A system and method for scanning a three-dimensional surface is disclosed. In one example, the method is evidenced by receiving scan data of the three dimensional surface, the scan data comprising a plurality of scan points defining a plurality of polygons and obtained from a scan direction, grouping the plurality of polygons into blotches having at least one polygon, wherein no polygon of a blotch shares a common edge with a polygon of any other blotch, computing a directional vector for each blotch, the directional vector of each blotch weighted by an area of the blotch, computing a further scan direction from the directional vectors for the blotches and commanding a scanner to scan from the further scan direction.