Will it Blend? A Look at Blender's New User Interface (Linux.com)
And as with every new Blender release, there are indeed new tools in 2.56a. For example, the Solidify tool allows you to select a thin, planar object and automatically extrude thickness into it. There is a new paintbrush system, which lets you modify any brush's size, strength, texture, and low-level behavior curves. Sculpt Mode, in which you modify objects by whittling or squishing them around, was also rewritten, making it easier to do multi-resolution sculpting (for example, sculpting at a rough resolution to define a character's body, but working with much finer detail on its face)."