Inkscape is a fantastic tool, but you will have to spend some time going through some tutorials. Its interface is very efficient once you get used to it. This is how a lot of open source applications are because the developers have the freedom to really design according to needs and functionality, instead of trying to copy what everyone else is doing. It seems weird at first, but after learning it you'll find yourself wishing "mainstream" applications worked the same way. Blender3D is a perfect example of this.
Don't give up on it, and don't think because it's free that it's somehow a lesser application than what you could buy.
Try Inkscape, Blender3D, GIMP, Audacity, and lots of other high-end open source tools.
(I sound like a commercial.

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