1. A method of depicting on a display a three-dimensional (3D) map of a geographic region, the method executed by a computer processor executing instructions stored on a memory device, the method comprising: obtaining, using the processor, a viewpoint for a 3D map of the geographic region; identifying, using the processor, a foreground object in the 3D map based on the viewpoint; identifying, using the processor, one or more background objects in the 3D map based on the viewpoint, each of the one or more background objects at least partially obscured by the foreground object or another background object; applying, using the processor and using a set of rules, a first rendering style to the foreground object and a second rendering style to the one or more background objects, wherein the set of rules includes, for each of the foreground object and the background objects, one or more configurable foreground element properties specifying a rendering style of the object if the object is the foreground object and one or more configurable background element properties specifying the rendering style of the object if the object is one of the background objects, wherein the one or more foreground element properties and the one or more background element properties each include a first transparency parameter specifying a level of transparency for viewing an element internal to the object and a second transparency parameter specifying a level of transparency for viewing an element external to the object; and displaying, using the processor, the viewpoint for the 3D map including the foreground object rendered in the first rendering style and the one or more background objects rendered in the second rendering style.