Abstract
This thesis concerns geometric surface registration, a vital part of automatic 3D model building. The work is centred on the iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm and a study is made of how the choice of closest point method affects the accuracy, stability and speed of the algorithm. A comparative study of n view point set alignment methods is also presented. It is shown how the ICP algorithm can be extended to use the n view point set alignment methods to register multiple surfaces. The value of robustness checks in improving registration is demonstrated, especially when registering multiple surfaces. Finally a post-processing self-calibration technique is presented for data acquired using the ModelMaker Reality Capture System, a laser sensor on a coordinate-measuring arm.