It definitely does not lose the 3-D effect. It's strip quilted, meaning you cut strips, sew strips and sew more strips. The "blocks" are sew as half-blocks, vertically, making a strip, then the strips are sewn together, matching the other half of the block.
The instruction booklet I used was "Not Your Grandmother's Tumbling Blocks."
Here's a link to some pictures of the one I just finished. Getting ready to do another as soon as I get a couple of other things off my table.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-35132-1.htm