FORM MEASURING EQUIPMENT AND FORM MEASURING METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To precisely and simply measure the complicated three-dimensional form of an object to be measured which contains a free curved surface, irrespective of conductor and non-conductor. SOLUTION: When an object 4 to be measured is moved in the vertical direction Z by using an X-Y-Z stage 6, the tip part 7d of a prove 7A comes into contact with the object 4, and the probe 7A is bent. An image processing part detects the contact, on the basis of the image of the probe 7A which is picked by an optical microscope 9. A total control part scans the surface of the object 4 in the vertical direction Z and the horizontal directions X, Y by controlling the X-Y-Z stage 6, and obtains the three-dimensional coordinates of the surface of the object 4, on the basis of contact detection of the image processing part.