So, like the title says, I'm looking for a good parametric CAD program for around or under $200 (obviously cheaper is better, with similar features, but the max I want to go is ~$200). I started working on some designs for a new project and, well, SketchUp just isn't cutting it. Yes, I know I'm not the greatest at SketchUp, but there are certain limitations that no amount of skill is going to overcome...like it being a non-parametric system.
I'm currently running a 14-day trial of Alibre Design Pro, and am seriously considering buying Expert (has motion and CAM export functionality) for the educational price of $200.
Now, I know that through JourneyEd, and probably other sites as well, I can get educational versions of SolidWorks and Inventor for ~$200 as well, but both of those have limited use periods. Inventor locks out after five years, and SolidWorks locks out after one! Alibre only gives me updates and support for one year, but never locks me out of the program itself.
So, any thoughts?
Incidentally, regardless of what I decide on, I've been quite impressed with Alibre so far. The base version is only $99 to anyone, so even without an educational discount it's feasible for the home experimenter, and while it doesn't have all of the features of Pro, it's great value for money and worlds better than SketchUp or any of the other free CAD programs I've tried (which, granted, isn't a whole lot).