What object attributes determine canonical views?

We investigated preferred or canonical views for familiar and three-dimensi onal nonsense objects using computer-graphics psychophysics. We assessed th e canonical views for objects by allowing participants to actively rotate r ealistically shaded three-dimensional models in realtime. Objects were view ed on a Silicon Graphics workstation and manipulated in virtual space with a three-degree-of-freedom input device. In the first experiment, participan ts adjusted each object to the viewpoint from which they would take a photo graph if they planned to use the object to illustrate a brochure. In the se cond experiment, participants mentally imaged each object on the basis of t he name and then adjusted the object to the viewpoint from which they imagi ned it. In both experiments, there was a large degree of consistency across participants in terms of the preferred view for a given object. Our result s provide new insights on the geometrical, experiential, and functional att ributes that determine canonical views under ecological conditions.