AbstractClose-range optical measurement systems have undergone a transformation during recent years, generated primarily by demand from the aerospace and manufacturing industries. The current trends are toward more automation of the measurement process and real-time solutions providing threedimensional oordinates in a user-defined reference frame. Further, the precision and reliability of the acquired data are steadily improving, while the systems which produce the data are requiring less skill to operate. The traditional role of the surveyor in close-range three-dimensional measurement is therefore no longer seen as a necessity, especially in routine operations such as quality control for industrial applications. Inevitably such systems are seen by users as‘off the shelf’tools to produce the desired results for a particular application in the most appropriate and efficient way. Theodolite, photogrammetric and non-conventional systems which fall into the category are described and discussed, and their capabilities and range of applications are assessed. The widespread adoption of these systems will have a considerable impact on close-range industrial measurement, and an attempt is made to predict the implications for the future.