Hi.
I'm working like 3D CAD designer for 10 years specially with I-Deas and Catia V5. I worked in many important automotive companies, like Ford at Cologne and Genk (Belgium), Nissan at Madrid (No a day closed) and Cranfield and many other automotive supliers and industrial companys. In fact I'm november I'm going to start working like freelance at Ford in Cologne.
First, the choice of the CAD system that one company need depends of the work they want to do with this tool. I mean, if you are looking for complex styling surfaces, you should think in programs like Alias, Icem Surf or Rhinos. If you are looking for big mechanical assembles, advanced surfaces, drafting tools, even with calculation options, you are looking for I-deas, Catia V5, Pro-Engineering or Unigraphics.
Then in a lower step are progams designed for small meachanical assembies (Like an RC car). Solid Works, Solid Edge, Autodesk Inventor...
And finally small companies that principally are looking only for 2D normally use Autocad.
I should say that there is not an specific CAD tool for every diferent industrial sector. For example, in the aeronautilcal sector you can find companies like Airbus that use Catia V5, but you can also find companies using Pro-Engineering or even Unigraphics (For me the worst CAD progam ever made). In the automotive world every group use a diferent progam. Nissan and Ford works with I-deas/C3P (Now Ford is changing to Catia V5), General Motors use Unigraphics (I think that Fiat uses it too) and the rest of the European groups, Mercedes-Benz, PSA, Renault, BMW and so on use Catia V5 (With their own working enviroments).
Then, other sectors like small tooling companies or arquitectural studies use normally Autocad. Another small industrial companies use Solid Works and similar products.
In my opinion according to my sperience, the most complete CAD system is I-Deas but this program have a very close death line. Unigraphic Solutions bought some years ago SDRC (The company who development the I-Deas) and is going to eliminate this system to avoid competence to their Unigraphis, in the future named NX.
Forgive my English, is no so good. I hope this help you.
Regards.
