I don't know if this is useful. I don't think I will investigate this particular design rabbit hole myself, though the graphics and ruddy amazing and no doubt expensive to buy. There is a 14 day free trial with Lumion which would melt my computer. 'Garden gaming' indeed. The vid is pretty detailed but perhaps gives a sense of what's possible. Mute if you don't want to hear the chat.
@Fire I don't use them, though I did have a one-way introduction to the two (SketchUp and Vectorworks) with a temporary free licence for students while I was on a planting design course. From the lectures and talks we had from professional garden designers while on that course, it seems that most / many professionals use them in combination (along with Photoshop). Many are proficient and it is often a requirement for getting work with the design companies, others have the basic skills and then an expert on their staff who works up the visuals. I found them both very difficult to use beyond a very basic level, I would need a proper training course and/or many many hours practice to get anywhere with them and I just don't need them enough for the investment.
Unreal Engine would be an interesting thing to explore. They have a lot, including extensive training resources, free. They also have huge texture libraries (not free!) though they will not be put together from a horticultural point of view, so are more likely to be (I'm guessing here) 'exotic flora small', 'palm tree', 'English meadow', 'Mexican groundcover' etc as it's a games engine. I don't think this is what the OP is looking for though!
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
We were introduced to Sketch up and Vectorworks at college too, like any software they take practice and patience to gain any proficiency. From memory you can import images into SketchUp to extend the range available in the basic package - plants and textures etc. I seem to remember that you could also source additional plants, structures etc which other users had created - some were free and some were bought add ons - Am sure we did this at college. I think there is a paid for version, which presumably has more content than the freebie one. Any structures such as the shed in your image above have probably been constructed within the programme.
The Big Dream screenshots look like Sketch Up to me or possibly an early version of Vectorworks. The Sarah Price link looks very much like Vectorworks. VW isn’t designed for casual/domestic use, it’s most common use is by architects but they wisely saw a market for landscape architects/garden designers and also theatre/lighting designers so have developed several add ons to tailor the core product accordingly.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Yes, VW was the main professional one I saw two years ago, but I think that SU were about to beef up their product making it cover more of the same territory. I haven't seen that version though. Everyone seemed to use them in combination rather than alone at that point, but favouring quite different balances between the products. And often threw Photoshop into the mix as well.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
I think I found what Monty was using, accidentally. He was promoting a Sierra Home 3D Landscape Professional with Monty Don disc around the time, it was on Amazon where I saw it now but no longer available, and I'd presume he was using it too. I found a slightly newer version of it online and will buy it if it can work on my newer Windows. Then we'll know for sure.
The learning curve would be quite steep, but if you want to DIY, there's a popular free 3d editing suite called 'Blender 3.0' and lots of free '3D Blender models' are available to download from many 3d library websites. There are also free converters for other popular 3d model formats, such as 3ds (in case you find a nice 3d model of a bush, but in the wrong format.)
I used to play around with this stuff a long time ago (back in Windows 95 days!) making 3d animations (sci-fi related) and it was fun, but took an inordinate amount of time. Modern PCs would render a single photo-realistic view in a flash.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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(Edited to add, I think this is the kind of thing they're managing to produce with a combination of the above: https://www.sarahpricelandscapes.com/private-private-garden-london
I don't think this is what the OP is looking for though!
The Big Dream screenshots look like Sketch Up to me or possibly an early version of Vectorworks. The Sarah Price link looks very much like Vectorworks. VW isn’t designed for casual/domestic use, it’s most common use is by architects but they wisely saw a market for landscape architects/garden designers and also theatre/lighting designers so have developed several add ons to tailor the core product accordingly.
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
I found a slightly newer version of it online and will buy it if it can work on my newer Windows. Then we'll know for sure.