I just purchased a 3D printer for personal use, I am looking for a an application other than AutoCAD to use to create new shapes and tinker.  I heard many good things about Solidworks but I don't know anything about it as far as cost or ease of use.  

I hope someone out there can give me some guidance whether Solidworks is a good platform to use, or if I should consider a different application.  If so, which one would you recommend?