Here is my tools & workflow:
https://nudge.id.au/v5/img/Cardinia-Electronics-Workflow-202...
Professional CAD tools are not cheap, so I'm basically breaking even. I'm mainly doing it for the love it -- I love to create things to inspire others to also create.
Luckily I have a full time job to keep me going :)
I hate to say it, but maybe no one would really care if you would pirate it? It just doesn't seem right to spend so much money on such expensive software that is probably that expensive due to big business using it and no competition.
I used to pirate everything, but is it a solution? In the past perhaps, I wanted to use expensive software, I was experimenting, didn't have the means to buy a license, and there weren't many alternatives to mainstream software, either proprietary or free. But nowadays things has changed for the better, so I try to build my workflow around what I can afford.
On a tangent, in my opinion, the advent of crazy cloud subscriptions have stimulated the community to find alternatives and promote more sustainable software. GIMP or Blender wouldn't be what they are today if everyone kept easy pirating Photoshop or Maya for example.
To op, if SOLIDWORKS is draining your pockets look at these alternatives[1], it's not my field, I can't say anything about them.
[1] https://expertratings.net/solidworks-for-free-and-alternativ...
Well it could be a solution if you are just starting out. CAD is very complex stuff so it's not likely that there will be a good open source replacement to Revit for example any time soon.
I really don't want to pirate software in general but if the license is like $2500 / yearly it's such a ridicolous amount that there is no good options left.
Appreciate the links! Indeed, we're seeing OSS tooling getting better and better!