Alice is a free "3D interactive graphics programming environment" developed at Carnegie Mellon University. The Windows-based authoring tool includes a program from a professor at the University of Tokyo that allows the user to create 3D models. Alice is then used to paint the objects, which can be included in Web sites and viewed by anyone with the free browser plug-in. The tools are known for...

Are you interested in animation? If so, you might want to take a look at Blender 2.46. This open-source 3D rendering program contains a wide range of essential animation tools, including rendering, modeling, and shading. The program can be quite complicated but the good folks at Blender offer a wide range of tutorials on their site. This version is compatible with computers running Windows 98 and...

OpenToonz is full-featured 2D animation software capable of producing everything from short commercials to feature films. Toonz, the closed-source predecessor of OpenToonz, was used in the production of a number of films, including Balto, Spirited Away, and Mary and the Witch's Flower. Further examples of work produced with the software can be found by clicking "Cases of Introduction" in the menu...

Web authors in search of a high-quality tool for creating GIF animations should consider WebPainter by Totally Hip Software. Animated GIFs are viewable with most browsers, and are an easy way to spice up a Web site. WebPainter includes excellent bitmap drawing and animation tools, including an "onion skin" feature that allows users to draw a new animation frame while seeing a lightened version of...