Viewshed Analysis - Urban Design

Hi Everyone,

A bit of a long shot but I am curious if anyone has come across “viewshed analysis” software appropriate for urban areas.

I have used rather esoteric software “Globalmapper” back 15-20 years ago when doing regional master plans but to was suited really for large topographic areas [km x km] and particularly for finding optimum Mobile Tower locations.

Here is a link to an article on the subject

In the urban context what I am hoping for is a tool that will show me what I can see from any given location and a shaded overly on an urban landscape…

Some examples

1] where might an ugly building be seen from in an urban environment or
2] How visible is an iconic building or landmark or

This is Global Mappers terrain analysis feature list describing Viewsheds

PS… GIS software tend to use DEM files… has anyone created DEM files of urban areas using their Sketchup Models?