VolView

VolView is a free, open-source medical image viewer from Kitware that runs in a web browser. You drag a DICOM folder onto the page and get 2D slices plus a cinematic 3D volume rendering within seconds, with no installation. For dental clinics, labs and students it is a quick way to look at a CBCT or CT study in 3D, measure distances and annotate findings on any computer, including a Mac or a tablet. If you searched for “VolView download”, note that the current VolView is a web application rather than a classic desktop installer.

VolView is developed by Kitware, the company behind the VTK and ITK libraries, and is licensed under Apache 2.0. Although it opens as a website, the processing happens locally: Kitware states that data loaded into VolView never leaves your machine and that no server or cloud service is required. Kitware also states that VolView is not FDA approved for any purpose, so it is a viewing and teaching tool, not a diagnostic system.

VolView at a glance

What it does

• Loads DICOM files, folders or zipped DICOM by drag and drop, plus NIfTI, NRRD, MHA and more than 20 other formats through ITK.
• Cinematic volume rendering with three rendering modes, lighting controls, transparency and colour presets.
• 2D slice, 3D and oblique views in configurable layouts, with window/level, pan, zoom and crosshairs.
• Annotation tools: ruler, rectangle and polygon, each with labels, plus a list to jump to each annotation’s slice.
• Paint tool for segmentation with brush size control, thresholding, Gaussian smoothing and fill holes.
• Saves sessions as .volview.zip state files (image data plus annotations and camera) to share with a colleague, or as JSON manifests that point to remote data.
• Connects to a DICOMweb server to list and load studies, and can open remote datasets through URL parameters.
• Uses the local GPU when available and still renders, more slowly, without one.

How dental teams use it

Review a CBCT in 3D on any computer

1. Export the study from the CBCT software as DICOM and copy the folder to the computer.
2. Open VolView in a current browser and drag the folder onto the Data tab.
3. Click the series thumbnail to load it, then use the 3D view with a bone preset and the crop tool to cut away soft tissue.
4. Switch to an oblique view to follow the arch or a root.

Measure and annotate for a referral or case discussion

1. Select the ruler tool and measure bone height or width on the relevant slice.
2. Mark a region of interest with the rectangle or polygon tool and give it a label.
3. Save the session as a .volview.zip file and send it through your usual secure channel, so the colleague sees the same annotations.

Show patients and students

1. Load an anonymised scan on a laptop or tablet.
2. Rotate the cinematic rendering to explain root position, an impacted tooth or bone loss.

Install and first run

• Online: open the public VolView app from Kitware’s site in a current browser. Nothing is installed, and the files you load are processed locally.
• Self-hosted: IT staff can build VolView from source and serve the static files with nginx, Apache or any static host. This keeps the app inside the clinic network and lets you set a default DICOMweb server.
• Browser and hardware: a recent Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari works; a dedicated GPU makes large CBCT volumes smoother. On tablets the rendering detail is reduced while you interact.
• Common gotchas: some CBCT exports include a vendor viewer and extra files; drag in the DICOM folder, not the whole disc. Non-DICOM formats may display with the wrong orientation, as the documentation warns.

Limitations

• Not FDA approved for any purpose, according to Kitware; do not use it for diagnosis.
• No dental-specific tools: no panoramic curve, nerve tracing, implant library or guide design.
• The documentation does not describe exporting surface models such as STL, so it is not a CBCT-to-print tool.
• Segmentation is paint-based with simple helpers; there is no automatic tooth segmentation.
• Performance depends on the browser and GPU of the viewing device; very large scans can be slow on older laptops.
• There is no classic Windows or macOS installer for the current version, which surprises some users.

VolView vs alternatives

FAQ

Is there a VolView download?

The current VolView runs in the browser, so there is nothing to install for normal use. IT teams can download the source from GitHub and host their own copy.

Is VolView free?

Yes. VolView is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence, and clinicians can use it without payment or restrictions.

Does VolView upload my scans to a server?

No. Kitware states that all data handling happens on your machine and that data you load never leaves it, unless you choose to connect it to a DICOMweb server.

Where is VolView on GitHub?

The source code and release notes are at github.com/Kitware/VolView.

What is VolView Insight?

VolView Insight is a separate Kitware research project built on VolView that combines imaging with clinical data for testing multimodal models. It is not needed for ordinary CBCT viewing.

Can VolView open dental CBCT scans?

Yes, if the scan is exported as standard DICOM. It shows slices and 3D rendering but has no dental-specific tools.

Last checked against official sources: 26 September 2026 (developer website: volview.kitware.com). Versions and licence terms change — confirm on the developer's site before deploying in a clinic.