What is the best software for technical drawings and animations?

I want to get started on doing animations of oilfield tools in the computer. What is the best software available in the market: Blender, Solidworks, anything else? What´s the advantages of one over another?

What is the best software for technical drawings and animations?
Let's see...





Adobe illustrator..doesn't animate.





Autocad... very expensive and is actually designed for use to creating models with parameters industrial engineers can build from.





I get the feeling that you're not really trying to do something like that.





Instead, I'd recommend Flash.





With flash, you're working with vector imaging, which means that you'll have clean, crisp computer-generated lines that can scale/zoom cleanly to any resolution. You also have rulers, gradients, layers, animation...the whole package. You can export your animated creations in the default .swf file or a number of other formats such as .mov, .avi, HTML, etc and your still images in nearly every static 2d format available, for all operating systems.





That is, unless I am wrong and you really need a *3D* animator, so that you can show the tools from different angles in real time..like, to actually be able to *rotate* objects as they're moving.... "modeling". In that case, I might lean towards Auto CAD (it *is* an industry standard) except, just don't buy the latest/greatest/sexiest release, which goes for thousands of dollars; older versions with only a few less bells and whistles can go for a fraction of that...maybe a few hundred bucks.





Blender is an application with promise and capabilities...but nothing in the name of support; it is unfortunately one of a number of open-source apps which doesn't even feature a Help menu!





Don't know much about Solidworks.





And most of these and other applications have limited trials of one kind or another. I think Maya has a "learner's version" that has all the capabilities except it watermarks output....but I have to warn, Maya (fave app of Pixar) has a *stiff* learning curve; you have to actually (to a point) 'customize' it for yourself to use it optimally, arranging your tool set..





P.S. and it wouldn't hurt to have a dual monitor set up so your main image can be on one and your tools/pallets on another. Also, a graphic tablet (a used Wacom might be affordably priced) would be nice; you'll forget how you ever worked with a mouse before (or as my friend affectionately calls a computer mouse, "like trying to draw with a bar of soap").
Reply:Adobe Illustrator


Auto CAD


GNOMON http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/
Reply:Auto Cad is the industry standard, Pro E is another widley used program as well.