Abstract: A method for the determination of the surface properties of an object which comprises irradiating the surface of interest with an incident beam of radiation from an optical source, detecting by a detector radiation from the beam scattered by the surface, the detector being located at a predetermined position relative to the surface and the optical source and digitizing and analyzing the image detected by the detector, wherein the incident beam has in cross-section a two dimensional envelope and within the envelope an intensity structure which has multiple edges running in more than one direction which provide information about components of the structure of the beam and the analysis of the image is a two dimensional analysis of the intensity shape and structure of the scattered radiation to provide information about the manner in which the incident beam intensity shape and structure has been changed by scattering at the surface of the object.