3D is a technology that is penetrating more and more fields of business every day. CAD and other design aids are indispensable by now, but with the twenty year development of the open source 3D software, Blender, getting into 3D is no longer an investment.
However, Blender being free does not mean it is not powerful and versatile. In fact, its new render engine, Cycles, has been used in many Hollywood movies of late, instead of the industry standard Renderman (but Blender has a plug-in that lets you use Renderman withing Blender).
Please have a look at the three sides of 3D at Haaga-Helia: