an illumination assembly for emitting light for imaging a target object comprises an illumination source that emits at least one light beam upon activation toward an illumination guide . the illumination guide has a first and a second side such that the light beam from the illumination source is scattered between the first and second sides . a textured surface is located substantially along the first side of the illumination guide . the scattered light exits the illumination guide from the textured surface to form a prescribed illumination pattern for imaging a target object .