Best geospatial software for cool map graphics

I used to work in data mining and we used a tool made by SGI that created map graphics that show each state as a 3d bar where the height represented some value for that state (e.g. population).  I am pretty sure that this tool also let you display this over time (i.e. animate the map and have the heights of the bars changing over time).  Since then SGI has stopped making this software so i am wondering if any other company offers software like this.  

I would love to be able to make map graphics that showed a value as a height on a popout map (ideally i would be able to do this for state counties for any particular state in addition to the ability to do it for states).  I am not tied to doing it as 3d popout bars, I have done something like this before with ESRI software showing the value as a color (along a specified gradient).  It would be a big plus to be able to create animations that show change over time (and i have not been able to do this in ESRI ArcInfo).  I have found lists like http://www.csiss.org/GISPopSci/research/tools/spatial.php and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GIS_software that list the available GIS software out there but i don't know which ones are better and which ones can do what i have described above.

It would also be a bonus if the software was capable of being integrated into a Microsoft Sharepoint Portal (but being able to do the few things listed above are more important than this).

Thank you for your help.