How to Access DICOM Files Exported from OmegaAI/Blume

This guide is for anyone with a study exported from OmegaAI or Blume, whether you downloaded it yourself or received it from someone else. It covers Windows and macOS.

DICOM is the standard file format used for medical images. Most diagnostic viewers can open DICOM files directly. This guide walks you through finding them and opening them on your computer.

Jump to your operating system: Windows · macOS

What's in the Export

When you extract the downloaded ZIP, you'll see:

• One or more patient folders containing Series subfolders with the actual DICOM image files, plus a DiagnosticReport folder with PDF reports.
• (Windows only) A bundled VIEWER.EXE for opening the study without installing additional software.

The DICOM image files inside the Series folders are usually numbered (e.g. 1, 2, 3) without a file extension. They are still valid DICOM images, and most diagnostic viewers can open them as-is.

Depending on the study, the patient folder may also contain:

• DocumentReference: referrals, prior reports, or other PDFs related to the study
• StructuredReport: DICOM-format reports (.dcm files) such as structured findings or dose reports
• KO: Key Object Selection objects, marking specific images of interest

These appear only when the study includes that type of data. Most diagnostic viewers handle them automatically when you open the patient folder.

Third-party DICOM viewers

This guide mentions MicroDicom, RadiAnt, OsiriX Lite, and Bee DICOM Viewer. These are third-party products and are not supported by RamSoft. They are listed for convenience only. Use at your discretion.

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Windows

Quick Start: Use the Bundled VIEWER.EXE (Recommended)

If your export includes VIEWER.EXE at the top level of the extracted folder:

1. Double-click VIEWER.EXE.
2. The viewer launches and loads the study automatically. No rename or third-party install needed.

Want to learn the viewer's tools?

Once VIEWER.EXE is open, see Using the Bundled Viewer for a tour of the Study Desktop layout, scrolling, zoom, and image-review tools.

If VIEWER.EXE isn't in your export, see Using a third-party DICOM viewer below. You only need the Renaming files to .dcm section if your viewer specifically requires the .dcm extension.

Using a Third-Party DICOM Viewer

Most modern Windows DICOM viewers can open the patient folder directly without renaming any files.

1. Install and launch your DICOM viewer.
2. In your viewer, open the patient folder (the numbered folder shown above), or the top-level DICOMDIR file if your viewer supports it. The exact menu varies by viewer; look for File → Open or a similar command.

If your viewer can only open files with a .dcm extension, see Renaming files to .dcm below.

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macOS

The bundled VIEWER.EXE is Windows only and will not run on macOS. Use a macOS-compatible DICOM viewer such as OsiriX Lite or Bee DICOM Viewer (both free).

Open the Study in a Viewer

1. In Finder, double-click the downloaded .ZIP to extract it.

   

2. Open the extracted patient folder. Inside you'll see Series folders (DICOM images) and a DiagnosticReport folder (PDFs).

   

3. Launch your DICOM viewer:

   • OsiriX Lite: Use File → Import → DICOM file(s)… or drag the patient folder onto the OsiriX database.
   • Bee DICOM Viewer: Click the folder icon in the top-left toolbar, or drag and drop the patient folder onto the viewer.

   

   

If your viewer cannot recognise the numbered files, see Renaming files to .dcm below.

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Renaming Files to .dcm (Optional)

Renaming is only required if your DICOM viewer does not recognise the numbered files (e.g. 1, 2, 3) without a file extension. Try opening the patient folder or DICOMDIR directly in your viewer first. Most viewers handle extension-less DICOM files natively.

If renaming is needed, the steps below cover Windows and macOS.

On Windows

1. Make sure Windows is showing file extensions: open the folder, then in the toolbar choose View → Show → File name extensions.

   

2. Open a Series folder, right-click a numbered file, and choose Rename.

   

3. Add .dcm to the end of the filename (e.g. 1 → 1.dcm). The file type updates to DCM File.

   

4. Open the renamed file in your DICOM viewer using its File → Open command (or equivalent). The screenshots below illustrate this in MicroDicom as an example; the workflow is similar in most viewers.

   

   

On macOS

1. Make sure Finder is showing file extensions: choose Finder → Settings (or Preferences) → Advanced tab → check Show all filename extensions.

   

2. Open a Series folder, right-click a numbered file, and choose Rename (or select it and press Return).

   

3. Add .dcm to the end of the filename (e.g. 1 → 1.dcm). Finder will ask you to confirm changing the extension; click Add.

   

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For OmegaAI Users (Sender Side)

If you're an OmegaAI user looking for documentation on exporting a study to send to a recipient, see:

• More Options Toolbar Menu: Burn Study and Download from the Image Viewer
• Sharing Studies: alternative ways to share a study with another organisation or external recipient
• Referring Physician Guide: overview for referring physicians, including a condensed version of these recipient instructions

See Also (Recipients)

• Using the Bundled Viewer: tour of the Study Desktop layout and tools, for users who launch VIEWER.EXE