1. A method of performing mask topography effect modeling on a mask design layout, the method comprising: generating scaling parameters for edge coupling effects, each scaling parameter having an associated combination of feature width and space, wherein a sum of feature width and space associated with at least one scaling parameter is less than a minimum pitch; and using a computing device, applying a thick mask model comprising a plurality of edge-based kernels to the mask design layout to create a mask 3D residual, comprising updating the plurality of edge-based kernels with the scaling parameters.