A method for profiling surface objects based on the fringe projection method and a phase shifting algorithm is described. The application of this method to large surfaces is problematic since the calibration step requires the use of a reference plane as large as the object. A new algorithm based on least-squares method has also been developed to bypass this calibration step, and so the use of a reference plane. First experimental results on a carbon panel and on a parabolic aerial are presented to show the validity of the proposed algorithm. Accuracy of 1mm has been obtained for an object of 1m and 20 cm long, while sensitivity has been proved to be of the order of 100 m.