Question from a total Newbie

[Yak52Driver]

So I've decided I'm going ahead with Solidworks but am not sure what I need to get. What I need for results is to be able to design and then test the design for movement/clearances/motion. Then finally to cut certain needed parts on my CNC plasma table. The plasma cutter uses Fusion 360 so I would need to output a compatible file. I appreciate any direction I can get.

[FloydHankers28]

To check movement and clearances, you'll need to make parts, then put those parts in an Assembly. In Assembly mode, you'll have the ability to check movement, Collision Detection and Physical Dynamics.
Also, always be on the look out for Erich Hartmann.

[vondeliusc]

Yak-
Most CNC units use a DXF (Drawing Exchange Format) which is a 2-D 'view' of the part. In SolidWorks, I place a modeled part into a drawing view, save (native slddrw), and then again as a DXF file which can be imported into your plasma software. This is what I do in my PlasmaCAM.
-Christian