Run a Scanner-to-CAD Interoperability Pilot

Test the intended receiving task

Interoperability is more than displaying a surface file. State what the receiver needs to do: inspect records, begin a design, continue an editable project or manufacture an output. Select an authorized exercise and define the context needed for that task.

The existing scanner-to-lab guide explains the overall handoff, and the file-role guide explains geometry versus native-project context. This page adds a bounded test protocol with recorded versions, expected observations and a receiving decision. It does not name universally compatible scanner/software combinations.

Freeze the configuration record

Record the acquisition application/release, scanner, export method, license option and receiving CAD environment. Preserve the original package. Record any changes as a separate trial, so a successful later run does not hide why the first failed.

3Shape’s July 31, 2024 support article documents STL/PLY export from accepted Dental Manager orders with the TRIOS Scan STL Export option enabled; it lists PLY export from Dental System 2021 onward. That is a scoped mechanism, not a blanket promise for every scanner portal. The DentalCAD overview says color display is available when scan data contains color information; confirm whether the actual transfer preserves what the receiver needs.

Use stage-specific acceptance observations

Agree the expected records with the receiving team before export. Record missing items and uncertain context explicitly; do not repair or reposition the source records simply to make a trial appear successful.

Record a bounded result, not a brand verdict

If export succeeds but the receiver lacks the intended reference, mark transfer observed and task blocked. Ask whether a different supported export or additional record is needed. Do not convert an import failure into a claim that a scanner is poor or that CAD can reconstruct missing information.

A hypothetical training trial may display geometry while the planned review also needs appearance information. Record the missing requirement and request the supported route; do not infer that a common filename extension guarantees it.

A successful trial validates the recorded task under its observed conditions. Returned design/native editing, production acceptance and other indications need their own checks when they are part of the proposed workflow. Revisit the pilot when software, entitlement or dependencies change. No clinical accuracy benchmark or Pristine integration is established by this blank protocol.

Louie validation and limits

Technical review pending — unverified locally. Louie and the acquisition/receiving teams must validate the exact scanner, release, export entitlement, record roles, receiving modules and observed result. No scanner-to-Pristine integration, numerical accuracy, color fidelity or complete round-trip compatibility has been tested or asserted.

The CSV is a blank operational worksheet with no patient data, executable code, configuration pack or clinical/manufacturing values. It does not perform an installation or authorize a production change. Examples in this guide are hypothetical, not measured results or approved Pristine case evidence.