Definitely Draftsight is 2d software. It is almost like autocad. I have seen many industries using both Catia and Solidworks. Just learn any one thoroughly. And you can learn the other softwares later on.. Dont learn for resume sake..
It seems like most companies in the same field of industry use the same software. So if you are particulary interested in one field, learn the appropriate CAD software ( the one everyone seems to be using ). But you can start with SolidWorks or Catia ( or ProEngineer ), because once you know one of them, the others will be a lot easier to learn ( I have worked with all three programs and I cought on quickly ).
Ironically, Solidworks and Catia are both Dassault Systems. Solidworks was bought out when they were moving to Catia V5 and the two seemed very similar... As far as which is better to learn first, as someone above mentioned it is completely based on where you're looking to land a job. Solidworks is a rather inexpensive product so between them and a program like Autodesk Inventor they kind of have the small engineering firm markets filled up. Alot of the larger US companies us NX, Catia and a few ProE companies are out there. On the other hand (though this is from many years ago of knowledge) Catia is quite large in Europe and you almost have to know it to get a job there. I have actually used both Catia V4 for about 3 years and Solidworks in its various iterations from 2005-2011. Catia V4 has a lot of quirks and is not very intuitive. In my office we like to say SolidWorks is easy to learn, but hard to get proficient at. IF you're looking to pick up a Student Copy of a software I would shoot for SolidWorks and go through there nice easy tutorials and get a handle on it. The last time I saw Catia V5 it utilized a very similar interface (since they are owned by the same company) and you should be able to make the transition to a much more powerful package that you may not be able to get a home edition for. But that's just my two Cents.
If you are looking to make yourself more employable, go for SolidWorks. There are many more installed seats of SolidWorks than Catia, and a quick look at any engineering jobs website will show you how this is reflected in the job market. In my opinion, if you learn any of the feature-based modellers (ProE/Creo, SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, Siemens NX, Catia etc) you should be able to move to another without too much difficulty, but recruiters don't seem to see it that way.
I have used Unigraphics, Solidedge and Cadkey before moving to SolidWorks in 2007. I have found that SolidWorks is the easiest to learn and most user-friendly. As far as future proofing, I would check out what software the colleges and universities are using because that will create the majority of future users. Steve.
Hello I recently joined the forum, but I have to say. Question referred to two programs, but it's all 2D and 3D programs. I think most programs work the same. Learning to select - one that is lighter / faster your computer will run /; - cheap or testing - not giving money in advance, for € 3-4-5''000. Furthermore, if the student - Autodesk give freely all programs / for as long as you learn to / from other companies do not know - and most of all - that of which you have auxiliary literature - to have a lot to read. My advice is do not start with Autokad - will be lost. You can create a "bad habits." Start with a specialized program
I don't see any differences btw Catia and SW regarding learning curves. Both hve very good help and tutorials. Regarding AutoCad, it's too old fashioned to do anything good if your task is a tad complex. I am with anpgokul on this: Stay way off of it.
