This article shows detailed demonstration on how to create 3D vector globes in Illustrator. Two methods are shown in this article.

Moreover, vector halftones can be scaled to any size without showing pixelation. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a grayscale object and turn it into a vector halftone.

Still, for someone who doesn't draw, this is astonishing enough. For example, Illustrator generated a vector illustration, so you can ungroup the elements.