A 3D optical method for non-contact determination of soil clod or aggregate shrinkage was tested and compared with results obtained with the classical Saran method. Irregularly shaped clods of 18 - 45 g detached from 4 horizons of a clay clayey to loamy Chinese paddy soil were capillary-saturated on a suction plate to a matric potential of -4 cm. The changing clod volume was repeatedly measured during air-drying by 3D optical scanning and the water content was determined gravimetrically. After re-saturation, measurements were repeated with the Saran method using the same clods. Optical scanning of clods from various positions resulted in sets of point clouds that required comprehensive data processing. The final 3D volume objects were generated by adaptive triangulation. When assuming 0.3 - 0.8 g of water penetration for the Saran method and a correction to account for a 20 % and 18 % loss of mass of air- and oven-dry Saran coatings, the SSC curves of the two methods were relatively similar. An advantage of the optical method was that clods stayed unconfined thus eliminating the risk of shrinkage inhibition by coatings. The non-contact volume determination avoided possible errors of the classical Saran resin method caused by water penetration during submersion,. The new method was suitable to determine SSC curves of relatively small irregularly shaped clods with low to medium shrinkage.