What to Expect From the New OMEGA®

Hopefully you’ve heard by now that our industry-leading OMEGA Tracer software has been completely redesigned from scratch and is now known simply as OMEGA. If you’re an existing user, you may be asking, “Why would I want to upgrade, when my existing software works perfectly fine?”

Well, for starters, we listened to the feedback that we received from you over the years. There are no more locks, previews, or confirmations of every selection you made. Gone are menu after menu of options for finding what you need. Instead, you’ll click links and icons to get where you need to be. Tool usage and shape manipulation are much more direct and intuitive.

OMEGA’s primary functions are grouped into three basic areas: Capture, Design, and Fabricate.  Each one of these areas is organized into a group of steps referred to as a Stack.  These stacks guide you through the process of creating, modifying, and sending the shape file for fabrication.

The Design stack can be customized to include your selection of design steps, organized the way you want, with the name and the default view that you want. You can then save it as a template for repeated use.  You can create a whole library of these templates if you like, for different socket designs or cranial shapes. And you can create libraries of regions, shelves, and trimlines, too. Yes, you can now create your own popliteal shelf shape and save it as a favorite to be applied to future shapes.

We’ve kept many of the same modification tools, but we’ve included some helpful new features, such as a goniometer to help you measure and change the angle of the knee, hip, or ankle. For AFO shape modification, we’ve added a virtual floor as a visual reference for use with several of the alignment tools. On the prosthetic side, there’s now an interval option to help you adjust the circumference of a shape by different amounts at specified intervals.

Here’s another cool new feature: modifications to the model can be displayed in color – reductions in red, additions in blue. Also, if you were never very good at the freehand draw option, you’re in luck! You can now create trimlines, regions, and popliteal shelves by clicking on points that the software will connect for you. You can then reshape or reposition an area as needed.

Another helpful improvement is the ability to open a shape file and make an edit without disrupting the rest of the modifications. Did you ever, for example, reduce a TT shape by 7% and then wish you could go back and reduce 9% instead, but you didn’t want to lose all those other perfect modifications you made after that?  In the new software, you can open an existing shape file, go to a specific modification step, and edit that region or circumference without having to start from scratch.

And last but not least, let’s talk about file maintenance. All shape files are now neatly organized in the patient’s folder and sorted by affected area, which is especially helpful for patients with bilateral or multi-area involvements. This example shows a folder for a right TT/left TF patient. Sometimes it’s the little things that make a difference.

So, you’re probably ready to jump into OMEGA with both feet, but I do want to make sure you’re aware of a few things:

• You’ll need to make sure your computer is compatible with the software, so I’ve listed the specs below.
• Even though the software is more intuitive, we still require that you take a training course to learn the new navigation and begin the process of customizing the software to suit your needs and preferences.
• Because the software has changed so much, you’ll still want to keep your old Tracer software for opening old files or for using the T-Ring or Tracing Hardware.

Ready to get started?
Give us a call at 800.872.2373!

OMEGA System Requirements
CPU: Core i7, 3rd Generation
RAM: 8GB
Data Storage, Hard Drive Capacity, and/or Optical Drive: 500 GB 7200RPM hard disk, DVD-RW/CD-RW drive
Connectivity or Ports: 4 USB 2.0, 100Mbps LAN (RJ45)
Wireless: 802.11g
Video: NVIDIA Graphics Card (Core Speed: minimum 850MHz; Memory Speed: minimum 1800MHz; Memory: minimum 2048MB)
Operating System: Windows 7 (64-bit) or Windows 8 (64-bit)