1. A method for automatically identifying a point of interest in a depth measurement of a viewed object, the method comprising the steps of: displaying on a monitor an image of the viewed object; determining the three-dimensional coordinates of a plurality of points on a surface of the viewed object using a central processor unit; determining a reference surface using the central processor unit; determining at least one region of interest that includes a plurality of points on the surface of the viewed object using a central processor unit; determining a distance between each of the plurality of points on the surface of the viewed object in the at least one region of interest and the reference surface using a central processor unit; and determining the point of interest as the point on the surface of the viewed object in the at least one region of interest having the greatest distance from the reference surface using a central processor unit.