Shapescape is an easy to use Windows computer program that automates the process of designing and constructing polyhedral models.

Shapescape can also produce animated GIF files of rotating polyhedra... 

Thirty five polyhedra are supplied with the program (octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedron, etc) to start with. These polyhedra can be manipulated in various ways to produce more complicated shapes. Eighty six polyhedra are include for designing animated GIF files.

The selected polyhedron can be rotated and viewed from every side. Pictures and colors can be applied to each face of the polyhedron.

The polyhedron can then be flattened and printed out on one or more sheets of paper which can then be used as a template to cut cardboard to produce a model of the polyhedron.

Shapescape loads and stores model files in the Direct3D file format click here for description.  Direct3D