A novel approach to complete 360° measurement and reconstruction of human trunk is presented. The method is fully automated and based on the principle of phase measuring profilometry with a projected grating. The complete 3-D shape of the trunk is built up by obtaining successive sectional profiles of the trunk as it is rotated through 360°. The system consists on a slide projector, a turntable, a CCD camera and a microcomputer with a frame grabber and is presently in use at the Hospital Geral de Santo Antonio, for spinal deformity analysis.