In order to determine three-dimensional coordinates of a surface (2) of an object (3) to be detected, the changes in color of a color pattern (5), which is projected by a projector (4) onto the surface (2), are to be encoded by using a redundant code. An analyzing method, which analyzes the changes in color occurring in an image (7) recorded by a camera (6), is insensitive to changes on the surface (2). In addition, the contour of the object (3) can be determined with a single recording. The method is thereby also suited for moving objects.