In my experience, ANSYS is excellent for simulation purposes, especially for finite element analysis. It’s widely used in various industries, from aviation to automotive.
CATIA is highly recommended for complex design projects. It's very user-friendly and provides great integration with other software like SolidWorks.
I'm a big fan of SolidWorks, especially for beginners. It’s quite intuitive and perfect for both design and simulations.
Don't forget about Autodesk Inventor. It's a versatile tool that can handle both 3D design and detailed simulations. It also has great customer support.