Blender3D is an awesome, insanely powerful, and completely free 3D design tool.  I’ve been playing with it for about two years now, and while it took me a while to get used to the interface, I’m getting very comfortable in it. I’ve already posted blog entries about designing cabinets and a walking hectopus, but I haven’t yet shared some of my grander creations, such as the bridge of a steampunk blimpship (lotsa brass, mahogany, and red upholstery).

Anyway, according to the Peach weblog, May 17 or 18 is the date of the release of Blender 2.46.