Three-dimensional surface reconstruction from two-dimensional images is a process with great potential for use on different fields of research, commerce and industrial production. In this article we will describe the evoution of a project comprising the study and development of systems which implement the aforementioned process, exploring several techniques with the final aim of devising the best possible compromise between flexibility, performance and cost-effectiveness. We will firstly focus our attention on past work, namely the description of the implementation and results of a fixed system involving a camera and a laser-stripe projector mounted on a pan-tilt unit which sweeps the surface vertically with a horizontal stripe. Then we will describe our current work on the development of a fully portable, handheld system using cameras, projected structured light and inertial/magnetic positioning and attitude sensors — the Tele-3D scanner .