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:

• http://www.actify.com/spinfire-reader/

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:

• https://www.autodesk.com/viewers/all-viewers/compare

More interesting is the Autodesk Design Review software product for DWG and Inventor files:

• https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/inventor-products/downloads/caas/downloads/content/autodesk-inventor-view-2018.html 

Bentley Systems' MicroStation (DGN), as well as DWG, files can be read using the Bentley View utility:

• https://www.bentley.com/en/products/product-line/modeling-and-visualization-software/bentley-view 

CADCAM-E.Com, Inc. has free EnSuite-View multi-format 3D tool: a viewer/translator and a simpler viewer-only:

• https://www.cadcam-e.com/freecadviewers-CATIA-STEP-IGES-Parasolid-NX.aspx

Kubotek's CAD formats, KeyCreator and Cadkey, can be viewed using the free-after-registration KeyCreator Viewer:

• https://info.kubotek3d.com/products/keycreator-viewer

Kubotek also offers a paid tool, K-Display View, for a wide variety of mechanical CAD formats:

• https://www.kubotek3d.com/products/kdisplay/view

OpenText™ publishes the OpenText™ Brava!™ DWG Viewer utility, which opens DWG, DWF and DXF files:

• https://www.opentext.com/what-we-do/products/enterprise-content-management/content-centric-applications/opentext-brava/

The Siemens free Solid Edge Viewer can also open DXF and DWG files:

• https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/forms/solidEdgeViewer.shtml

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:

• http://www.edrawingsviewer.com/ed/edrawings-viewer.htm

SpaceClaim Corporation has a free SpaceClaim Professional file viewer:

• http://www.spaceclaim.com/en/Products/Addons/SpaceClaim_Viewer.aspx

If you use ACIS 3D Modeler, you can download the HOOPS 3D Part Viewer for ACIS from Spatial Corporation here:

• https://info.spatial.com/spatial-3d-web-viewer

Users of STEP (ISO-10303) can get the free IDA-STEP Viewer and IGES2STEP Viewer and Converter at:

• http://www.ida-step.net/download
• http://www.iges2step.narod.ru/

Regrettably, IMSI/Design doesn't publish a viewer for native TurboCAD files, but a converter to PDF/DWG.