Technology: RealGUIDE 5.0 from 3DIEMME

In guided implant surgery, the case is usually won or lost at the planning stage. If the implant lands where the final restoration needs it, the surgery can be less invasive and the prosthetic phase is far more predictable. If it doesn't, the restorative team spends the rest of the case compensating.

RealGUIDE, the planning software from Italian developer 3DIEMME, is built around that restoration-first principle. Its 6.0 release brings diagnosis support, implant planning, surgical guide design and prosthetic modeling into a single environment, so the same digital patient carries through from the first CBCT to the final prosthesis. It is an open system. According to the manufacturer, it reads any DICOM dataset, imports STL, OBJ and PLY scans, and supports the implant lines of all the major manufacturers. In the EU it is CE-marked as a Class IIa medical device under the MDR.

AI-Assisted Features

Version 6.0 automates several steps that were previously done by hand. The clinician still reviews and approves each result.

• Case setup: AI-assisted matching of DICOM to STL and STL to STL, automatic panoramic curve tracing, and automatic detection of the mandibular nerve.
• Segmentation: bone, teeth and crowns are separated automatically.
• Teeth setup: library wax-ups are positioned automatically and respond to the opposing arch.
• Implant planning: implants are pre-positioned based on available bone volume, then placed according to the planned restoration.
• Guide design: the software proposes the extension area of the surgical guide and assists in generating it.

None of this replaces review. Nerve tracing and segmentation in particular should be checked slice by slice before a guide goes to print.

Software Modules

RealGUIDE is divided into modules that can be licensed separately or combined.

• START (free): for anyone receiving or reviewing cases. Covers patient folders, DICOM review, 3D file import, AI matching, automatic panoramic curve and nerve canal tracing, cloud sharing with chat, and WebLink orders.
• PRO:* for clinicians planning their own implants. Adds full prosthetically driven planning with official manufacturer libraries, AI segmentation, library wax-ups, and project and drill reports.
• DESIGN: for clinicians and labs producing guides. Adds every surgical guide type, anatomical models with analog holes, custom bone grafts and meshes, Sandbox modeling, and open STL export for printing or milling.
• CAD: for labs and restorative teams. Covers immediate-load provisionals with reinforcement bars, shell provisionals, cemented crowns and bridges, bars and Split Bars, a virtual articulator, smile analysis, and oriented STL for CAM.
• CAD+: for practices and labs handling the whole case. Combines START, PRO, DESIGN and CAD in one environment.

Other Features

• Open implant library: more than 200 official libraries, kept current from the manufacturers, including prosthetic components and original surgical kit sleeves.
• Advanced Teeth Setup: a dedicated wax-up workspace. It recognizes the opposing arch, accepts patient photos for esthetic design, and imports mandibular movement data in XML.
• Sandbox: a parametric modeling space for cutting, splitting, merging and repairing any 3D file. Uses include stackable guides, custom grafts, bars, connectors, partial frameworks, meshes and subperiosteal implants.
• Split Bar: generates a bar by controlled reduction of the wax-up, so provisional and definitive restorations can live in the same project, with attachments built in.
• Real jaw motion: recorded mandibular movements feed the smile setup, so tooth arrangement reflects function as well as esthetics.
• TRY-IN / RX-Guide: builds occlusal rims for edentulous cases even without a preliminary jaw relation record.
• CAM hand-off: direct interfaces with Millbox and Hyperdent.

Browser Version, Order Tracking and Interface

RealGUIDE Web runs in the browser (Chrome is recommended) with nothing to install or update. You log in and work on cloud cases according to your license, from data import and planning through guide and model design. The manufacturer positions it for clinicians working across multiple locations. Web access requires an active subscription or membership.

WebLink is the order-management layer between clinics and production centers. A central dashboard tracks each job in real time, from guided surgery to CAD work. Teams can assign tasks internally, and an APPROVE button records a traceable sign-off. Projects open directly in the Web or Desktop version. It is aimed at practices and labs using DESIGN, CAD or CAD+.

The desktop app has been redesigned. Navigation through patient folders and projects is cleaner, a new toolbar links straight to Web, WebLink and support, and status icons show at a glance whether a case is local, in the cloud, shared, or has a WebLink order. Implant libraries have a simpler selection screen, and bar design gets a new 2D section view for checking available space in real time.

Licensing and Training

Modules are available on a monthly or annual subscription or as a perpetual license, and the software runs natively on both PC and Mac. Licensing options also cover students.

3DIEMME's eLearning platform holds more than 300 step-by-step workflows and prosthetic reconstructions, which users can save, share with colleagues and open from any device. It is free with an active subscription or membership. Beyond that, the company offers on-site hands-on courses, customized and one-to-one online training, short video tutorials per module, and a 24/7 help desk with ticketing, chat and a knowledge base.