sdantonio to help answer you question to ger21.....you will need a 3d modeling program if you want to do 3 dimensional work. I of course recommend Rhino and I would suggest you get it before 4 comes out so you can upgrade at what I think will be a better price than if you wait to buy v4 when it is finished.
Beside the 3d modeling program you will need a cam program which is what Rhinocam and Madcam both are.
Mach3 is a controller program that sends step and direction signals to you boards so you can move your machine.
Now let me address the Rhinocam vs Madcam issue. Yes they are both plug-in's for Rhino. I have tried a whole list of cam programs from Meshcam to VisualMill 5, with several more in between those. Meshcam is the only program that I have tried that is as easy to use as Madcam. Joakim's list of helps for Madcam is not complete and the software is a lot more powerful than it may first appear.
I manufacture a line of competition rifle stocks and pistol grips, and with only a little help from Joakim I was producing useable g-code in minutes. I never got the opportunity to do that with most of the other programs other than Meshcam because the ability to save the gcode was inhibited. I simply ask for a timed key to try to learn Madcam and it was sent. I also have not run one single part using that key. My purpose was not to get free gcode but to have the ability to complely learn the process......which I am still doing. I hope to use it to run a piece or two before my timed key runs out but that is only to verify the end result, which is the carved piece.
Last....I wasn't ragging on you about the post being here. I just did it to blantantly bring attention to Madcam.
I am totally sold on the software for my needs.
Mike