Not stictly free but a learning edition of Houdini called aprentice lets you export OBJ files which as we know Blender can import no probs so in essence a good 3D modeller 
I will let you know how i get onā¦to check it out yourself go here
http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=589&Itemid=221
Yes, there is a solid modeler which is fully free and open source. Its for those who think that PRO/Engineer is too easy to use. Its called BRL-CAD and it used to be ported long time ago for UNIX/Linux only but it is done for WINDOWS nowā¦cool. This is greate news to me. Its rival Alibre is much nicer to use but it costs a lotā¦
BRL-CAD is for military purposesā¦yes you can make your own functional tank with it or maybe you could do an open source nuclear bomb with thatā¦
Please look at the pages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRL-CAD and be convinced that there is no need for PRO/Engineer or similar solid modelers for industrial design useā¦cool.
Only software which must be bought maybe Rhino and T-Splinesā¦I think so now.
Does anybody know a free surface modeler like Rhino? This is the only missing link nowā¦
I am running one man industrial design office which seeks freeware and open source tools in order to save thousands of eurosā¦so far I have been rather luckyā¦it is possible to save a lot with open source.
Hereās a poll of users opinionsā¦they seem to like it.
You are a braver man than I to be able to delve into BRL-CAD. IMO, youād be way better off to invest in a workflow-friendly app like SolidWorks and get the job done quick-n-painless (paybackās worth it.) And Alibre is far from its ārivalā or only competitor, for that matter. It just happens to be one of those out there offering a free, limited version of their software.
BRL-CAD isnāt only for āmilitary purposesā, it just started out as the US Militaryās CAD app. Use it for what you want. Last I tried it, there was little to recommend, UI-wise. Iād love to see it developed as blender is - and maybe get some UI- & ergonomics- & workflow-sensitive coders involved. (Oh, and btw, you might want to tone down the āuse it to make weaponsā commentsā¦ donāt want to give the wrong impressions, eh? :rolleyes:)
Take a peek at MoI. It may still have a free beta available, but when released it will only be $200. Itāll do a lot of your ID work at a very cost-effective rate. (Youāll still need supplemental software resources to produce drawings, renderings or animations if required, tho. This is a modeling-only app.)
When youāre ready to go mainstream, youāll likely be getting Alias Studio, the industry-standard ID app. Rhinoās very good, but still not the top contender. (A free PLE version of Studio is available for you to investigate its capabilities for yourself.)
I thot there already was a mesh-sculpt script in blender that does pretty well on multi-rez meshesā¦ or is this not what youāre talking about?
Please donāt take too seriously my comments of BR_CADās military useā¦I was only presenting some dark humour just to give you some reason to smileā¦I am sorry if you understood my otherwise, this was not a purpose. My humour is sometimes odd and weirdā¦please donāt take it this comment too seriously. I have been sometimes wondering what would happen if I could make my own nuclear bomb in my cellarā¦but fortunately this is not possible to do. 
I am sorry, I have my dark moments from time to time.
I think that technology is neutral, it just how you use it. Rubber boots can be used for military purposes also. They make possible for troops to move more effectively in woods and therefore they can indirectly work as a killing weapon. Not directly - but indirectly. If these troops had no rubber boots perhaps they could not reach their target as effectively. The main problem is manās willing to killā¦he will use all technology available to do that under hard conditions.
What comes to Studiotools I was once a master with it, but not anymore. I think Rhino with T-Splines is more effective tool. No - Rhino itself is not enough this this really cool T-Splines system enables to do compex surface better and quicker than with Studiotools. But if Studiotools had this same plug-in it could be the best surface modeler there is for my purposes.
Solidwork rocks but its expensive. Maybe this Alibre is the only way to go. Its nicer than PRO/Engineerā¦good enough for me.
Please love eachothersā¦just as Jesus told us to do. I know its hard sometimesā¦
ā¦no worries 
Coolā¦ didnāt know about this addon. I donāt have the opportunity/pleasure to work with surfaces much in my line of work. Good to know that Rhinoās taking it up a notch - they rock with pretty much everything else.
100% with you there, man! 
www.tsplines.com, a link to a new kind of surface modeling. I have found it usefull and I am planning to buy itā¦