Resumen del autor, extraído del trabajo. 2.5 D basin modeling, pseudo 3D modeling or Map View modeling is today used extensively in the oil industry for prospect evaluation and appraisal. Most of these tools are strictly determininstic, while the uncertainties in many of the input parameters require stochastic modeling techniques. These pseudo 3D models are frequently linked with simplified fluid flow simulators based on ray tracing or percolation. The use of 3D basin simulators as an exploration tool has been limited by the trade off between computing times and geologically realistic grid sizes. The paper outlines some of the ways around this and our experience in this field. With increasing use of 3D seismic in an exploration phase it is important to develop 3D basin modeling tools that can utilize these data in a cost effective way.