A relatively simple program for creating 3D environments is
Bryce. It's been around for a while, and the render quality is very nice. It's also fairly easy to get some nice results without spending a lot of time learning the program.
If you feel like you need more power than Bryce, you can try Maya for free by downloading the Personal Learning Edition from Alias|Wavefront's
website. It'll take some time to learn the basics (the tutorials that come with it are very good), and there's a pretty nasty watermark in the interface, but with a bit of practice, you'll be able to create some really nice stuff. The stuff that was shown at one of the Macworlds -- the really neat plants and trees -- is Maya's Paint Effects.
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