{"id":11854,"date":"2019-02-07T20:53:02","date_gmt":"2019-02-08T02:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cadcrowd.com\/blog\/?post_type=kb_article_designers&p=11854"},"modified":"2023-03-30T19:29:49","modified_gmt":"2023-03-31T01:29:49","slug":"what-free-viewers-that-can-be-used-to-open-cad-files","status":"publish","type":"kb_article_designers","link":"https:\/\/www.cadcrowd.com\/help\/designers\/what-free-viewers-that-can-be-used-to-open-cad-files\/","title":{"rendered":"What free viewers can be used to open CAD files?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CAD software packages can be costly, which can cause issues when you want to view\/open CAD files supplied by a designer. A free CAD viewer may be a good option if you wish to view a 3D model without making design edits.<\/p>

In some cases, you’ll need to choose a CAD viewer that’s compatible with proprietary files. Unfortunately, you may need to download a different viewer software to open different types of CAD software files.<\/p>

Autodesk Viewer<\/h2>

The Autodesk Viewer<\/strong><\/a> is a good option on the market for viewing various types of CAD files. The viewer is free and runs on your web browser (no installation required).<\/p>

See files supported by the Autodesk Viewer:<\/p>

\"Autodesk<\/a><\/figure>

\ud83d\udce1 Note: To make viewing files more accessible, you can ask clients to send a neutral and proprietary CAD file format. Neutral CAD file formats may exclude some data, but you’ll be able to open and view the CAD files with a basic viewer. Examples of neutral file formats include STEP, IGES, Parasolid, STL, VRML, X3D, COLLADA, and DXF.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CAD software packages can be costly, which can cause issues when you want to view\/open CAD files supplied by a designer. A free CAD viewer may be a good option if you wish to view a 3D model without making design edits. In some cases, you’ll need to choose a CAD viewer that’s compatible with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"kb_topic_designers":[416],"class_list":["post-11854","kb_article_designers","type-kb_article_designers","status-publish","hentry","kb_topic_designers-designer-faq"],"aioseo_notices":[],"spectra_custom_meta":{"_edit_lock":["1680226190:1"],"_edit_last":["1"],"_aioseop_noindex":["on"],"classic-editor-remember":["block-editor"],"_aioseo_title":[null],"_aioseo_description":[null],"_aioseo_keywords":[""],"_aioseo_og_title":[null],"_aioseo_og_description":[null],"_aioseo_og_article_section":[""],"_aioseo_og_article_tags":[""],"_aioseo_twitter_title":[null],"_aioseo_twitter_description":[null],"_uag_css_file_name":["uag-css-11854.css"],"_uag_page_assets":["a:9:{s:3:\"css\";s:263:\".uag-blocks-common-selector{z-index:var(--z-index-desktop) !important}@media (max-width: 976px){.uag-blocks-common-selector{z-index:var(--z-index-tablet) !important}}@media (max-width: 767px){.uag-blocks-common-selector{z-index:var(--z-index-mobile) !important}}\n\";s:2:\"js\";s:0:\"\";s:18:\"current_block_list\";a:3:{i:0;s:14:\"core\/paragraph\";i:1;s:12:\"core\/heading\";i:2;s:10:\"core\/image\";}s:8:\"uag_flag\";b:0;s:11:\"uag_version\";s:10:\"1778225509\";s:6:\"gfonts\";a:0:{}s:10:\"gfonts_url\";s:0:\"\";s:12:\"gfonts_files\";a:0:{}s:14:\"uag_faq_layout\";b:0;}"]},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"post-thumbnail":false,"sticky-post-thumbnail":false,"archive-post-thumbnail":false,"yarpp-thumbnail":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"MacKenzie Brown","author_link":"https:\/\/www.cadcrowd.com\/blog\/author\/mackenzie-brown\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"CAD software packages can be costly, which can cause issues when you want to view\/open CAD files supplied by a designer. A free CAD viewer may be a good option if you wish to view a 3D model without making design edits. In some cases, you’ll need to choose a CAD viewer that’s compatible with…","aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t