1st of all I would like to say im not a programmer, so i apologize if I posted this in the wrong forum.

I deal with large scale property development. I am looking to create a software which basically maps an entire city in 3d space. With it I want be able to navigate through districts, streets, etc...

My question is what kind of programming am i looking at and how does the 3d animation merge with it. I am wondering what the process would be like.

Also I was wondering if I could create this from an existing game engine as most game engines work in such envirnoments.

Thank you,
Dingobot

I program for a living and I wouldn't be touching this one by myself, I would get a team together.
If you are really set on doing this yourself you are looking at investing a huge amount of time - and not being a programmer you are also probably going to shed some tears along the way. However, there are alot of tools available for you. I believe Silverlight is getting ready to release a 3d display/generation engine - you might start there. Also .NET has a directX support called slimDX that should be comparably easy to use.

YOu also might stop in your local computer or book store and pick up one of those "Make your own 3d games" books that comes with a CD ROM with a simple engine on it or something. That might even have a good portion of the code done for you.

At that point your biggest headache is going to be creating your 3d maps/objects - you might consider just hiring an artist or CAD specialist for that.
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