In the prior art, methods for scanning the surface of objects are known which can in principle be divided into two different classes. The first are passive methods such as stereo, shading or contour methods. With these passive methods, at least one camera scans the 3D contours of the object under examination. A further class of such 3D sensors for surface scanning operates according to an active method, for example with a laser scanner, the Moiré method, coherence radar method or transit time method. With active methods, coded light is radiated onto the object and the resulting pattern is evaluated. Passive methods are usually technically simpler to implement, whereas active methods, i.e. methods with active lighting, have a greater accuracy and are more robust with respect to incorrect interpretation. Both methods have their particular disadvantages, whereby on the one hand it can be difficult to position the sensors used around the object to be scanned and on the other hand the number and alignment of the cameras used and their calibration and synchronization also have to be taken into account.