A method and apparatus for reconstructing a
surface shape of an object having contour lines, includes assigning points to each
contour line. A first
triangulation scheme is performed with respect to respective points on two adjacently-positioned contour lines, to determine a first
surface shape for a portion of the object corresponding to the two contour lines. The first
surface shape is checked to determine if the first surface shape is in error. If the first surface shape is not in error, the first surface shape is outputted for the portion of the object as determined by the first
triangulation scheme, as a reconstructed surface shape for that portion of the object. If the first surface shape is in error, a second
triangulation scheme is performed with respect to the respective points on the two contour lines, to determine a second surface shape for that portion of the object, and the second surface shape is outputted for that portion of the object as determined by the second triangulation scheme, as a reconstructed surface shape.