in FIRST. A huge benefit to students is the training supplied with these tools. The Pro/E exercises for the FIRST tech challenge teach you pretty much everything you need to design and analyze your robot. Mathcad is a fantastic tool.

So, I won't get into what CAD tool is the best, because I believe they are all good depending on what you need them for. What I would advise is that you take advantage of everything PTC is offering through FIRST. This stuff will help make you more employable as well aid in designing a first rate robot.

Good luck to you!