bet you haven't heard that before....    

I keep getting asked if I have solid works for a design tool so I'm investigating what it takes.  First impression, it seems expensive.

My needs:

• design thing prototypes as big as 1 foot (usually 2-6") like electronic enclosures, little brackets to support PCBs, etc.
• the output mainly needs to be .stl files or other formats for 3D printing and/or Laser cutting.
• I do this 2-4 times a year.
• I am an individual "advanced" hobbyist and I integrate inexpensive home automation components with open source software.

In the list of options I did not see any descriptions of solid works software optimized for 3D printing and appropriately priced for someone like me

Thanks for any advice,

Chris.