Describes a prototype system which enables complex 3-D objects to be digitized, displayed, edited, and machined. There are several unique aspects to this sytem which are the consequences of the particular method of high-speed data capture using a scanning laser beam. An object can be scanned in great detail (up to 256 by 256 data points for example), in less than a second with an accuracy of up to 0.5 millimeters. The laser range finding device, developed at the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC), is the front end of a complete system which allows a geometric description of an object to be captured and then edited interactively. The paper describes the range finder, and outlined techniques for correcting, compressing, and modifying the data before either machining a replica of the data or using the data as the basis for high quality graphic imagery. -- AATA