Do some 3D Terrain and Modelling solutions research

The goal of this gig is to identify the simplest free (or near-free) solution for players of a online game to import realistic 3D terrains of actual sites, and populate a site of their choosing with with proposed 3D models of buildings or other improvements. The optimal solution to be identified will be a free – or extremely low cost – online app or web platform that lets players convert DEM/LIDAR data into 3D terrains, as well as import Sketchup or similar free models of buildings – and produce realtime or rendered flyovers or zoom-throughs of the proposed site-specific project. Some examples of possible relevance include: - Google Earth-based flight simulator with 3D terrains - Actual 3D terrain imports into the 3D Unity Unreal Engine (eg [login to view URL] ) and/or [login to view URL] and/or [login to view URL](FREE) - eCognition [login to view URL] - SimCity 4 modeling of actual terrains - importing of 3D GoogleEarth->Sketchup terrain models such as [login to view URL], which (presumably) can then be converted into the .fbx format compatible with Banished's game engine. For this gig, I am looking to identify which of the above solutions – or other current solutions not mentioned in the examples above – to do the following: - Choose a location by address or latitude longitude coordinates (actual sites will typically range from 1 to 100 hectares in size) - View that site in a birdseye view with a realistic 3D terrain and vegetation (with options to view multiple perspectives, including ability to zoom in and out of a chosen site) - If needed, slightly alter the terrain topography (the main aim is to clear ground cover on the chosen site, and level or grade the chosen area so that it can then feature new buildings on the site) - Ability to import textured 3D Sketchup or .dxf models of buildings, showing how the site might appear in a relatively realistic way. The project should produce a comparative chart showing the advantages and drawbacks of six or more alternative approaches, and a one page summary recommendation of a best- and next-best solution.