Today's question is one I have already looked into:

What codebase will you use? Will you biuild from scratch or use a tool? If so, which one? (http://www.devmaster.net/engines/ has a great list)

I admit that I am lazy, and while I have had some basic programming up to this point,  I would prefer to build off existing systems.  I also want to make sure I am using good practice when putting the game together, which is why I'm going to wait until school starts for this part.  Of the research I have completed so far, I feel that Blender will be a very useful tool.  While Unity 3d while showing great promise as a tool, it is rather expensive.  I'm sure that I will run into many other possibilities as I continue to research.