CADViewer by Orua

Summary

CADViewer by Orua is a free, open-source browser viewer for CAD drawings, designed for large engineering files and read-only previews. It opens DWG, DXF, STL, STEP/STP, IGES/IGS, and BREP/BRP files through one file entry and toolbar. DWG and DXF parsing runs in a Web Worker with LibreDWG WebAssembly, then progressively renders entities using Canvas 2D and Path2D. Three-dimensional formats are processed locally with OpenCascade WebAssembly and displayed with WebGL, including selectable metal surface-finish previews. Navigation includes pan, wheel zoom, fit-to-view, zoom window, drawing-list visibility, and light or dark backgrounds. Locally selected files are parsed in the browser; no account, application backend, or drawing-upload API is required. It can run from a static web server, with documented offline and private-network configuration. It is limited to viewing: there is no CAD editing, entity-property panel, selection workflow, or plugin system. Rendering depends on drawing complexity, device memory, and available fonts; some external images and uncommon entities may not appear.

Who it is for

CADViewer suits users who need browser-based previews of engineering drawings, including through self-hosted deployment. It is for read-only viewing rather than editing CAD files.

Compared on CAD viewer software

DWG support

Yesgithub.com

Platforms

webgithub.com

DXF support

Yesgithub.com

Facts

Purpose

CADViewer is an open-source browser CAD viewer designed for large engineering drawings and read-only previews.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

File formats

It opens DWG, DXF, STL, STEP/STP, IGES/IGS, and BREP/BRP through one file entry and toolbar.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Large drawing rendering

DWG/DXF parsing runs in a Web Worker with LibreDWG WebAssembly and progressively renders entities using Canvas 2D and Path2D.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

3D previews

Three-dimensional formats are processed locally with OpenCascade WebAssembly and displayed with WebGL, with selectable metal surface-finish previews.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Navigation

The viewer supports pan, wheel zoom, fit-to-view, zoom window, drawing-list visibility, and light or dark backgrounds.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Fonts and languages

It defers SHX, TTF, OTF, and WOFF font loading and supports Simplified Chinese and English through deployment configuration.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Deployment

CADViewer can be deployed on a static web server without an application server or database, and it documents offline or private-network configuration.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Privacy

Locally selected files are parsed in the browser, and the viewer does not require an account, application backend, or drawing-upload API.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Security caveat

The project notes that a hosting site may retain ordinary web-server access logs.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Read-only limits

It does not provide CAD editing, entity-property panels, selection workflows, or a plugin system.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

File fidelity limits

External raster images, proxy objects, and uncommon custom entities may not render, while missing fonts can change text appearance.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Capacity limits

The project says supported drawing size depends on the drawing, browser, device memory, entity complexity, nested blocks, hatches, and fonts.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Licensing

The repository says LibreDWG WebAssembly components are distributed under GPL-3.0-or-later and other components retain their respective licenses.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Intended audience

The project is aimed at users who need to preview large AutoCAD drawings in a browser, including through self-hosted deployment.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Where it ranks on Everything Xiaomi

• Best CAD Viewer Software in 2026#10 of 31

Sources

• github.com/Orua/CADViewer· checked 4 Oct 2026