Chicago-based digital mapping company Navteq said Wednesday it has acquired a California company that specializes in 3D urban modeling. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Navteq is a owned by Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia. PixelActive Inc., the 3D modeling firm, is based in Carlsbad, Calif. and has 16 employees.

Its founders, Steve Rotenberg and Michael Kelley, each spent more than a decade in computer graphics and video games before starting PixelActive. Navteq said Rotenberg and Kelley will stay with the company after the acquisition.

Navteq said the acquisition is part of its strategy to expand from 2D to 3D maps. PixelActive’s technology enables 3D modeling of roads, buildings and terrain.

The deal will “provide a foundation for the rapid creation of 3D content and keep Navteq on the forefront of the industry,” Cliff Fox, executive vice president of Navteq Maps, said in a statement.