If you're looking for a program to create 3D images then Cool 3D is a good place to start. It may seem a little daunting at first with all its buttons and windows, but it really is pretty straightforward.

The program allows the creation of 3D objects from your 2D drawings. Simply draw your object in freehand and it will be converted into a 3D object at the click of a button.

Alternatively, Cool 3D comes with hundreds of predefined objects so you don't have to create your own, and includes numerous special effects to enhance an object, ranging from fire to motion blur.

It has support for third-party plugins, giving you access to a huge range of special effects, and allows you to import images in the following formats: Adobe Illustrator (8.0), WMF, EMF and Microsoft DirectX.

The finished 3D images or animations can be output as still images, GIF animations, video (AVI or MOV), or as Macromedia Flash files.