Color full stokes polarization fringe projection 3D imaging

•Using the custom color full-polarization camera and a digital color projector, 3D images with color and full-polarization information are obtained simultaneously.•3D images with polarized information shows much more unique properties of the object than 3D intensity image only for object identification and visual observation. Furthermore, 3D images with intensity, full-polarization information can be obtained in a snapshot, dramatically improving the imaging speed.•This is the first time to realize 3D imaging with intensity and full-polarization information in a snapshot. We believe that the aspect of this manuscript will make it interesting to general readers of Optics and Lasers in Engineering. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a new 3D imaging technique which can simultaneously provide surface shape, color, and polarization information of an object. The system employs a custom color full Stokes polarization camera and a digital color fringe projector. The color and polarization data provide additional surface details not possible using conventional fringe projection 3D imaging techniques, but important for target identification. We demonstrate that, for an object with weak spectral dependent polarization properties, it is possible to obtain surface shape, intensity, and polarization information in a snapshot, dramatically improving the imaging speed.