Cityscape 3D animation without 3D objects
Using Adobe After Effects and geometry can help you create (and also fast-render) 3D worlds without a 3D software or pure 3D objects.
Buildings, trees and roads can be build and precisely placed on a plane. Basic forms like the cube can be distorted in an organized, mathematical way, calculating the segments and angles so you can precisely place roofs or lateral planes.
Using 2 lights and a Master Null where you anchor a Pan, a Tilt and a camera gives you total control over the movement in a simulated enivonment.
The advantages are the quickness, the modularity and the fast rendering of the final product.