1. A three-dimensional position and orientation tracking system comprising: a tracking marker bearing at least one pattern tag comprising a plurality of contrasting portions, at least one of the plurality of contrasting portions having a perimeter comprising a mathematically describable curved section, the tracking marker having a shape with a surface that extends in three dimensions, a tracker configured for obtaining image information about the at least one pattern tag; a database comprising geometric information describing a pattern on the at least one pattern tag; and a controller having a processor and memory, the controller in communication with the tracker and the database, the memory storing software that when executed by the processor is configured to receive and process the image information from the tracker; access the database to retrieve geometric information; and compare the image information with the geometric information to identify and obtain a three-dimensional orientation and a three-dimensional location of the at least one pattern tag.