I use AutoCAD 2004 myself and I have found that the program has substantial 3-D capabilities, in both solid modeling and surface modeling- the trick is knowing how to utilize it. I had been using the program for years just in the 2 dimensional aspect, I was not aware of its 3-D capacity. How I discovered the 3-D abilities of AutoCAD 2004 was through a book published by Autodesk Press "AutoCAD 2004,3-D Modeling-A Visual Aproach". I found this to be an excellent book, it was very informative and gave clear instructions on 3-D techniques.
This book was a very good guide and I would highly recommend it.