Creating SVG Shapes
Except for After Effects, no other host application can supply a mask directly to a plug-in like 3D Stroke. Instead, 3D Stroke relies on shapes created in the public SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic) format. This format is supported by a number of tools, including Adobe Illustrator and the Open Source application called Inkscape.
SVG Quick Start
We will use the commercial application Adobe Illustrator to create a simple shape for use in Final Cut Pro.

First start by creating a new document. It can be any standard size because only the shape in the file will be used by 3D Stroke. |
Create a shape in the canvas window. In this example, we created a simple star using the Star tool. |
Save the file to a personal directory or into the Trapcode/SVG directory found in the plug-ins folder of the host. It is important to choose SVG from the Format pop-up menu. Use the default save options for this format. |
With 3D stroke applied in your project, click the Open File... button to load the newly created file. |
Browse to the directory and open the SVG file. The result will be shown in the preview window of the host application. |