1. A model generation unit for generating deformable, non-rigid visual models (M) of physical objects, based on physically measured object scan data (S), comprising: a template interface for providing at least one common template (T) for one of the physical objects; a scanner for scanning said physical objects having respectively different shapes and poses to generate object scan data (S) that corresponds to physical landmarks on surfaces of said physical objects; a database for storing at least one generic object model that corresponds to said object scan data; an initializing interface for providing said object scan data (S) and said template data (T) in initialized form; a co-registration unit for executing a non-linear objective function encompassing both a mesh alignment term and a model term for co-registering a set of ones of said object scan data (S) by executing registering and model generation in a combined manner, namely: repeatedly a) aligning the template data (T) to the object scan data (S) to obtain aligned scans and training one of the models based on the scanned data, and b) constraining the aligning in step a) based on the one of the models (M) being trained; and an output interface for generating said deformable, non-rigid visual models (M).