The development of an occlusal scheme with an appropriate number and location of occlusal contacts is of the utmost importance for the long-term success of any prosthetic rehabilitation. This, however, can be a time-consuming procedure. To avoid undue mistakes, a high degree of competence must be demonstrated by both the clinician and the technician. Especially when performing extensive rehabilitations, many operators believe that to have optimum control of the occlusal variables, it is necessary to employ rather sophisticated instruments and complicated procedures. This article presents a rationale for an approach that uses a simplified but sound instrumentation in the clinical and laboratory steps necessary to produce a successful prosthesis. In part 1, the registration of the spatial position of a patient's maxillary and mandibular arches is described.