ParaView

ParaView is a free, open-source application from Kitware for scientific data analysis and 3D visualisation. It is used in engineering, physics and biomedical research to explore large datasets interactively or through Python scripts. There is no separate “ParaView Medical edition”. Kitware has a “ParaView for Medical Science” page, but it describes uses of the same standard ParaView download, which can read CT and MRI data and volume-render it on the GPU.

For a dental audience, ParaView is a research and teaching tool rather than a dental viewer. It can load a CBCT or CT DICOM series, render it in 3D, extract a bone surface and save that surface as STL. It has no panoramic curve, tooth numbering or implant library, though. The current stable version is ParaView 6.1.1, released in May 2026, and version 6.2 is at the release-candidate stage.

ParaView at a glance

What it does

• Reads DICOM image series through its “DICOM Files (directory)” reader, a single-file DICOM reader, and many other formats including STL, VTK, PLY and image stacks.
• Volume-renders CT and MRI data on the GPU, with adjustable colour and opacity transfer functions.
• Extracts iso-surfaces (for example bone at a chosen intensity threshold) with the Contour filter.
• Slices, clips and crops volumes and meshes interactively.
• Measures distances with the ruler tool and computes data statistics.
• Saves geometry to STL and other mesh formats, and saves screenshots and animations.
• Automates everything through the built-in Python shell and pvpython scripts.
• Scales from a laptop to parallel (MPI) servers for very large datasets.

How dental teams use it

These are research and teaching workflows. ParaView is not a diagnostic dental viewer, and Kitware does not market it for clinical dental use.

3D rendering of a CBCT scan for teaching

1. Export the CBCT as an uncompressed DICOM series into one folder.
2. In ParaView choose File > Open, select the folder and pick the “DICOM Files (directory)” reader, then click Apply.
3. Change the representation to Volume and adjust the colour map and opacity until bone and teeth stand out.
4. Use Slice or Clip to show internal anatomy, then save screenshots or an animation for lectures.

Extracting a jaw surface as STL

1. Load the DICOM series as above.
2. Apply the Contour filter at an intensity value that captures bone; check the result from several angles.
3. Optionally clean it up with Clip to remove the scanner table or the other jaw.
4. Choose File > Save Data and select STL.

A simple threshold does not separate individual teeth or the mandible from the maxilla. For that you need dedicated segmentation software.

Comparing meshes in research

Load two STL scans (for example before and after treatment, already aligned) and view them together with transparency, or script a comparison in Python.

Install and first run

Windows: install the .msi, or unpack the .zip version if you have no admin rights. Choose the standard build unless you need MPI parallel processing.

macOS: choose the Apple silicon (arm64) build for M-series Macs or the Intel build for older Macs; both come as .dmg or .pkg.

Linux: unpack the tar.gz and run bin/paraview.

Gotchas: ParaView’s classic DICOM reader handles uncompressed files only. If a CBCT export is JPEG- or JPEG 2000-compressed, decompress it first (for example with a DICOM toolkit) or export uncompressed from the scanner software. Volume rendering of a full-resolution CBCT is GPU-heavy, so update your graphics driver. The interface is built for scientists, so plan an hour with the official Getting Started guide.

Limitations

• There is no medical or dental edition, and no dental tools such as panoramic reconstruction, nerve tracing, implant planning or tooth charting.
• DICOM support is basic: no worklist or PACS query, and compressed DICOM is not read by the classic reader.
• It is not presented as a diagnostic device, so it is for research, teaching and visualisation.
• Thresholding gives a rough surface; proper segmentation needs other software.
• Its general-purpose interface has a learning curve.

ParaView vs alternatives

ParaView is built on VTK, Kitware’s visualisation library, so developers who want the same rendering inside their own code use VTK directly. Image-processing pipelines are usually built with ITK. For quick viewing of DICOM series, a medical viewer such as Mango or ImageJ / Fiji is simpler. For editing the resulting meshes, OpenFlipper offers hole filling, smoothing and decimation. For clinical CBCT work, use dental software such as OnDemand3D or the viewer that came with your scanner.

FAQ

Is there a ParaView Medical edition?

No. Kitware’s medical page describes medical uses of the standard ParaView, and there is a single download for all fields.

Is ParaView free?

Yes. It is open source under the BSD 3-Clause licence and royalty-free, including for commercial organisations.

Is there ParaView for Mac?

Yes. There are official builds for Apple silicon (macOS 11+) and Intel Macs (macOS 10.15+), plus Windows and Linux builds.

Can ParaView open DICOM files?

Yes. Use the “DICOM Files (directory)” reader for a series, or the single-file reader. The classic reader does not support compressed DICOM.

How do I do volume rendering in ParaView?

Load the data, click Apply, set Representation to Volume, then edit the colour map and opacity curve to highlight the structures you need.

Can ParaView export STL?

Yes. Extract a surface (for example with Contour), then use File > Save Data and choose STL. It can also open and display STL files.

ParaView vs VTK: what is the difference?

VTK is the programming library; ParaView is a ready-made application built on VTK, with a GUI and Python scripting.

How do I install ParaView?

On Windows run the .msi, on macOS open the .dmg or .pkg for your processor, and on Linux unpack the archive and run bin/paraview.

Last checked against official sources: 29 September 2026 (developer website: paraview.org). Versions and licence terms change — confirm on the developer's site before deploying in a clinic.