Ok here is my question...

I need to buy a new license of SolidWorks; In evaluting my needs I don't really find that I need anything other then the basic SolidWorks software.

I do consulting for a lot companies who have the professional bundle and honestly I / they don't ever use the tools.  A few use toolbox but typically I just download fasteners from the web like www.fastenal.com as they have a much broader range of items then toolbox.

So the only real beneficial tool I can see that I would need / use in the pro bundle is the PV360.

So knowing there are some limitations in PV360, is it worth ponying up the extra benjamins to buy the SW Pro bundle just for PV360 or should I just buy the basic SW and take the \$1500 bucks and use it to buy another rendering tool like Modo?  I basically will need photo rendering and animation (which core SW has) capabillities for the models created in SW.

Also, if you have any other recommendations for rendering / animation tools I would love to hear them.

Thanks in advance for the feedback to everyone!