A main problem in accident reconstruction is to record and evaluate the damages on the involved vehicles or aircrafts. Often human beings or obstacles are also involved in such collisions. Therefore the contact areas and/or damages have to be recorded and evaluated. The new developments in computing and in 3D-CAD, combined with optical methods, the so called Forensic 3D-CAD-supported Photogrammetry (FPHG) allow very detailed evaluation of the morphological properties of such contact areas.

Of special interest is the morphological match of "stamp" and "print". With the use of FPHG, the examination becomes independent of the physical access to the "bodies" and the evaluation can be done in the virtual space of a computer. This allows a thorough examination of the "match" in all three dimensions with high accuracy.

The combination of 3D-photogrammetry (RolleiMetric) for the record of the accident area and of 3D-scanning on the "bodies" and/or vehicles covers almost any situation or incident scenario and is the basis of an accurate accident reconstruction.

Currently we are missing a 3D-scanning tool for big objects or entire accident sites, but the development of 3D-Laser-scanning instrumentation is proceeding very fast, first products are already available.

The combination of classical methods of accident investigation with classical forensic methods and 3D-photogrammetry and 3D-scanning allows a new, efficient and thorough approach in the field of accident analysis.