Web Freebies

Virtual Building Blocks

Blender (www.blender.org)

Many computer graphics professionals use Autodesk's 3D modeling software Maya, which can run as high as $7,000. The open-source program Blender is free and has many comparable tools, such as character animation, digital sculpting, and particle simulation.

Reader tip: "You have listed Google's Sketchup as a free 3D-imaging program available, but folks may want to know that Blender is also a very versatile program available for free." -calico024

NetBeans (www.netbeans.com)

Sun Microsystems has made a habit of purchasing new and underdeveloped programs and releasing them to the open-source community. In 2000 the company released the source code to two programs: OpenOffice.org, an alternative to Microsoft Office, and NetBeans, a Java developer's "environment" for creating games, mobile tools, and many other types of applications.