What It Is, How It Works, and How to Get Started

Apteryx (XVWeb) | Available October 1, 2026

1. Overview

The Third-Party Application Bridge is a new feature in Apteryx (XVWeb) that lets your clinical team launch their 3D imaging software directly from a patient's study in Apteryx — with the patient and images already loaded, automatically.

Instead of switching between Apteryx and a separate desktop application, re-searching for the patient, and locating the right scan manually, staff can now click once from within XVWeb and land in their 3D viewer with everything ready to go.

Available at launch (October 1, 2026): Carestream CS Imaging 8 and Vatech EzDent-I / Ez3D-I. Planmeca Romexis support is coming shortly after launch.

2. Problems This Feature Solves

Before this feature, practices using Carestream, Vatech, or Planmeca 3D imaging devices had to manage a disconnected workflow every time a clinician needed to review a 3D scan:

Extra steps on every review: Staff had to stop what they were doing in Apteryx, manually open the 3D imaging application, search for the patient again, and find the right study — adding several minutes of non-clinical work to every review session.
Wrong-patient risk: Manually re-entering patient information in a separate application creates an opportunity for error. Pulling up the wrong patient in a 3D viewer is a real risk, especially in busy or multi-location practices.
Fragmented workflow: Clinicians reviewing scans for implant planning, airway analysis, or surgical guidance had to work across two completely separate systems with no connection between them. Apteryx and the 3D viewer had no awareness of each other.
Apteryx felt incomplete: For practices with Carestream, Vatech, or Planmeca devices, the missing link between Apteryx and their 3D software made it feel like Apteryx wasn't their primary imaging hub.

The Third-Party Application Bridge closes all of these gaps. Apteryx becomes the single starting point for every imaging workflow — 2D and 3D.

3. Supported Applications and Devices

The bridge works with the following third-party desktop imaging applications:

Vendor	Application	Status
Carestream	CS Imaging 8	Available at launch (Oct 1, 2026)
Vatech	EzDent-I / Ez3D-I	Available at launch (Oct 1, 2026)
Planmeca	Romexis	Coming shortly after launch

NOTE: Your 3D imaging application must already be installed on the clinical workstation by your practice. Planet DDS does not install or license 3^rd party vendor software.

4. What the Bridge Does

One-click launch from Apteryx: Open your 3D imaging application directly from the patient's study in XVWeb — no manual switching, no re-searching.
Patient loaded automatically: The correct patient is pre-populated in the 3D application when it opens. Your staff do not need to search for or re-enter the patient.
Full access to your 3D tools: Once launched, clinicians have access to everything in their 3D application — MPR views, implant planning, airway measurement, volumetric rendering, and more.
Choose your viewer per session: Staff can choose to open a quick preview in the Apteryx web viewer, or open the full desktop application — from the same menu, every time. No settings change needed.
Works across locations: For practices that share patient records across multiple sites, clinicians at one location can open scans captured at another.

5. What the Bridge Does Not Do

It's important to know the current scope so your team sets the right expectations:

Annotations do not sync back to Apteryx: Measurements, implant simulations, and drawings made inside your 3D application are saved within that application. They are not transferred back into Apteryx at this time.
iCAT devices are not supported yet: iCAT 3D capture requires a separate integration that is not part of this release. You can still manually import iCAT DICOM files into Apteryx and view them in the built-in web viewer.
Windows workstations only: The XVWeb Capture agent — required for this feature — runs on Windows only. Mac workstations are not supported.
Planmeca Romexis is not available on day one: Romexis support is in progress and expected shortly after the October 1 launch. Contact your Planet DDS representative for the latest timeline.

6. What Your Practice Needs

Before the bridge can be set up, make sure the following are in place. Your IT contact, Account Manager, or Implementation Manager can help verify these.

Active Apteryx (XVWeb) subscription
XVWeb Capture agent installed on the clinical workstation (Windows)
Your 3D imaging application installed and licensed on the workstation (CS Imaging 8, EzDent-I/Ez3D-I, or Romexis — licensed through the respective vendor)
Network access from the workstation to the Planet DDS imaging server
An XVWeb admin account to complete the one-time configuration

CARESTREAM USERS: Carestream CS Imaging 8 requires a DICOM license key from Carestream before the bridge can be set up. This is a separate item from Carestream — not Planet DDS. Contact Carestream directly to obtain it if you don't already have one.

7. How to Get Started

Setup is a one-time configuration completed by an XVWeb admin. Once it's done, the launch option appears automatically for all users at your location — no software update or install needed on the user side.

Admin Setup (One Time per Location)

Sign into XVWeb with an admin account and go to Settings → Capture → Third-Party Viewer Configuration.
Select Add New Viewer and enter the application name, the path to the application on the workstation, and the launch template. Planet DDS Support provides the correct template for each supported vendor — do not fill this in manually.
Carestream only: Enter the DICOM server details (AE Title, IP address, and port) for CS Imaging 8, and use the Echo Ping to confirm the connection is working.
Click Save. The launch option will appear in XVWeb for all users at that location immediately.

GETTING HELP: Need help with setup? Contact your Planet DDS Implementation Manager or submit a request through our Help Desk.

8. How to Use the Bridge

Once setup is complete, here's how clinical staff launch a 3D review from Apteryx:

Open the patient's study in XVWeb. You'll see the 3D/CT series listed alongside regular 2D images in the panel on the left.
Click the 3D series thumbnail to select it.
Click the launch button, or open the hamburger menu (☰) and select your preferred viewer — either the Apteryx web preview or your installed 3D application (e.g., "Open in Vatech").
Apteryx will show a loading screen with the patient's name and study details while it prepares the images. This typically takes 30–90 seconds.
Your 3D application opens with the correct patient already loaded. Review, measure, and work as you normally would.
When you're done, switch back to your Apteryx browser tab — the patient's study is still open exactly where you left it.

9. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is there an extra cost for this feature?

No. The bridge is included in your standard Apteryx subscription at no additional charge. Your 3D imaging application must be licensed separately through the respective vendor (Carestream, Vatech, or Planmeca), as it always has been. Carestream CS Imaging 8 users may also need a DICOM license key from Carestream — that is a Carestream fee, not a Planet DDS fee.

Q: Do we need to install anything new?

If the XVWeb Capture agent is already installed on your clinical workstation, no additional Planet DDS software install is needed. Your 3D application also needs to be installed on the same workstation. An XVWeb admin needs to complete a one-time configuration in the admin settings.

Q: What if our 3D application isn't listed?

At launch, the bridge supports Carestream CS Imaging 8, Vatech EzDent-I/Ez3D-I, and Planmeca Romexis (coming shortly after launch). If your practice uses a different 3D application, contact your Planet DDS representative — additional vendors may be added in future updates.

Q: Will my 3D application open on any workstation?

The 3D application must be installed on each workstation where it will be used. The bridge launches the application that is installed locally — it does not stream the application to other machines.

Q: Can clinicians at one location open scans from another location?

Yes, as long as your practice uses shared patient IDs across locations (standard for most multi-site groups). The bridge retrieves images by patient ID, so a clinician at one office can open a scan captured at another office, as long as their 3D application is installed on the local workstation.

Q: Will my measurements and annotations in the 3D application be saved in Apteryx?

Not at this time. Measurements, implant simulations, and annotations made in your 3D application are saved within that application. They are not currently synced back into Apteryx.

Q: The launch option isn't showing up in XVWeb. What should we do?

First, confirm that an XVWeb admin has completed the one-time setup in Settings → Capture → Third-Party Viewer Configuration. Also verify the XVWeb Capture agent is running on the workstation. If both are in place and the option still doesn't appear, contact Planet DDS Support.

Q: The 3D application opened but it's showing the wrong patient. What happened?

This is almost always a configuration issue with the launch template set up by the admin. Contact Planet DDS Support and they will provide the correct template for your 3D application.

Q: Does this work on a Mac?

No. The XVWeb Capture agent is Windows-only, so this feature requires a Windows workstation.

Q: How do we get help with setup or troubleshooting?

Contact your Planet DDS Implementation Manager or Account Manager, or submit a ticket through the Planet DDS Help Desk.

Article Version 1.0 9/17/2026