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How to use iPad and Apple Pencil to navigate exams

What it is

On iPad, CBCTHub can open the full viewer (same class of workstation as desktop): MPR slices, panoramic, oblique and 3D, with a touch-first UI. It runs in Safari (no install) or in the native app with expanded view. iPads from ~2018 (A10 Fusion or later) run 3D smoothly; M-series Pros feel like a workstation.

Apple Pencil is useful for precise pointing and tapping toolbar icons. Touch gestures (swipe, pinch, two fingers) are the usual way to move through slices and views.

Who it’s for

  • Clinicians who review or show CBCT chairside on iPad.
  • Implantologists and surgeons who prefer tablet over a fixed workstation.
  • Center teams who want a short how-to on gestures and Pencil.

Steps

  1. Open CBCTHub on iPad
    • Safari or Chrome: sign in (or open the exam link) and pick the study from the dashboard. On iPad the product uses the full viewer, same as desktop.
    • Native app (iOS 14+): sign in with the same web account; on iPad it runs with expanded view. What you save on web appears in the app and vice versa.
    • Optional: Safari → Add to Home Screen (PWA) for an app-like launcher without the App Store.
  2. Open the exam viewer
    Open the study from the dashboard. You get the usual views (Explore / MPR, Panoramic, Oblique, 3D). iPad has room for the toolbar and panels, unlike the reduced phone-oriented viewer.
  3. Navigate with touch gestures
    • Vertical swipe on a slice: change slice.
    • Pinch: zoom.
    • Two-finger drag: pan.
    • Long press: slice menu.

    In 3D: pinch to zoom, rotate the model, and highlight structures (e.g. the nerve) when explaining the case.

  4. Use Apple Pencil for tools and navigation
    Use the Pencil to point precisely and tap toolbar icons in the viewer. Without Pencil, the same toolbar icons work with your finger.
  5. Advanced tools on the full viewer
    When you are signed in on iPad (center / study-owner account) on the full viewer, you can use the same advanced tools as on desktop — for example implant planning in Panoramic / cross-sections, measurements and annotations. Details live in each Guide article. Shared links remain great for review; to edit and save center work, open the exam from your account.

Tips

  • Same account syncs web and app.
  • iPad ~2018+ (A10 Fusion or later) for smooth 3D; M-series Pro for best performance.
  • Patient consult: 3D + pinch + rotate; detailed planning: full-screen iPad or computer.
  • Virtual implant planning is an evaluation tool, not a certified surgical guide / guide-file export.
  • Combine Pencil (precision) and finger (navigation gestures) as you prefer.