eDrawings Viewer

Overview

eDrawings Viewer is a free product-design viewer for sharing and examining 2D drawings and 3D models. It suits professionals, students, makers, and casual users who need to inspect CAD designs rather than create them. Its combination of assembly inspection and review tools makes it useful beyond simple file viewing, but advanced collaboration sits behind a Professional license.

Key features

All eDrawings versions open eDrawings and SOLIDWORKS files, plus DXF and DWG drawings. The range is useful for people receiving designs from different CAD workflows; eDrawings files are also highly compressed for easier email transmission. Publisher applications can create eDrawings files from SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD, Pro/ENGINEER, CATIA V5, Unigraphics NX, Autodesk Inventor, Solid Edge, RapidFire Lite, and SketchUp.

Dynamic cross sectioning and component move and explode views let reviewers look inside a model and inspect its assembly structure. That makes the Viewer a stronger fit for design review than a tool limited to opening and displaying a drawing. Models can also be saved in STL, TIFF, JPEG, and BMP formats.

The Markup Tool supports redlining 2D or 3D data, adding comments, and creating, editing, and saving reviews. Measurement tools are included, but a file creator can permanently disable measurement on an eDrawings file. That control helps protect design dimensions, though recipients cannot assume every file will permit measurement.

On Android and iOS, augmented reality uses the device camera to display CAD designs in the real world. For live browser-based review, Cloud Services for SOLIDWORKS lets invited collaborators view, mark up, and provide feedback without installing software. That collaboration route is useful for distributed review, but advanced collaboration capabilities require eDrawings Professional.

Pricing

eDrawings Viewer: free. The free plan is a sensible starting point for individuals who need to open supported files, inspect models, measure where permitted, and add markups. Advanced collaboration requires an eDrawings Professional license, so teams that need those capabilities should account for a paid license; mobile app pricing varies by region.

The Viewer is free software, but the free plan is not equivalent to an unrestricted collaboration package. Its clearest trade-off is that advanced collaboration is reserved for Professional, while measurement may be disabled on individual files regardless of the user's plan.

Platforms

eDrawings Viewer supports Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows, giving users desktop and mobile options. The mobile apps add augmented reality, while the browser-based Cloud Services collaboration option supports invited reviewers without installation.

Who it's for

The Viewer is a good fit for CAD file recipients who need to inspect 2D drawings or 3D assemblies, leave review comments, and share compact eDrawings files. Students and makers can also use its measurement and model-inspection tools where file permissions allow. It is less suitable for teams whose workflow depends on advanced collaboration without moving to a Professional license, or for users who need to author designs rather than review them.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Opens eDrawings, SOLIDWORKS, DXF, and DWG files, covering several common design-file handoffs.
• Pro: Cross sections and explode views expose internal structure and assembly relationships, not just the model's exterior.
• Pro: Markups, comments, measurement, and several export formats support practical review and sharing tasks.
• Con: Advanced collaboration requires eDrawings Professional, limiting the free plan for teams that need richer shared review.
• Con: File creators can permanently disable measurement, so reviewers may not be able to inspect dimensions on every design.
• Con: Mobile app pricing varies by region, which can complicate planning for mobile use.

Alternatives

For a wider set of CAD viewer options, browse CAD Viewer Software.

• CAD Pockets is worth considering if you want a freemium viewer with Android, iOS, and web platforms and a free plan that includes third-party cloud storage and 100MB of cloud space.
• CAD Reader is another freemium option across Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows, with a free plan.
• ODA File Converter is a free alternative for users who want an Android, Linux, macOS, or Windows option from a non-profit CAD and BIM interoperability consortium.
• Autodesk Viewer is a free macOS, web, and Windows option for link-based sharing, but it requires an Autodesk Account and uploaded designs expire after 30 days by default; anyone with a shared link can access the design.
• 3D-Tool is a Windows-only alternative if you need a no-time-limit viewer for DDD, STL, and 3MF files and do not need CAD-file export.
• CAD Viewer is a free browser option for viewing, review, and editing with an open-source toolkit.
• CADViewer by Orua is a free, read-only browser viewer for self-hosted static deployment.
• Autodesk DWG TrueView is a free Windows desktop choice if your focus is viewing 2D and 3D DWG files and converting them for compatibility with earlier AutoCAD versions.

Verdict

Choose eDrawings Viewer if you need a free, cross-platform way to inspect common CAD files, examine assembly structure, and leave review markups. Its strongest advantage is the combination of file coverage and practical model inspection; look elsewhere if your team needs advanced collaboration without a Professional license or if mobile pricing needs to be predictable across regions.