Method for creating a spatial model of a target object with a hand-held distance measuring device, the device comprising a laser distance meter, a camera, a computing unit and a data storage device, the method comprising - measuring with the laser distance meter one or more distances (50, 51, 52) to a planar surface of the target object, - storing the one or more measured distances (50, 51, 52) in the data storage device, - capturing with the camera a plurality of images (60, 61, 62) of the surface of the target object from different positions, wherein each of the measured distances (50, 51, 52) is associated with one of the captured images (60, 61, 62), - determining with the computing unit relative camera poses (70, 71, 72) for the plurality of images (60, 61, 62), and - calculating with the computing unit based on the plurality of images (60, 61, 62) and on the determined relative camera poses (70, 71, 72) a three-dimensional geometry of the target object, characterized in that after the three-dimensional geometry has been calculated, the method further comprises - retrieving at least one of the measured distances (50, 51, 52) from the data storage device, and - adding the scale to the three-dimensional geometry to obtain the spatial model of the target object, wherein the scale is calculated based on the at least one retrieved distance, wherein calculating the scale comprises - identifying a measurement point (10, 11, 12) to which a distance (50, 51, 52) is measured by the laser distance meter in one or more images (60, 61, 62) that are not associated with the respective distance (50, 51, 52), and - determining three-dimensional coordinates of the measurement point (10, 11, 12) by means of forward intersection, wherein, for calculating the scale, - a point of the three-dimensional geometry is identified that has the smallest orthogonal distance to the laser distance measurement emission direction, particularly wherein a laser spot (10, 11, 12) generated by the laser distance meter in the course of the at least one distance measurement is identified in an image (60, 61, 62); and/or - the laser distance measurement emission direction is intersected with a plane described by at least three points of the three-dimensional geometry, or with an object surface model, particularly obtained by meshing of a sparse or dense point cloud; and/or - a dense matching algorithm, particularly a Semi-Global Matching algorithm, is used to obtain a pixel location of a laser distance measurement in at least one image (60, 61, 62) not associated with the same laser distance measurement. - measuring with the laser distance meter one or more distances (50, 51, 52) to a planar surface of the target object, - storing the one or more measured distances (50, 51, 52) in the data storage device, - capturing with the camera a plurality of images (60, 61, 62) of the surface of the target object from different positions, wherein each of the measured distances (50, 51, 52) is associated with one of the captured images (60, 61, 62), - determining with the computing unit relative camera poses (70, 71, 72) for the plurality of images (60, 61, 62), and - calculating with the computing unit based on the plurality of images (60, 61, 62) and on the determined relative camera poses (70, 71, 72) a three-dimensional geometry of the target object, - retrieving at least one of the measured distances (50, 51, 52) from the data storage device, and - adding the scale to the three-dimensional geometry to obtain the spatial model of the target object, wherein the scale is calculated based on the at least one retrieved distance, - identifying a measurement point (10, 11, 12) to which a distance (50, 51, 52) is measured by the laser distance meter in one or more images (60, 61, 62) that are not associated with the respective distance (50, 51, 52), and - determining three-dimensional coordinates of the measurement point (10, 11, 12) by means of forward intersection, - a point of the three-dimensional geometry is identified that has the smallest orthogonal distance to the laser distance measurement emission direction, particularly wherein a laser spot (10, 11, 12) generated by the laser distance meter in the course of the at least one distance measurement is identified in an image (60, 61, 62); and/or - the laser distance measurement emission direction is intersected with a plane described by at least three points of the three-dimensional geometry, or with an object surface model, particularly obtained by meshing of a sparse or dense point cloud; and/or - a dense matching algorithm, particularly a Semi-Global Matching algorithm, is used to obtain a pixel location of a laser distance measurement in at least one image (60, 61, 62) not associated with the same laser distance measurement.