1. A method of inspecting an object, comprising the steps of: providing an optical inspection system comprising a staging platform, an optical platform, and a computing facility, the computing facility comprising a database for storing programs and collected data; staging the object; scanning the object by illuminating at least a portion of the surface of the object and capturing at least one image created by light reflected from the surface of the object; storing data representing the at least one image captured in the scanning step; selecting a defect detection protocol comprising at least one defect detection algorithm; analyzing the collected data using the selected at least one defect detection algorithm; building at least one defect mask, wherein each defect mask corresponds to a specific portion of the object surface being inspected and has a value determined by a weight assigned to the at least one defect detection algorithm; and determining the existence of a defect based on the defect mask.