3D
Sketchup
Inkscape Tutorial #1: Chrome Effect
The following tutorial will guide you step-by-step through the creation of a polished metallic chrome look. With minor adaptation, various looks should be possible. Throughout the text, explanations are offered on the technique to hopefully increase the versatility and applicability of the process.Manual, Chapter 10 Materials
The ambient component is the color of a material in a shadow. Normally you want it to be the same as the diffuse component. In fact this is so common that there is a button that will lock all ambient and diffuse values together so you don't have update them both to make changes. The number to the left is how much ambient component adds to the final color. The normal range for the ambient weight is from 0.0 to 1.0.
Blender
Drawing in 3D was never easy until Google acquired Sketchup and improved on the software - mainly to encourage people to model 3D buildings for Google Earth (a smart move, as it turned out; a large, free workforce having fun placing detailed architecture all over Google Earth). SketchUp is 3D for everyone . Google SketchUp is software that you can download and use to create, modify and share 3D models.
Free 3D Software
Free 3D Modeling and Animation Software 3D Crafter - for a fee it can be upgraded to one of two more powerful versions. The free version exports to POV-ray. Art of Illusion - a free, open source 3D modelling and rendering studio. It is written entirely in Java, and should be usable on any Java Virtual Machine which is compatible with JDK 1.1 or later.