1. A system ( 10 ) for generating an incrementally completed 3D security mark ( 20 ′″), comprising a computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program having: computer readable code for selecting a color transformation process at each stage in a workflow associated with the 3D security mark ( 20 ′″); computer readable code for selecting a scrambling technique for data to be placed into a carrier object ( 20 , 20 ′, 20 ″, 20 ′″) of the 3D security mark ( 20 ′″) at each stage in the workflow; computer readable code for selecting a manner in which a state change of the carrier object ( 20 , 20 ′, 20 ″, 20 ′″) at each stage in the workflow results in a predictable change in the 3D security mark ( 20 ′″); computer readable code for weighting writing schemes at each stage in the workflow; and wherein the system ( 10 ) further includes memory and a processor operatively coupled to the memory and to the computer-readable medium.