Re: CAD/CAM to learn on??
Gaslight,
I have been a SolidWorks, AutoCAD, and SolidEdge user for many years. My suggestion would be to start with a full featured 2D CAD system first. Most 3D designs start out as extrusions of 2 dimensional constructs. Up until a couple of years ago, AutoCAD had the corner on high end 2D CAD. About a year or so ago, Dassault Systemes (the makers of SolidWorks and Catia) intruduced DraftSight, a free 2D CAD system designed to go head to head with the 2D functionality of AutoCAD. It is a very nice system, and there are versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Download it, study the free online tutorials and give it a shot. Good luck. Please feel free to PM me if you have any additional questions.
Best,
Brad