Patent ID: 8464170

Claim:
A method that combines 2D and 3D modeling for rendering shapes, the method comprising: providing a user interface for selecting parameters of a shape, wherein the user interface provides: one or more controls to select one or more corresponding 2D parameters for the shape; wherein the user interface comprises an ordering user-selectable control to control the ordering of shapes being rendered in a 3D space, wherein the ordering user-selectable control causes an ordering of a selected 3D shape to change a relative position ordering 3D shapes such that a selected 3D shape appears to be in front of at least one other 3D shape when the selected 3D shape is positioned in front of the at least one other 3D shape using the ordering user-selectable control and wherein the selected 3D shape appears to be in back of the at least one other 3D shape when the selected 3D shape is positioned in back of the at least one other 3D shape using the ordering user-selectable control; wherein the user interface comprises a grouping control for grouping 3D shapes and when grouped the 3D shapes appear to have a common vanishing point and when ungrouped the 3D shapes appear to have a separate vanishing point; applying 2D shape effects using a 2D rendering engine to the shape; applying 2D surface effects using the 2D rendering engine to the shape; creating a texture map from 2D text that includes applied 2D text effects and 2D surface effects; wherein the 2D text effects comprise at least one of: shadow, glow, and reflection; and wherein the 2D surface effects comprise at least one of fill, gradient fill, and image; obtaining a 2D geometry from the shape; generating a first ground plane for the 2D shape effects; generating and rendering the 2D text effects on a second ground plane when 3D effects are applied to the 2D text; generating a 3D model using the obtained 2D geometry; mapping the texture map onto the 3D model; and rendering the 3D model.