We here at The Next Wave are firm believers in Open Source software- and while this isn’t exactly open source- Google SketchUP works with the Google API’s for Google Earth- and allows you to do some really cool things in a free software package.
We have Sketchup pro in the office and use it for 3d Visualization- and think that it’s the cats pajamas. When Google bought Sketchup a month or so ago we were really happy for the people at Sketchup who have worked so hard to make a great product.
So- all of you amateur home designers- you now have a way to design your new house- for free.
Enjoy!