Techniques are provided for generation of synthetic 3-dimensional object image variations for training of recognition systems. An example system may include an image synthesizing circuit configured to synthesize a 3D image of the object (including color and depth image pairs) based on a 3D model. The system may also include a background scene generator circuit configured to generate a background for each of the rendered image variations. The system may further include an image pose adjustment circuit configured to adjust the orientation and translation of the object for each of the variations. The system may further include an illumination and visual effect adjustment circuit configured to adjust illumination of the object and the background for each of the variations, and to further adjust visual effects of the object and the background for each of the variations based on application of simulated camera parameters.