Are there free/cheap plugins to make Lightning similar to thinking particles?

*I have Blender, The* Student versions of Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, and I also have Cinema 4d. I'm looking for some plugins that can get impressive results when it comes to making lightning strike something.
*I'm currently a college student and I hate the fact that the potential of cg animation is restricted by such a paywall. In 2d animation I can just draw lightning. In 3d, you either have to rent a $5000 plugin, or get a student version of that plugin that plasters a logo onto* your
renders.

Is there any kind of free (or significantly cheaper) alternative for the
animation programs I've listed? I would expect there to be 'something'
for blender since it's open source.

try out this.

.http://funkboxing.com/wordpress/?p=301

it's free and great for lightening.*