A method of merging point clouds which are generated by profilometry systems or phase profilometry systems, wherein a channel is a specific illumination source-imaging system pair and counterposed channels are a pair of channels that are identical except that the illumination source and imaging system locations are interchanged, the method comprising: generating reconstructed surface points in a first counterposed channel's point cloud; generating reconstructed surface points in a second counterposed channel's point cloud; characterized by: identifying, for a selected reconstructed surface point in the first counterposed channel's point cloud, reconstructed surface points in the second counterposed channel's point cloud that are near an imaging system ray for the selected reconstructed surface point in the first counterposed channel's point cloud; calculating a projection of each of the identified near points in the second counterposed channel's point cloud onto the imaging system ray for the selected reconstructed surface point in the first counterposed channel's point cloud; calculating an average projection of each of the identified near points in the second counterposed channel's point cloud onto the imaging system ray of the selected reconstructed surface point in the second counterposed channel's point cloud; and moving the selected reconstructed surface point in the first counterposed channel's point cloud along its imaging system ray a portion of the distance towards the calculated average projection of each of the identified near point in the second counterposed channel's point cloud. generating reconstructed surface points in a first counterposed channel's point cloud; generating reconstructed surface points in a second counterposed channel's point cloud; characterized by: identifying, for a selected reconstructed surface point in the first counterposed channel's point cloud, reconstructed surface points in the second counterposed channel's point cloud that are near an imaging system ray for the selected reconstructed surface point in the first counterposed channel's point cloud; calculating a projection of each of the identified near points in the second counterposed channel's point cloud onto the imaging system ray for the selected reconstructed surface point in the first counterposed channel's point cloud; calculating an average projection of each of the identified near points in the second counterposed channel's point cloud onto the imaging system ray of the selected reconstructed surface point in the second counterposed channel's point cloud; and moving the selected reconstructed surface point in the first counterposed channel's point cloud along its imaging system ray a portion of the distance towards the calculated average projection of each of the identified near point in the second counterposed channel's point cloud. identifying, for a selected reconstructed surface point in the first counterposed channel's point cloud, reconstructed surface points in the second counterposed channel's point cloud that are near an imaging system ray for the selected reconstructed surface point in the first counterposed channel's point cloud; calculating a projection of each of the identified near points in the second counterposed channel's point cloud onto the imaging system ray for the selected reconstructed surface point in the first counterposed channel's point cloud; calculating an average projection of each of the identified near points in the second counterposed channel's point cloud onto the imaging system ray of the selected reconstructed surface point in the second counterposed channel's point cloud; and moving the selected reconstructed surface point in the first counterposed channel's point cloud along its imaging system ray a portion of the distance towards the calculated average projection of each of the identified near point in the second counterposed channel's point cloud.