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I've used Pro/E for over 12 years and am a very advanced user, especially with advanced geometry. Of necessity, in a previous job they pushed me to become proficient in SW 2004. I hated it and am glad I don't use it anymore, and did NOT see anything but an initial and some yearly cost reduction because of the maintenance fee PTC charges. There are things SW simply will not do, especially with regards to controlling surface boundary conditions on complex (i.e. IM plastic) surfaces. Plus, it does not lend itself to top-down design as Pro/E does. I did not find the interface easier, quite the contrary in fact, but then again I HATE icon-based interfaces and actually hate the WF interface. Give me words, not some stupid cryptic, indecipherable icon designed by and for retards.
I DO agree having a copy of SW around is great for translating data. It's data import and repair is far superior to Pro/E, and if I have problems importig directly into Pro/E, I'll do it in SW first, then STEP it into Pro/E and it usually works great. Hnestly, that's the only use I have for SW.