1. A method of initializing predictive information that models a complex control object in a three dimensional (3D) sensory space, the method including: accessing observed information including a set of contour points corresponding to surface points at along an outline of a complex control object in a three dimensional (3D) sensory space; transforming the set of contour points to a normalized orientation of the control object, including: at training time t 0 , sensing an actual position of at least one complex control object in a first reference frame of the 3D sensory space; at initialization time t 1 , sensing, in the 3D sensory space, an apparent position of the complex control object different from the actual position, wherein the complex control object has not moved in the 3D sensory space between t 0 and t 1 ; calculating a second reference frame that accounts for apparent position of the complex control object; calculating a transformation that renders the actual position in the first reference frame and the apparent position in the second reference frame into a common reference frame; and transforming the actual and apparent positions of the complex control object into the common reference frame, wherein the common reference frame has a fixed point of reference and an initial orientation of axes, whereby the sensed apparent position is transformed to an actual position; searching a plurality of observed information archetypes that represent poses of the control object in the normalized orientation, the poses including arrangement of features of the complex control object and a perspective of observing the complex control object, and selecting an archetype; and initializing predictive information that models the complex control object from initialization parameters associated with the selected archetype.