Here's a whole site full of Quicktime VR - an online magazine devoted to the topic.
There's lots of cool imagery of course, but also commentary on the industry, interviews, etc.
Link

Basic Google Sketchup model


A Sketchup model placed in Google Earth


Google Sketchup is a charming 3D environment with remarkable flexibility and power. There's a free version and a $495 version.

Now, there's also a new and interesting book about it. The book's in the "For Dummies" series, but as we know not all the Dummies books are as irritatingly condescending as their titling would indicate.


From the review:

SketchUp's special charm is that the program seems to know what you want to do next in your drawing. Using inference points and inference lines -- and drawing tools found in no other drawing program -- it guides you to create the structures and objects you want to design.
Here is where I found the most value in the book. Chapter 16 of the book is titled: Ten SketchUp Traps and Their Work-arounds. Bingo. A jackpot of usetul tips.

Another very useful part of the book is on YouTube. YouTube? Yes, the book comes with a bunch of well-made screencasts that are freely available for anyone to view. These screencasts, created by the author of the book, make most sense when viewed in conjunction with the book.

Review

Amazon link

Sketchup page