A patient brings a disc or USB stick from a practice with a Vatech CBCT unit. Depending on the age of that practice’s software, the export was made in Ez3D Plus or its successor Ez3D-i, and it carries a viewer of its own. This guide explains how to start that viewer, what to do when it refuses to run, and how to export plain DICOM from a Vatech system. It is based on Vatech America’s support articles and our program pages, checked on 2 November 2026. Status: Not tested yet — we have read Vatech’s documentation, we have not run these exports in a clinic.
The short answer: on a Windows PC, open the drive and run Simple Viewer Launcher. It offers two viewers: the Original Viewer, which shows the sender’s full work-up but needs an NVIDIA graphics card, and Simple Viewer Lite, which runs on weaker hardware but shows only the raw slices. On a Mac, or when neither starts, ask the sender for a DICOM-only export and open it in a general viewer such as Sante DICOM Viewer Lite.
Which Vatech program made the export
- Ez3D Plus is the legacy program. Vatech America’s update page (June 2020) offers a final build, 1.2.6.23, and states that the product is no longer supported since Windows 7 reached end of life and that licence keys are no longer issued. It lists Windows XP, Vista and 7 as the systems known to work, marks Windows 10 “use at own risk” and says Windows 11 is not supported.
- Ez3D-i is the current 3D module of Vatech’s EzSeries, installed on workstations next to the 2D program EzDent-i and the EzServer database. The EzSeries 6.2.3 installation guide (June 2025) lists Ez3D-i version 5.5.5. Exports from Ez3D-i 5.0.2 or newer use the Simple Viewer Launcher described below; for older exports Vatech tells recipients to contact its service team.
- Clever One is Vatech’s newest platform. Its installation guide (July 2025, version 1.0.9) states that for Clever One users it replaces EzDent-i and Ez3D-i. Vatech’s public articles do not yet describe a Clever One disc viewer, so ask the sending practice what their export contains.
All three run only on Windows. Vatech America states that it does not support Mac, VMware, dual boot, virtual Windows or terminal servers.
Three ways to read a Vatech export
| Criterion | Original Viewer | Simple Viewer Lite | DICOM in a general viewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it comes from | On the disc or USB, via Simple Viewer Launcher | Same launcher, second button | Your own program; the sender exports DICOM only |
| Shows the sender’s work-up (implants, nerve tracing, measurements) | Yes, it is the native Ez3D-i viewer | No; Vatech says previous case work-up “will not work” | No; raw volume only |
| Graphics card | NVIDIA card meeting Vatech’s requirement; AMD and Intel integrated graphics not supported | GeForce GT 720 or higher per Vatech’s 2018 guide; other cards “at own risk” | Ordinary office PC |
| Operating system | Windows only | Windows only | Windows and macOS (Sante Lite); Windows, macOS, Linux (Mango) |
| Installs anything | A CD Viewer component installs on first run if a matching one is missing | Same installer | One-time install of the viewer you choose |
| Media size | Most exports with the viewer exceed 700 MB; Vatech recommends DVD-R or a 4 GB+ USB stick | Same media | DICOM-only exports usually fit on a CD |
| Licence | Free for recipients; Ez3D-i itself is commercial | Free for recipients | Sante Lite: free. Mango: free, non-commercial research only |
Opening a disc or USB stick from Ez3D-i
- Insert the medium on a Windows PC. If an AutoPlay prompt offers
Simple Viewer Launcher, choose Run. - If nothing appears, open File Explorer, browse to the drive (or to the folder downloaded from the sender’s FTP, unzipped if necessary) and double-click
Simple Viewer Launcher. - On the splash screen pick Original Viewer if the PC has a suitable NVIDIA card; it opens the native Ez3D-i viewer with the sender’s case. Pick Simple Viewer Lite on an ordinary office PC; it shows only the DICOM slices.
- If no matching CD Viewer is installed, an installer runs first. Let it finish, then start the launcher again if the viewer does not open by itself.
Opening an older Ez3D Plus disc
Ez3D Plus burned discs through its Tools tab, with CD/DVD Burning for physical media and a Memory option that wrote DICOM data and viewer to a USB stick or folder. That viewer was written for Windows XP through 7, so an Ez3D Plus disc may not start on a current PC at all. Then either open the DICOM files on the disc in a general viewer, or ask the sending practice for a new export; if it has moved to Ez3D-i or Clever One, the new export comes with the current launcher.
When the viewer will not run: use plain DICOM
The Ez3D-i export dialog has DCM Files and Viewer as separate checkboxes, so a standard export carries the DICOM files as well. When the launcher fails, you are not stuck.
- On a Mac or any clinic PC. Open the DICOM folder in Sante DICOM Viewer Lite (free; Windows build 5.4.0 of 28 September 2026, macOS edition available) and use its MPR views for coronal and sagittal cuts.
- Research or teaching only. Mango opens DICOM volumes on Windows, macOS and Linux; its licence is non-commercial research only, not clinical, and the last release is 4.1 from 2019.
- Implant planning on data from any scanner. OnDemand3D is a common commercial choice with a licence-free Project Viewer for its own exports. Check with the vendor which Vatech data it imports.
A general viewer shows the volume as acquired, not the implant positions, nerve tracings or report the sender created in Vatech’s own project format. For the planning you need the Original Viewer on a Windows PC with an NVIDIA card.
Exporting from Ez3D-i for a colleague
If you are the sending practice, Vatech America’s export article gives this sequence.
- Open the patient in EzDent-i and launch the 3D volume in Ez3D-i.
- In Ez3D-i 5.2.6.1 or newer, click the CD icon in the top menu. In older versions, click the Menu button and choose Export.
- Choose CD/DVD or Local Disk (USB sticks and folders for FTP or file sharing); leave compression at Lossless.
- Check that DCM Files and Viewer are both selected. For a colleague on a Mac, or a lab that wants plain DICOM, leave Viewer unchecked. Optionally tick Compress to Zip and set a password.
- Click Export. For discs, the Disk Burner shows the data size; a “memory size” error means the medium is too small.
Vatech recommends DVD-R rather than CD-R because most exports with the viewer exceed 700 MB, and a USB stick of 4 GB or larger. Separately, Ez3D-i exports a surface model through Menu → Export Surface Model (binary or ASCII) and has a Go to 3rd party SW link for Nobel, Simplant and 3DDX.
Limitations
- Vatech America’s viewer and export articles date from 2017 to 2021. Menu positions and the GeForce GT 720 reference (a card from 2014) may lag behind current Ez3D-i builds.
- Ez3D Plus is end-of-life: no support, no new licence keys, no Windows 11 support, and a “Diagnostic Only” note on the update page.
- No Vatech viewer runs on macOS, in virtual machines or on terminal servers, and none is offered as a separate download.
- Vatech’s public articles do not state FDA or CE status for the viewers; we make no claim about diagnostic use of a general-purpose viewer on this data.
Who this is for, and who should look elsewhere
If you receive Vatech discs regularly, a Windows PC with a supported NVIDIA card is the only way to see the referring dentist’s planning. If you only need the anatomy, Simple Viewer Lite or a free general DICOM viewer is enough, and the general viewer is the only route on a Mac. If you still run Ez3D Plus yourself, plan a migration to EzSeries or Clever One, because the software cannot be re-licensed on new hardware. For Dentsply Sirona or Carestream discs, see our vendor guide to opening dental X-ray and CBCT discs; for the wider choice of free programs, the free dental DICOM viewers and PACS hub.
FAQ
Is there a free Ez3D Plus viewer or Simple Viewer download?
No. The Simple Viewer (Original and Lite) is written onto each Ez3D-i export together with the DICOM files, and Ez3D Plus did the same with its CD viewer. The Ez3D Plus 1.2.6.23 updater is for existing licensed users only.
Can I still get an Ez3D Plus licence key or registration number?
Vatech America states that licence keys for Ez3D Plus are no longer available because the product reached end of life with Windows 7. There is no trial version either. New 3D installations go to EzSeries (Ez3D-i) or Clever One.
Does Ez3D Plus work on Windows 11?
Vatech lists Windows 11 as “no support” for Ez3D Plus and Windows 10 as “use at own risk”. Ez3D-i workstations, by contrast, are documented on current Windows with NVIDIA graphics.
Can I open an Ez3D export on a Mac?
Not with Vatech’s viewer: Vatech does not support macOS, virtual machines or dual boot. Open the DICOM folder from the disc in a macOS DICOM viewer instead, or ask for a DICOM-only export. You will see the volume but not the sender’s planning.
Why does Simple Viewer Lite not show the implants the sender placed?
By design. Vatech’s guide says the Lite viewer is limited to simple DICOM and that previous case work-up from the sending site will not work in it. The planning is visible only in the Original Viewer.
Which DICOM viewer should I use for Vatech CBCT data?
Any viewer that reads a multi-file CT series. On a clinic PC or Mac the free Sante DICOM Viewer Lite covers slices, MPR and measurements; for research-only use Mango also works. Neither reproduces Vatech’s implant library or reports.
Editorial team. Sources checked 2 November 2026.
Last updated: 2 November 2026 · SoftProDents editorial team. Licence, version and platform details are checked against each developer's official documentation; none of the tools listed here should be treated as a certified medical device unless its vendor says so.
