Where to install exocad libraries: the library folder path

You downloaded a new implant or anatomy library, but exocad doesn't see it — almost always because the folder is in the wrong place. Let's break down where to install exocad libraries: the exact library folder path, how it differs across DentalCAD 2.4–3.2, and why exoplan keeps its files separately.

Key point: exocad is portable software. It isn't written to the Windows registry and isn't installed through a classic installer — it runs from the folder where you unpacked it. The entire library path is measured from that folder.

Where exocad stores libraries: the library folder path

The base address is the library subfolder inside the DentalCADApp module. The full path looks like this:

`<exocad_folder>\DentalCADApp\library\`

Inside library there are separate subfolders for each data type:

• implant — libraries of implants, titanium bases (Ti-Base) and abutments;
• tooth — anatomical tooth libraries (anatomy/morphology);
• other service sets: materials, attachments, templates.

This is exactly where the DentalDB and DentalCAD modules look for available sets at startup. If a library ends up a level above or below the correct subfolder, it won't appear in the selection list.

Implant, abutment and tooth libraries: different subfolders

A library in exocad isn't a single file but a whole folder with geometry (meshes), configuration files and previews. You need to copy it in full, without breaking it into parts.

Prosthetic component and abutment libraries go into the implant subfolder. For example, BEGO CADAbut 3.2 D is an abutment interface for designing in DentalCAD, and its folder goes exactly here. Anatomical sets like Pogarskiy Design 3.2 go into the tooth subfolder.

exocad DentalCAD and exoplan: why the folders differ

A common mix-up: people put implant planning libraries into DentalCAD and are then surprised that exoplan doesn't see them. These are different programs with different directories.

Planning libraries — the ones marked `_plan` and `_fda`, for example Straumann Bone Level Titanium SLA or Nobel Biocare Replace Select TC — are installed into exoplan's own library folder, not into DentalCADApp.

The logic is simple: DentalCAD works with prosthetic interfaces (Ti-Base, abutments, crowns), while exoplan works with implant geometry for surgical planning and the guide. That's why the same implant system is often represented by two different libraries in two directories. They're all available in the DentalLibs catalog — 1058 prosthetic sets in the exocad-implant section and 1271 planning sets in exoplan.

Paths in DentalCAD 2.4, 3.0, 3.1 and 3.2 versions

Since exocad is portable, each version lives in its own folder. Releases have code names — for example, 3.1 Rijeka and 3.2 Elefsina — and these are separate directories on disk, not an update on top of the old one.

Hence the typical problem when moving from 2.4 to 3.x: the new version starts with an empty or basic set because your libraries stayed in the old build's folder. The `DentalCADApp\library\` structure is the same across all 2.4–3.2 versions — only the program's root folder changes.

• Find library in the old version's folder (2.4);
• Copy the required implant and tooth subfolders;
• Paste them into the new version's library (3.1 or 3.2);
• Restart exocad so the catalog is rescanned.

How to install an exocad library: step by step

The procedure is the same for implants, abutments and anatomy — only the target subfolder differs:

• Unpack the library archive into a temporary folder;
• Identify the type: implant/abutment → implant, teeth → tooth;
• Copy the entire library folder into the corresponding library subfolder;
• Fully close and reopen DentalDB;
• Check the selection: the library should appear in the systems list.

For exoplan the steps are the same, but you copy into exoplan's library folder, and the type is planning (`_plan`).

The library doesn't appear in the list: what to check

If the set isn't visible after copying, run through this short checklist — in 90% of cases the cause is here:

• The library ended up in the wrong program (DentalCAD instead of exoplan or vice versa);
• An extra nested folder from the archiver was copied;
• exocad wasn't restarted — the catalog is read only at startup;
• A planning library was placed in implant instead of the exoplan folder;
• The library version is incompatible with your DentalCAD build.

Common questions about exocad library installation paths