About

About CADViewer

Why this exists

Viewing a CAD file usually means installing something — SolidWorks, Fusion 360, or at minimum a dedicated viewer app. If you just need to look at a STEP file someone sent you, or turn a 3D model into a drawing you can hand to a machine shop, that's a lot of friction for an occasional task.

CADViewer is built to remove that friction: open the file in a browser tab, view it, measure it, and generate a real engineering drawing from it — no install, no account, no cost.

How it works

The viewer runs on OpenCascade (OCCT), the open-source CAD kernel, compiled to WebAssembly so it runs directly in your browser. Your file is never uploaded to a server — everything from geometry parsing to drawing generation happens on your own machine.

The 2D drawing generator specifically follows standard drafting convention — third-angle projection, proper dimension placement, correct scale selection — rather than just capturing a picture of the model from three angles. Getting that right took real iteration; a drawing that looks plausible but is missing a dimension or duplicates one isn't actually useful to whoever has to build the part from it.

Who's building this

CADViewer is built and maintained by Devaraj, working solo. The project started from a simple frustration: needing to open and document CAD files without paying for a SolidWorks or Fusion 360 seat.

Most of the implementation has been built through iterative, AI-assisted development — but every drafting decision, every dimensioning rule, and every generated drawing has been checked by hand against real drafting standards and tested on real parts before shipping. The goal was never just "does it run," it was "would this hold up if someone actually built the part from it."

What's next

Sheet-metal unfold and flattening, exploded assembly views, and BOM tables are next on the list. And more unexpected features to come.

Get in touch

Found a bug, or need a format that isn't supported yet? Get in touch.