PDXpert PLM Software
Product Lifecycle Management
File viewers for mechanical CAD/CAM formats
Last update 2019-02-19
Software tools work with their own data file format or may use industry-standard formats. These formats often use separate file viewers that you can download and install. If the data file format you want isn't found below or through a web search, contact the CAD tool publisher for their recommendations.
PDXplorer™ can view a PDX package, which can contain design files. These files (package "attachments") can be viewed by the following file viewers. For information about PDX packages and PDXplorer, see:PDXplorer free viewer for PDX packages (IPC-2570).
Actify SpinFire Reader can be used to view SpinFire Professional.3D files:
Autodesk has offered DWG as a drawing standard, similar to how Adobe has established PDF as a document publishing standard. Autodesk's free viewer is DWG TrueView:
More interesting is the Autodesk Design Review software product for DWG and Inventor files:
Bentley Systems' MicroStation (DGN), as well as DWG, files can be read using the Bentley View utility:
CADCAM-E.Com, Inc. has free EnSuite-View multi-format 3D tool: a viewer/translator and a simpler viewer-only:
Kubotek's CAD formats, KeyCreator and Cadkey, can be viewed using the free-after-registrationKeyCreator Viewer:
Kubotek also offers a paid tool, K-Display View, for a wide variety of mechanical CAD formats:
OpenText™ publishes the OpenText™ Brava!™ DWG Viewerutility, which opens DWG, DWF and DXF files:
The Siemens free Solid Edge Viewer can also open DXF and DWG files:
SolidWorks Corporation offers a free eDrawings publisher tool, and separate reader, which allows many different CAD applications to publish to a common CAD drawing format. Formats include SolidWorks, Autocad, Inventor, Pro/ENGINEER, CATIA, Unigraphics and CoCreate's OneSpace:
SpaceClaim Corporation has a freeSpaceClaim Professional file viewer:
If you use ACIS 3D Modeler, you can download the HOOPS 3D Part Viewer for ACIS from Spatial Corporation here:
Users of STEP (ISO-10303) can get the free IDA-STEP Viewer and IGES2STEP Viewer and Converterat:
Regrettably, IMSI/Design doesn't publish a viewer for native TurboCAD files, but a converter to PDF/DWG.
This application note was relevant to the PDXpert software release that was current at time of publication. Product changes since that time may affect its utility. We'd be happy to assist you in assessing the applicability of this note to your situation.