Stream Deck for exocad: one-touch shortcuts for dental CAD

Dental CAD work is full of small repeated actions: hiding a scan, switching the view, showing the antagonist, opening a tool, saving. Each one takes a second or two and either a trip through the menus or a shortcut you have to remember. A Stream Deck puts those actions on labeled keys that you can press without looking away from the model. This post covers how to set up a Stream Deck for exocad and where to get ready-made profiles.

What a Stream Deck is

An Elgato Stream Deck is a small keypad with programmable LCD keys. Each key shows an icon and triggers an action: a keyboard shortcut, a sequence of shortcuts (a multi-action), opening a program or a folder, or switching to another page of keys. Profiles can change automatically with the active application. In exocad, that means any command with a keyboard shortcut can become a key.

Which exocad shortcuts to put on the keys

Start with the actions you perform on every case. Visibility keys come first, for showing and hiding the antagonist, jaw scans, gingiva and restorations. exocad already assigns single letters to these groups, for example A for the antagonist and S for the jaw scans, which makes them easy to map. Standard views and resetting the view come next, then the tools you open most often for your indications, undo, redo and save. Keys that open the case folder or the export folder are useful too.

The exocad keyboard shortcuts list shows which commands are available. Add a second page for less frequent actions, and one page per program if you also work in Zirkonzahn.

Organizing Stream Deck profiles

1. Keep the same function in the same position across pages and programs.
2. Use clear icons and short labels, so each key is recognizable at a glance.
3. Group keys by row or color, for example views on one row and visibility on another.
4. Leave keys empty at first and add them as you notice repeated actions.
5. Set profiles to switch automatically with the active application.

Stream Deck and 3D mouse together

Many designers end up with three devices: a 3D mouse on one side for moving the model, the Stream Deck next to it for commands, and the normal mouse for the tools. Navigation, commands and precise work each have their own device. The 3D mouse for exocad article covers the navigation side.

Free Stream Deck profiles for exocad and Zirkonzahn

My Stream Deck profiles for exocad and Zirkonzahn, together with my 3Dconnexion settings, are free on the download page. Import them as a starting point, then move keys to match your habits.

For occasional design work, keyboard shortcuts are enough. A technician who designs most of the day spends less time searching menus with a Stream Deck, and new colleagues learn the software faster when the commands are visible on the keys.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Stream Deck work with exocad?

Yes. A Stream Deck sends keyboard shortcuts and multi-actions to the active application, so any exocad command that has a shortcut can go on a key.

Stream Deck or 3D mouse?

They do different jobs. A 3D mouse moves the model and a Stream Deck triggers commands. Many designers use both, one on each side of the keyboard.

Where can I download exocad Stream Deck profiles?

Free Stream Deck profiles for exocad and Zirkonzahn are on the download page of this site. Import them and adapt the keys to your workflow.