Therr is a very interesting free software for designing called MAYA. It is used for a lot of 3d animation. They have a free license called MAYA Personal LearningEdition that allows people to use the full software, but it puts a watermark (similar to the the logo on the bottom of your TV screen that all the networks do now), This prevents people from publishing without a license, but it is a great software. I use MasterCAM for programming mills and lathes, it is great for machining and allows you to do design work as well.

Hey, what version of MasterCam are you running? How does this MAYA stack up against solids as far as design goes? And what sort of mills are you programming for?

So many questions.

BTW, my name is Mike and I'm new to the board and hello and I'm a crack addict for MasterCam. So far, I've found it unbeatable as far as CAD/CAM systems go, but I'd like to find something a little more affordable for home use..