This article is a general guide for integrating 3rd Party hardware into Apteryx software. The content is kept vague so as to apply to a wide array of different hardware ranging from dental sensors, scanners, IO cameras, to panoramic units.
Using any piece of 3rd Party hardware into XrayVision requires 2 programs, a Driver and an Integration.
- The Driver is a piece of software created by the hardware manufacturer that allows the Windows operating system to talk to the hardware itself. Without the driver, the computer and the hardware will not be able to communicate.
- The Integration allows XrayVision to access the drivers, and will either be a Direct Extension, which is provided by Apteryx via a download link from our Updates Page under Legacy Downloads, or a TWAIN, which is provided by the hardware manufacturer.
Apteryx always recommends Direct Integration if possible, only using TWAIN if no other alternative is available.
Please use the following walk-through to integrate new hardware into XrayVision:
- Make sure that all instances of XrayVision are closed.
- Download the appropriate Direct Extension from the Apteryx Updates Page.
If the hardware you are installing does not appear on the list, you may require a TWAIN. Please contact your hardware manufacturer to have the TWAIN installed locally on any PC that will be used to capture using the 3rd Party hardware, then skip to step 4. - Run the downloaded extension installer as admin (right-click and select "Run as Administrator"). Follow the prompts until the installation is complete with no reported errors.
Direct Extensions only need to be installed once per XrayVision installation. - Install the drivers on each PC on which the 3rd Party hardware is to be used to capture upon.
Drivers are PC specific and must be installed on each computer individually that will be connected to the 3rd Party hardware. If the drivers need downloaded, please contact the hardware manufacturer in order to receive the necessary drivers. - Once the drivers and extensions/TWAINs have been installed, XrayVision can now be run. The option for the new hardware should be available when attempting to capture new images.
An example workflow would be as follows
Integrating Schick Sensors into XrayVision:
- Close all instances of XrayVision.
- Download SchickUpgrader.EXE from Apteryx Updates Page > Imaging Devices > Schick > Schick Technologies Intraoral Digital X-Ray Sensors.
- Install SchickUpgrader.EXE as admin (once, from any workstation).
- Install Schick drivers (received from manufacturers) on all capture workstations.
- Open XrayVision and test capture Schick sensor.
Article Version 1.2 2022.1.5