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 scans and CTs directly from a patient's study in XVWeb into their native 3D imaging platform — 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 Imaging 8, Carestream 3D (CS 3D), 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:

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

7. How to Get Started

Prerequisites

Confirm all of the following are in place before beginning configuration. Setup will fail or the launch option will not appear if any prerequisite is missing.

Configuration Steps (Admin)

NOTE: These steps must be completed by an XVWeb user with Admin and Capture privileges.

Step 1 — Accessing Device Settings

1. Log into XVWeb using an admin account.
2. Ensure XVWeb Capture and the plugin corresponding to the 3D device and software in use are both installed: 
   1. Carestream 3D: Carestream plugin
   2. Vatech 3D: Vatech plugin
3. Navigate to Settings → Capture → Device Settings → Select the "Device" you are setting up:
   1. Carestream: "Carestream - 3D" or "Carestream - ImgFiles Acquisition 3D" or "Carestream - ImgFiles 2.0 Acquisition 3D"
   2. Vatech: "Vatech - Vatech 3D"

Step 2 — Plugin/Device Configuration

1. For Carestream 3D (CS 3D): 
   1. Specify the path to the CS 3D software. Default path (may be incorrect):
      • 3DImagingSoftware.exe is the correct exe. 
      • The easiest way to get the correct path is to right-click on the desktop shortcut if available and go to properties, or search for "Carestream 3D" in Windows Search and right-click > open file location, then right-click the shortcut > open file location. Then, copy the path from there into the setting.
2. For Vatech: 
   1. Specify the path to the "Vatech App Directory." This should point to VCaptureSW. 
   2. Specify the path to Vatech's Environment INI file. 
      • If the Environment INI path is left blank, XVWeb Capture will check a couple known locations for the file automatically. 
   3. Specify the path to Ez3D-i. 

Step 3 — Carestream Imaging 8 Only: Configure DICOM Server Settings

This step applies to Carestream CS Imaging 8 only. Skip for Carestream 3D, Vatech, and Planmeca configurations.

1.  In Carestream Imaging 8, enter the DICOM AE Title, IP address, and port to our DICOM server.
2. Use the Echo Ping function in admin settings to verify the DICOM server is reachable. If the ping fails, resolve network and DICOM connectivity before saving.

Step 4 — Save and Verify

1. Click Save, then restart the Ambassador and refresh the page.
2. The vendor application option now appears in the viewer launch menu for all users at the configured location when viewing a 3D/CT series.
3. Open any patient with a 3D/CT series and verify the new launch option appears in the hamburger menu. Clicking a CT should automatically launch it within the third party application. 

8. How to Use the Bridge

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

1. 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.
2. Click the 3D series thumbnail to launch it in the third party application, or open the hamburger menu located in the bottom-right corner of the study's thumbnail (☰) and select your preferred viewer — either the Apteryx web preview or your installed 3D application (e.g., "Open in Vatech").
3. 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.
4. Your 3D application opens with the correct patient already loaded. Review, measure, and work as you normally would.
5. 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). Carestream CS Imaging 8 users 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 XVWeb Capture 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, Carestream 3D, 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 → Device Settings. Also verify XVWeb Capture is running on the workstation. If both are in place and the option still doesn't appear, contact Planet DDS Support.

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 1.2 10/8/2026