A method for a six degree of freedom position and orientation determination of a three dimensional known shape in a scenery, by ▪ taking a range image by means of a range imaging camera with a range image module having a sensor array with a first number of pixels, wherein for each of the first pixels a range information from the sensor to a point of the scenery is determined, resulting in a 3D cluster of points, ▪ taking a visual picture by means of a digital camera with an image sensor having a second number of pixels, resulting in a 2D picture, in particular comprising intensity and spectral information, wherein a relation of the first and the second pixels fields of view is known, in particular wherein the second number of pixels is higher than the first number of pixels, ▪ geometrically fitting of a stored 3D digital representation of the known shape in a virtual space to virtually match with the reproduction of the known shape in the taken 2D picture and the taken 3D cluster of points, ▪ determining the six degree of freedom position (x,y,z) and orientation (A,B,C) of the known shape in the scenery according to the virtual match, and wherein to virtually match comprises either ▪ extracting a 3D geometrical information by combining information from the visual picture and information from the range image, in particular wherein the combining comprises a matching of at least one geometrical feature of the known shape in both of the range image and the visual picture and a further matching of the geometrical feature in the 3D digital representation within the combined information, or ▪ a first matching of the 3D digital representation with the visual picture and a second matching of the 3D digital representation with the range image and determining the position and orientation by combining the results of the first and the second matching, in particular according to an adjustment calculus or a maximum likelihood algorithm. ▪ taking a range image by means of a range imaging camera with a range image module having a sensor array with a first number of pixels, wherein for each of the first pixels a range information from the sensor to a point of the scenery is determined, resulting in a 3D cluster of points, ▪ taking a visual picture by means of a digital camera with an image sensor having a second number of pixels, resulting in a 2D picture, in particular comprising intensity and spectral information, wherein a relation of the first and the second pixels fields of view is known, in particular wherein the second number of pixels is higher than the first number of pixels, ▪ geometrically fitting of a stored 3D digital representation of the known shape in a virtual space to virtually match with the reproduction of the known shape in the taken 2D picture and the taken 3D cluster of points, ▪ determining the six degree of freedom position (x,y,z) and orientation (A,B,C) of the known shape in the scenery according to the virtual match, and wherein to virtually match comprises either ▪ extracting a 3D geometrical information by combining information from the visual picture and information from the range image, in particular wherein the combining comprises a matching of at least one geometrical feature of the known shape in both of the range image and the visual picture and a further matching of the geometrical feature in the 3D digital representation within the combined information, or ▪ a first matching of the 3D digital representation with the visual picture and a second matching of the 3D digital representation with the range image and determining the position and orientation by combining the results of the first and the second matching, in particular according to an adjustment calculus or a maximum likelihood algorithm.