a projector comprising a light source and projection optics that guide light from the light source along a projection light path;

an optical grating device in the projection light path that modifies the projection light path to project a structured light pattern onto a surface being profiled;

a viewer attached to the projector, comprising viewing optics with a viewing light path that is non-parallel to the projection light path, a light sensing array in the viewing light path for sensing an image of diffuse reflection of the structured light pattern from the surface, and a digitizer connected to the light sensing array for digitizing the image, wherein the viewing optics comprises a telecentric lens system; and

a computer comprising data input communication with the digitizer and a processor for modeling the surface being profiled based on surface contour information provided by the digitized reflected image, wherein the projection and viewing light paths approximately intersect each other within a common field of view of the projector and viewer, and further comprising a guide tip attached to a hand-held unit comprising a combination of the projector and the attached viewer, the guide tip extending beside the projection light path and beside the viewing light path to an end point in the common field of view to position and steady the edge break gage relative to the surface being profiled during a snapshot period of time.