Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have developed a digital topography imaging system that allows for quality three dimensional topographic reconstruction of single crystals. The invention utilizes a CCD camera with a very fine pixel size to convert x-rays into an electrical signal, without the use of phosphor. The CCD camera measures the x-ray reflection angles of the x-rays that are passed through the sample to form a raw image, and the raw image is processed by a computer program.