SketchUp - Make circle, copy and drag circle, rotate circle 90`, use follow me tool (that is if you don't end up making a donut).

MoI - draw sphere... finished


Yeah, which one is easier again? I have a hard time with the rotate tool in SketchUp, MoI wins this by a long shot! ... then again, G-SketchUp is FREE (license even allows for commercial use) and MoI is going to be in the $200+ range when v1.0 hits. *sigh* In that price range very few people are going to turn down something like SU (even if its harder to use). Seems MoI is a niche product. I was hoping for the viral approach like ArtRage. Just sell a lot of the product instead a few at a much higher price, but this is irrelevant.

I don't know how to post images on this forum, but I rendered a simple "primitive scene" in Kerkythea last night and it turned out wonderful. I exported the scene as a 3DS and was very happy to see the model "objects" show up in Kerkythea for material applying. Kerkythea allows you to add a physical sky and/or lights. Including other primitives :)

Another "renderer" is Pepakura: http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/
You can export the model then unfold it to make a paper model of your design or product. This really helps with rapid prototyping. The handy reduction of polygons when saving makes it a lot easier for Pepakura to process the model. There is a free version with everything enabled to learn on (no save), and I think the full version is $38.